I am an artist, designer, fabricator, and technologist, based in San Francisco. I combine digital and traditional craft practices to create compelling, multisensory, and focused experiences, products, and spaces. My clients range from individuals to huge tech companies – no project is too small or too big.
I pride myself on my ability to integrate disparate disciplines and production methods; in my studio, design is not “graphic” or “architectural” or “industrial;” my practice is one of translation between these typically siloed domains.
I make logos and do typography; I design, print, and install large-format graphics and paint treatments; I design, build, and install objects, furniture, and interior spaces; I use electronics, code, and robotics to create interactive prototypes and installations; I use CNC machines and other advanced fabrication methods to make complex, high-precision work; I work with local shops, artists, and fabricators to bring large-scale projects into reality. Sustainable and healthy materials are at the heart of my practice; whether it’s old-school woodworking with salvaged lumber or working with cutting-edge materials like algae-based foam, I often start with the material and let its capabilities and constraints drive the design.
I hold degrees from NYU Gallatin and RISD Digital + Media, and have been working professionally as a designer, art director, and creative technologist since 2012.
My professional and artistic work both deal with empathy, interactivity, mythology, and the nuances of human perception – investigating the connections between humans and our relationship to the nonhuman world we inhabit.
Looking for my resume? Here’s a short version, and here’s a full cv.
“what kind of design do you do?”
Graphic Design
I started as a graphic designer; my first design job was at my grandfather’s publishing company, designing stationery. Graphic design continues to be a cornerstone of my practice, influencing everything from logo and branding design to color, material, and proportion in more architectural and product design contexts.
I’ve designed logos, branding systems, websites, large-format graphics, books, and printed material for individuals, circus troupes, nonprofits, companies, and political campaigns.
Prototyping
My dream job when I was a kid was to be a LEGO designer: the guy who came up with new spaceships and machines, then figured out how to make them given the kit of parts at hand.
Honestly, R&D work isn’t too far off. Whether it’s electrical components or complicated interlocking mechanics, fitting these parts together is basically a grown-up version of building spaceships on my childhood carpet. I have an extensive background in physical computing, creative code, and advanced fabrication techniques.
I love working with unconventional, unknown, or untested materials and techniques. Figuring out how a project is going to physically, actually work – even, especially, when it’s something no one’s ever tried before – is where I can truly bring my transdisciplinary skill set to bear.
Architectural & Exhibit Design
I’ve designed spaces ranging in scale from four-story, 80,000-square-foot flagship offices to multimedia art installations to campervans. Spatial design always requires a delicate combination of formal design principles – proportion, function, balance – with the more fluid and nuanced considerations that come with human interaction and the way people move through their environment – in other words, vibe.
Sustainability and long-term health impacts are huge (but undervalued) design constraints in the built environment. I’m constantly expanding my own knowledge base in healthy fabrication and materials, as well as my network of relationships with vendors and fabricators who also want to build mindfully.
In addition to design, I’ve fabricated and installed architectural-scale work myself, and I regularly work with crews, shops, and materials local to the project to bring complex, multi-disciplinary ideas into physical reality.
Furniture & Product Design
Designing at the scale of furniture, or even of smaller objects – household goods, wearable items, devices – requires an intimate understanding of ergonomics and how we use and interact with objects in the physical world. Done properly, this kind of design is incredibly complex; it’s a juggling act to keep precision, feasibility, utility, aesthetics, materials, and cost all in balance with each other. Luckily, I was in the circus, and I know how to juggle.
I’ve designed room-size objects and handheld products, always prioritizing sustainable materials and ease of use. I can fabricate – or coordinate the fabrication of – almost anything, and I’m as comfortable working on room-size installations as I am on projects that require 1/1000th-of-an-inch tolerances.
