• (01)Portfolio — 2026
  • (02)Based in Aledo, TX
  • (03)7 years of practice
  • (04)Open to new roles

My process, visualized.

  1. 01DiscoverAudience, audit, references
  2. 02DefinePositioning, palette, type
  3. 03DesignLogo, layouts, components
  4. 04BuildTokens, templates, site
Example project
My own brand and portfolio
Scope
Logo, guidelines, design system, website
Tools
Figma, Adobe CC, Claude
Year
2026

Phase 01 — Discover

Start with who it’s for.

Before any pixels, I write down who the work has to convince and what each of them looks for. For my portfolio that meant three audiences with very different reading habits.

  • Audiences and goals
  • Audit of existing work and content
  • References and constraints

OutputA one-page creative brief

Who it’s for

  • Creative directorsCraft and clear reasoning
  • Hiring managersImpact, ownership and fit
  • RecruitersRole, scope and tools
Recommended color balance
  • Warm Ivory#F7F5EF
  • Deep Ink#1B2721
  • Dark Forest#14251D
  • Forest#2E6349
  • Mineral Mint#A6DFC0

Phase 02 — Define

Turn it into a foundation.

The foundation sets the rules before the design starts. My guidelines fix the palette, the fonts and how much of each colour a page should use, so Warm Ivory carries the page and Mint stays an accent.

  • Positioning: clean execution, thoughtful systems, refined craft
  • Palette with a 60 · 20 · 10 · 7 · 3 balance
  • Three typefaces, three jobs
Manrope
Display and headings
Inter
Interface and body
IBM Plex Mono
Labels and data

Phase 03 — Design

Draw the mark, then the screens.

The monogram is one outer M stroke with a peak set inside it, a nod to the outdoor influence in the brand. From there it becomes a full logo system, and the same geometry carries into the page layouts.

  • Monogram, horizontal and stacked lockups
  • Light, dark and mono treatments
  • Page layouts built on a 12-column grid
3
Lockups
4
Treatments
12
Logo variants
Step 04 / 04Locked up with the wordmark

Phase 04 — Build

Systemize it, then ship it.

Every decision becomes a token or a component, so pages are assembled, not redrawn. This site runs on that system: tokens feed styles, styles feed components, and components build every page you’re reading.

  1. 120Variables6 collections, 2 color modes
  2. 18StylesType, effects and grids
  3. 17Components11 sets with 55 variants
  4. 22Page frames11 pages, desktop and mobile
  5. 1Portfolio siteBuilt on Squarespace
  • Light and dark color modes from one set of tokens
  • Desktop, tablet and mobile layouts from three breakpoints
  • Documentation so the system outlives the handoff

AI in my workflow

Human-led.
AI-assisted.

Great design starts with human creativity, experience and thoughtful decisions. AI is one more tool in my workflow, not a replacement for any of them.

I use it to take on repetitive tasks, support accessibility and quality reviews, and tighten design system documentation and developer handoff. It builds on what I already know about responsive interfaces, Figma components and accessibility, and helps me catch issues earlier.

I make the decisions, check every recommendation and own the final work. The point isn’t to let AI do more of the designing. It’s to free up time for the details that make great design possible.

  1. 01 · Discover

    I define the audience, goals and brief.

    AI-assisted

    Research support, brainstorming

  2. 02 · Define

    I set the positioning, palette and type.

    AI-assisted

    Organizing requirements, token naming

  3. 03 · Design

    I design the mark, layouts and components.

    AI-assisted

    Critique of hierarchy and consistency

  4. 04 · Build

    I verify, approve and hand off.

    AI-assisted

    Accessibility checks, QA lists, handoff notes

Human judgment, creative direction and final approval remain central at every stage.

  1. Workflow efficiency

    Less time on repetitive tasks, more time designing.

    • Drafting routine documentation and spec structure
    • Organizing requirements and feedback
    • Preparing QA checklists

    My check

    I review and edit everything before it’s shared.

  2. Accessibility & quality assurance

    Catch design and usability issues earlier.

    • Flagging color pairs to test against WCAG 2.2 AA
    • Reviewing component states and responsive gaps
    • Supporting design-review checklists

    My check

    Contrast is measured with dedicated tools and verified by me. AI supports the review; it doesn’t certify compliance.

  3. Design systems & developer handoff

    Clearer, more consistent specs for developers.

    • Organizing component docs and token names
    • Spotting missing states, variants and specs
    • Drafting implementation and export notes

    My check

    I check every spec against the Figma source before handoff.

  4. Creative exploration & critical review

    A second perspective, never the final say.

    • Brainstorming alternative approaches
    • Challenging assumptions about hierarchy and layout
    • Researching unfamiliar technical concepts

    My check

    I weigh each suggestion. Creative direction and final execution stay with me.

I don’t share confidential client work, sensitive information or protected IP with AI tools, and I follow each project’s rules on AI use. I keep learning new tools and adopt them only where they add real value.

Hiring, or have a project in mind?

I'd like to hear about it. I reply within two working days.

Get in touch