I’m a design engineer and product leader. Frontend for 12+ years. Branding, graphic and UI design for 12+ years before that.
Here’s my CV. Here’s my folio.
AI makes design (and taste) even more important. LLMs shift the role of software engineer from author to reviewer. This means there is going to be more time to think deeply about ideas and opportunities. Small, hungry teams working with these tools will open up great potential. And the defining factors will be curiosity and taste.
Code is my design tool. Design is my first love. I spent over a decade working in branding and graphic design. I taught myself to code because it was the only way to effect my ideas. Now I use code as a design tool to get as close as possible to the web medium. It simply creates a much faster feedback loop.
I love building UI. I love making the user interface real in terms of what makes a valuable customer experience. For example, async data management and thoughtful data schemas are as much the basis for good UI as the visual, interactive experience. One cannot work without the other. I try to account for all of it.
More than the sum of parts. It looks good in Figma, but how does it feel as a coded UI? It may fulfil spec, but does it feel fast? There are no answers to these questions without continuously drafting until it feels right. Delivery is not code commits, it’s a tangible experience in the hands of people. I enjoy owning this process.
Please read my case studies. Highlights include:
- I worked at Vana, a San Francisco-based start-up from 2022 to 2024 as engineer and designer. We built a viral generative AI app before ChatGPT existed.
- I built Cleared from initial commit in 2019 through to its sale in 2022. I assembled and lead its engineering team, and designed and built the app.
- I ran my own agency 2015 to 2020 for Australian and US clients, remote from Cairns. I planned, designed, built and managed projects from brief to launch.
- In the 00s, I did brand design at Saatchi & Saatchi, London among other places. You can still find my 2000-era brand work in Australian supermarkets.
I’ve worked in scrappy startups for the last 7 years. I like to think I know something about prioritisation, urgency and energy.
People first. Great products are built by teams of people working together in a scenius of shared knowhow that is very difficult to replicate. I’m naturally reflective but love a laugh. I’m not afraid to ask questions or be wrong or jump in the deep end. Most of all, I want to work with a team I can trust and attempt excellence with.
Tempo. Are we testing a hypothesis? Drafting it until it’s obvious and simple? Running downhill towards a feature release? A sense of urgency helps carve out the true nature of scope. Being pragmatic at every step helps balance craft with delivery. I keep a tempo in mind at all times.
Communication plays a big part. How the team is oriented around mission helps make task work smooth and meaningful. If we disagree, then accept and commit to a decision. Action creates insight. Strong opinions, weakly held. Personally, I write or video demo my progress at the end of most days.
Listening leadership. The best manager I’ve had would, when I had the floor, listen closely, query for understanding, rephrase what I’d said in his own words, then take a few seconds and give me a direct answer. I was always so happy to work with him.
The role. I can work in either design or engineering but I work best as a design engineer (a designer who codes). I want to join a team but I’m open to contracts and one-off projects in order to meet people. I have a wealth of T-shaped knowhow so I can also consult on product, brand and UI, code reviews and design systems.
Tech stacks. I’m fluid with React and Typescript. I use tools like TanStack Query or Server Components to bridge the network and database layers. High-res (Figma) or low-res (TLDraw) design tools are givens. I’m particularly interested in LLMs, design systems and real-time, local-first systems.
I’m in Australia (AEST). I live with my family in Cairns, Australia. I’ve worked remotely here since 2015 for clients across Australia, and for two US-based start-ups. The 5-hour US-AUS timezone overlap works very well. EUR-AUS less so. As a family unit, we are also open to relocation adventures.
Base rates. My base salary is approximately ~AU$190k and my base day rate is ~AU$900. I am open to people and ideas so if you have a unique situation, let’s chat.
Don’t hesitate to say hello :)