How I found design
Music was all around me since I was born, growing up to the sounds of David Bowie, Iggy Pop & Radio Birdman. Post-punk and the Perth goth scene gave me an aesthetic and the space to explore graphic design without boundaries. Inspired by the works of Peter Saville and Wim Crouwel, I put my attention into developing experimental typefaces to provoke thought within our scene. Later landing my first job as a junior graphic designer, I discovered the emerging capabilities of the Web. Responsive Web Design and Typekit were trending at that stage, effectively erasing my pessimistic view of web design. Not long after moving to Berlin in 2013, I made the transition to product designer because it felt more satisfying aiming for user satisfaction rather than the clients.
The person I am today
My team at EyeEm would label me as a “UX designer”, but I think that’s because I aim to help each member of my team reach their goals. In my view, the best starting point to help my co-workers is by learning who our end users are. I really enjoy this part of the process because you get to witness how unique people are and their circumstances. Learning about their challenges with your product makes any conversation around priorities actually productive, and I can get back to the stuff I enjoy. UI engineering is something I particularly nerd out on, not because I’m particularly great at it, but because I believe the details matter when you want to delight users. This is why I manage the frontend design system at EyeEm because I think our users must have a consistently positive experience. Working on a design system also meant I got very familiar with its codebase and comfortable enough to contribute as well.
Design by nature services the needs of others, and because of that, I feel like you have to enjoy its process to feel satisfied. That’s why I’m in this business because I really like the various responsibilities that come with being a product designer. That being said, software development is not everything to me. Music still and always will play a vital role in my life, whether it’s co-creating a record label or djing at a club.
Important people to me
- Carolin Ave: My wife taught me to take care of myself and trust in my own abilities when I have doubts.
- Travis Betts: A great friend that always supported my efforts to push the boundaries of visual communication.
- Matthew Box: My father taught me to respect nature and the creatures that co-exist with us.
- Tracey Devery: My mother taught me to respect women because, in all likelihood, they work twice as hard as you.
- Alison Lewis: A great friendship which taught me a very precious lesson in responsibility.
- Dylan Warn: My oldest friend, he has influenced me in ways of art, media and culture since we were 12 years old.