Ali Salem
I'm a design leader shaping products at scale, from consumer apps used by millions to design systems serving hundreds of designers and engineers. I lead through visual craft, systems thinking, and hands-on design engineering. My current focus is AI-native design, where I set the quality bar for AI tools and coach designers to build with them.
Experience
League
Lead Product Designer, Design Systems
Sep 2025 – Jul 2026 · Toronto, ON
I led design for the design system that every League product is built on, across web, iOS, and Android. I also taught AI tools to design with it. League's product design leadership made that approach a core phase of the organization's AI-native design workflow.
Auth0 by Okta
Staff Product Designer, Design Systems Lead
Jan 2023 – Aug 2025 · Toronto, ON
I owned Auth0's design system, which the Auth0 dashboard, documentation, and login tools are built on. For Okta's 2023 rebrand, I led the rebuild of the system's colour and type foundations. The rebuild brought 95% of components up to WCAG 2.2 AA contrast in light and dark themes. I also designed Auth0's first AI chat assistant.
Royal Bank of Canada
Visual Design Lead, Design Platform
Dec 2019 – Dec 2022 · Toronto, ON
I led visual design for RBC's design system, used by more than 700 practitioners across the bank's digital teams. I co-defined the framework product teams used to build their own components, and those teams went on to build six new libraries on the system.
TribalScale
Senior Product Designer
May 2018 – Feb 2019 · Toronto, ON
I led the design of Radio.com's iPhone, Android, and iPad apps through its 2018 rebrand. The wider relaunch contributed to a 300% increase in monthly active users within a year.
Fjord (Accenture Song)
Visual Design Consultant
Jun 2016 – Mar 2018 · Dubai, UAE
I led the design system for Etisalat, the UAE's largest telecom provider. More than 15 designers used the system on everything from phones to in-store touchscreens. I also led the visual direction for a new in-store screen experience, which Etisalat approved for rollout across all its stores.
Concentrix Catalyst (Tigerspike)
Senior UI Designer
Apr 2015 – May 2016 · Dubai, UAE
I led the redesign of Emirates' mobile apps, which millions of travellers use to check in, choose seats, and manage their flights. I also managed and mentored junior designers as Tigerspike's Dubai design team grew.
Digitas
Senior UI/UX Designer
Oct 2013 – Apr 2015 · Dubai, UAE
I led website redesigns for Emaar and for Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, and contributed to pitches that won several of the agency's key clients.
Landmark Group
UI/UX Designer & Developer
Nov 2012 – Sep 2013 · Dubai, UAE
I designed and coded key sections of Landmark Group's first e-commerce site, which brought the group's retail brands into one online store.
USYTech
UI Designer & Developer
Apr 2012 – Nov 2012 · Cairo, Egypt
In my first full-time role, I designed and built interfaces for clients including EagleRider, one of the world's largest motorcycle tourism companies.
Freelance Designer
Freelance Designer
2006 – 2012 · Cairo, Egypt
I started freelancing in university, designing for local and international clients, and joined Cairo's start-up scene when it took off in 2011.
Education
OCAD University
Master of Design (MDes), Strategic Foresight & Innovation
Sep 2020 – Jan 2024 · Toronto, ON
I studied how organizations plan for more than one possible future, through trend scanning, scenario planning, and systems mapping. My master's research project, Component Constellations, looked at how AI could change design system teams by 2030. Two years later, my work at League closely resembled one of the project's four scenarios.