I’ve been designing since I was 12. Back then I spent a lot of my free time on forums for my favorite video games, so in a heroic attempt to gain digital clout, I pirated Photoshop and started taking (free) commissions for 400x160px “signature” graphics that appeared under a users’ posts. Other than a brief stint in premed I’ve been designing ever since—I made flyers for my friends’ parties, took every on-campus design job I could find, and eventually landed my first real gigs in San Francisco. At some point I transitioned from mostly brand to mostly product, but I think they’re a lot more similar than most people give them credit for. I’m at my best when I have a hand in both anyway.
Some of my habits and views might surprise those with more formal design training. My files are messy, and my process is unprocessed. I rely on intuition, imagination, and riffing with my team more than research or analytics, but I think most great products were probably made that way too. Over time I’ve lost a bit of my edge - maybe I’m getting old and boring - but what excites me now is simplicity and focus: grids, typography, hierarchy. Dieter Rams type beat. And I still refuse to name my layers. Unless someone asks nicely. It’s not that deep.
Sometimes I feel weird getting paid to design for a living. It was my hobby and craft long before I imagined it could be a job. Making design transactional came with a lot of baggage - it’s frustrating when the work gets reduced to “make number go up” instead of something more stimulating, like “make vibe more cool” or “make product more fun.” But at the end of the day I love drawing rectangles. I’m immensely grateful that design is such a large part of my life - it’s given back to me more than I ever could have imagined, and even on the worst days I can still find intrinsic joy in the practice.
I live in a slightly squeaky Victorian apartment in a quiet neighborhood in the heart of San Francisco. I love it here. My home is 33 steps from a park that’s mostly for dogs but explicitly not a dog park. I’m surrounded by great cafes. I take pride in baristas remembering my name and order. I spend too much money on breakfast burritos and oat cortados, but I’m willing to sacrifice owning a house to do so. I’m suspicious of anyone who would disagree.
I love hip-hop, house, and jazz. I’ve been vegetarian for eight years; my ride or die meal in the city is Taqueria Cancun’s veggie burrito (dorado style). My favorite movie is Uncut Gems, and my favorite show is Succession. I was team Kendall. My NYT Mini record is 0:34. I have a 1,000+ day streak on Duolingo for Portuguese. Please don’t ask me to demonstrate my proficiency.
