Always Be Climbing

Hill and Steed is Ben McCoy, a design thinker and team leader with over 20 years experience creating omni-channel brand strategies and human-centered design solutions. He also loves bicycles (and climbing hills).

Hill climber. Ship shaper.

I have helped numerous brands get their design house in order. From establishing process and design systems to creating digital products and omni-channel experiences, I can help you define the strategy and build the team needed to succeed.

Hello there!

My name is Ben McCoy. I'm a Minneapolis-based designer and digital product leader.

Most recently, I've been serving in roles like Executive Design and Creative Director and VP of Design and Digital for YMCA of the North — a top three YMCA — where I created digital products to support hundreds of Y associations nationwide, more than doubled the annual online revenue for my home association, and helped lead a brand repositioning campaign.

Prior to Hill+Steed, I co-founded and lead a boutique digital agency called Bicycle Theory for over 15 years, and served as the Interactive Creative Director for Life Time (Fitness) before that.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in design from the University of Minnesota and have won several awards for my work. I've also been fortunate to serve brands like Apple, Blandin Foundation, Crestliner, Curt’s Salsa, General Mills, Imagine! Print Solutions, Kraft, Lifetouch Photography, Otso Cycles (Wolf Tooth Components), Peace Coffee, Rollerblade, Surly Bikes, Surly Brewing, the St. Paul Area Association of REALTORS, Target, and more.

Detailed Resume

Favorite DMs

“You have been a huge advocate and mentor to me, and your commitment to your team (even as structures changed) has changed how I choose to lead. Your commitment to equity, caring for others, and building connections are some of the things ou are best at (in addition to all of your many creative and web skills).”

— S.H.

“Your talent as a designer is unmatched. I’ve always admired your creativity, your taste, and your ability to bring clarity and polish to anything you touched. You taught me so much. Not just professionally, but in the way you lead — with perspective, calm, and care. You were a friend I could sit with on hard days. That kind of support and connection is rare.”

— N.H.

“From the moment I joined the team, you’ve been more than a colleague; you’ve been a mentor, a guide, and a source of steady inspiration. Your creativity, strategic mind, and design brilliance have shaped so much of what has been built. Work aside, what’s left the biggest mark on me is who you are: kind, inclusive, tenacious, and full of moxie.”

— J.S.