My name is Gavin, I'm a designer and Design Operations Manager located in Halifax, NS. I have a passion for talking to people and making lives easier through good design. Currently that applies to UX, business strategy, and graphic design. You can find me on LinkedIn here.

Previously I was Design Team Manager for the North America wide trades magazine publisher Focus Media Group, then User Experience Team Leader at Medavie Blue Cross.

This site is currently under re-work. See you soon with a new look!

Portrait of Gavin Billings

Hello there!

A Manual of Me…

I add value to teams by…

Collaborating, communicating, and facilitating. I bring a wide perspective, empathy, and a fair variety of personal skills to the team.

People often say I’m brilliant at…

Making things easy to understand. Explanations, project briefs, coaching or instruction are all well practiced for me. My hope is that others can approach work more confidently when I provide information they can absorb and use to make their own decisions easily.

The brief I can work best from includes…

A problem statement and a clear goal or result to target. Understanding the purpose allows me to leverage creativity in solving the problem. If we’re working together, a clear goal keeps us aligned and on track.

The stages of a project I work best at include…

The beginning and the end! I am comfortable planning a strategy, stages and steps to help myself and others begin the work with momentum. As we approach the end, I have an eye for detail and polish to tie up any loose ends and finish a solid project.

The sorts of outputs and outcomes I create include…

Outputs like strong visual design documents, approachable reports and presentations. Outcomes like confident and creative teammates, strong brands, and happy customers.

Beyond work, I’m really passionate about...

Storytelling! I enjoy critical media theory and considering the details of films and novels. You can regularly find me behind the Game Master screen playing D&D with friends.

Create your own Manual of Me.

Latest Work History

Medavie, Inc.

Design Operations Manager, 2024 - Present

Medavie Blue Cross

UX Team Leader, 2021 - 2024

UX Designer, 2021

Focus Media Group

Project Manager, 2019 - 2020

Design Team Manager, 2016 - 2019

Education History

University of New Brunswick

Bachelor of Applied Arts - Graduated April 2015

New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

Diploma in Graphic Design - Graduated April 2012

The Center for Arts and Technology

Diploma in Digital Media & Graphic Design - Graduated March 2010