Charles Wood

Charles Wood, also known as Charlie, is a versatile multidisciplinary designer currently employed at Skydio, focusing on the design of the Skydio 2 autonomous drone.

With a rich professional background, Wood has accumulated a wealth of experience across various design-related roles. Before his venture into the world of robotic aerospace at Skydio, he honed his skills at Twitter. His tenure at Twitter involved directing commercials, spearheading marketing and sales team efforts, creating impactful ad campaigns, and developing prototypes for effectively communicating intricate product details to diverse consumer and business audiences.

Prior to Twitter, Wood played a pivotal role in the expansion of a digital production agency from a small outfit to a 90+ member full-service ad agency, where he served as the Art and Creative Director. Over his 12 years in the industry, Wood has collaborated with designers, developers, engineers, strategists, and notable Fortune 500 clients to craft successful communication strategies and advertising campaigns for international corporations and startups alike.

Some notable highlights from his career include leading a team in the development of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) autonomous medical delivery drone that executed blood sample deliveries in Africa in 2016, as well as managing the creation of various business and consumer product launch videos during his tenure at Twitter.

Wood's contributions extend beyond traditional design roles; he has actively participated in internal "hack" teams that played a defining role in shaping key elements of Twitter's user interface such as Moments, While-You-Were-Away, and out-of-order Timelines. Additionally, he has demonstrated a strong entrepreneurial spirit by spearheading the design of a fully autonomous medical delivery drone and engaging in the design and distribution of open-source camera hardware.

Wood's values and passions underscore his commitment to blending conceptual and technical expertise. With experience as an Art Director, Creative Director, Copywriter, and Product Manager across various agency, startup, and freelance settings, he brings a unique perspective to his projects. His dedication to using technology for good is evident in his endeavors at Twitter where he aimed to create a platform for free speech and at Vayu where he sought to leverage robots for medical aid delivery. Through his work on autonomous camera drones, Wood aims to empower everyday storytellers with cutting-edge tools.

Education-wise, Wood pursued his studies at Freeman High School, Collegiate School, and graduated with a BFA in Visual Communication Design from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

His professional journey has seen him hold key positions in prominent organizations including his current role as the Sr. Director of Interface Design and Marketing Design at Skydio. Previously, Wood has contributed his expertise as a Senior Interface Designer at Skydio, Design Team Lead (Contract) at Teal Drones, Product Manager at Vayu, Inc., Senior Art Director/Creative Lead at Twitter, Associate Creative Director at Modea, Art and Animation Director at Modea, and Creative Director at Big Chaz.