Design, build,
ship. Repeat.
I lead distributed teams building products and experiences for the world's most demanding companies — and the scrappy startups that want to become them.
Designer by instinct, builder by habit
I've spent two decades at the intersection of design, technology, and business — leading teams that care deeply about craft while keeping one eye on the bottom line. Modern Tribe grew out of that tension, and it's still what gets me out of bed every morning.
When I'm not buried in wireframes or steering a product sprint, you'll find me in the water off Santa Cruz, or somewhere with a decent wi-fi signal and a view worth the detour.
UX & Product Design
From user research to pixel-perfect handoff — I believe good design is invisible and great design changes behaviour.
Distributed Team Leadership
Built and scaled Modern Tribe as a fully remote agency well before the rest of the world figured it out.
Surfer & Traveller
Some of my best thinking happens between sets. The ocean has a way of resetting priorities.
Timeline
Built for the best, learned from the rest
Modern Tribe has worked with global brands, elite universities, and scrappy startups. Here's a small cross-section.
Microsoft
UX strategy and design systems work alongside internal product teams building tools used by millions.
Product DesignMTV Networks
Web platform redesign — high-traffic, deadline-sensitive, and very much needing to look like MTV.
Web DesigneBay
Interface design for buyer and seller flows, balancing complex functionality with clean visual hierarchy.
UX DesignMIT
Digital experience work for one of the world's leading research universities. Rigorous requirements, serious stakes.
Higher EdStanford University
Web and content design helping the university communicate research and programs to a global audience.
Web PlatformBon Appétit
Editorial design and digital publishing work for one of the most recognisable food media brands.
Editorial DesignI talk about work the way it actually is
Not the polished case study version. The real one — with the wrong turns, the pivots, and the parts that only made sense in hindsight.
Topics range from distributed team leadership and freelance economics to design thinking and the future of creative work.
What I talk about
Practical, opinionated sessions built from two decades of shipping products and running teams.
Notes from the field
Occasional essays on design, work, and building things that last — mostly written between projects, sometimes at dawn, often involving coffee.
The Freelance Primer: How Your First Year Really Works
Everything they don't tell you when you decide to go independent. The economics, the loneliness, the wins, and why most people quit before it gets good.
WordPress Product Pricing — Common Cents
A practical look at how to think about pricing open-source products without leaving money on the table or alienating your community.
Real Estate Investing in 10 Minutes
The mental model I use — simple, honest, and without the hype that makes most investing content unreadable.
Let's build something worth building
Whether it's a project brief, a speaking opportunity, or just a question you've been sitting on — I read my inbox. Eventually.