Design & growth

I started writing real code on the web when I was 14, long before vibe coding was a thing. I can write package.json scripts by hand and understand why keeping dependencies low matters.

I am not reliant on a high token spend to be ultra productive—nor ignorant enough to shamelessly ship AI slop. I believe knowing how something works is important. Surprise for the these new perceived capabilities does not influence the quality of my output.

That said, I have advanced knowledge and am efficient with the latest AI-assisted tooling and workflows. When it comes to ways of working, I tend to define the next standard rather than play keep up. I genuinely find satisfaction in the process of crafting software and websites.

My skillset has never cleanly fit into a singular role, nor do I want it to. Within web and product design, I advocate for generalization. It provides me with a deep understanding of the implications of my decisions. This understanding translates to know-how in terms of effectively shaping work that fits precisely into teams I work with's capabilities and availabilities.

My motivation stems from a belief that working in tech is a priviledge. With my background and interests, it seems unlikely I find similar levels of compensation and working conditions elsewhere.

As such, the ways in which I pursue design tend to prioritize business objectives that can, at least in part, justify my employment. This path has resulted in the label of "Growth" designer. Though, this label is a bit of a conundrum as I am largely skeptical of entirely data-driven decision making and/or solely small, incremental changes.

Similar to invasive plant species, I believe "growth" design's role within a business is to help it anticipate, rapidly adapt, and flourish within everchanging conditions—even in the ugliest of weather, on the most futile ground. Unlike plants, businesses can see rain (or drought) coming in the forecast. They do not need to die and be reborn for generations to evolve and adapt... Hence, my feelings toward solely data-driven decision making and incremental change.

While this all sounded very serious, screen design is not. I work on B2B SaaS stuff. Nothing I've designed so far results in life or death. We're one merge button away from fixing almost any bug instantly. Having a pleasant time while making things together matters to me. Incredibly great work that resulted from extremely bad vibes is unsustainable.

Qualifications & experience

TLDR; I started as a construction worker, moved to designing at agencies, and now work in-house in kind of "big" tech.

Agency clients

While at agencies, I worked on a variety of brands.

Tool belt

I have mastered many tools of the trade in pursuit of improving my craft and am learning new ones daily.

Past personal websites

If curious, here are some of my past personal websites.