Hello
I’m Simon
Design Systems Specialist,
Accessibility Advocate,
UX Designer/Developer, LEGO Fan
My Key Strengths
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Systematic Thinking
Creating elements that work together seamlessly and in a variety of use cases is my favorite design challenge. It brings all my skillsets into one cohesive effort and establishes standards many teams can benefit from. Design Systems are my calling and I love finding new ways to improve efficiencies or establish new standards.
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Empathy & Accessibility
Understanding the needs of others is critical to being an effective designer. Throughout my years of experience, I have consistently been eager to hear a person’s story and imagine myself in their shoes. Empathizing has enabled me to find impactful solutions to make an experience easier and more accessible for everyone.
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Blending Design & Technology
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned the roles of both design and development. Diving deep into the tools and considerations for each discipline. It’s empowered me to find ways to bridge the gap between designers and developers, helping them work together and find common ground.
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Teaming Up
I love working with people from all disciplines. Throughout my career I’ve collaborated with many different cross functional teams and found ways we can all align on a direction. It’s a thrill when I am to help teams work together more effectively and improve team morale.
Ohio Native
Having grown up in Columbus, Ohio, I'm a true Buckeye. Through the great design program at The Ohio State University, I received my Bachelors of Science in Industrial Design. Although I started off in the 3D space of design, the process and design principals have easily translated to digital design. Over time through my continued learning with 15 years of industry experience I’ve developed a well rounded knowledge and passion for designing digital experiences.
Experience Highlights
I’ve had the pleasure of working with several incredible companies and clients. My experience is focused around full time roles within an organization but I do enjoy the occasional freelance project.
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Working with the VR ecommerce team to establish common patterns for user interactions and create/manage ecom specific Pattern library as an extension of the design system(s). I also advise team on ways to align to DS/Accessibility standards and be informed by industry standards.
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I started as a Sr. UX Designer, where I worked on significant experience projects such as a new Checkout and their first Online Returns process.
Within a few years I led a project to establish accessibility standards at A&F by building a Design System. My role eventually evolved to a be the dedicated Design Systems leader. It is my proudest achievement in my career.
Design systems have since become a massive passion of mine and I look forward to focusing on the design system industry.
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I began my career at 2Checkout as a web designer. I worked on designs for their main website, promotional materials and convention displays.
Over time I became more involved in the development process and eventually evolved my position into a combined UX designer and UI developer. Creating their all new RWD website, reskinning the main application and launching a new inline checkout modal experience.
2Checkout is where I developed many of my foundational skills in both design and development.
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My work at DHospitality was quite varied from furniture design and delivery inspection to floor plan creation and graphic/web design. It was an incredible opportunity to explore the many different options early in my career.
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Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with a variety of clients. From small non-profits, to start-up medical devices and larger insurance billing applications.
Work Highlights
Over my entire career I’ve had the pleasure of working on a large variety of projects with an incredible collection of talented partners. My career evolved from a design only focus to designer/developer and eventually a designer systems leader. I feel incredibly lucky to have these opportunities and look forward to many more to come as I continue my design career journey.
1892 Design System from Abercrombie & Fitch
Returns & Exchanges from Abercrombie & Fitch
Recommendations
“Simon’s deep understanding of industry trends and user needs has allowed him to create a design system that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional and scalable. Simon's keen eye for detail, combined with his technical expertise, has resulted in a design system that has improved efficiency, consistency, and collaboration within our organization.
Simon also championed web accessibility across our organization. He has been a driving force in raising awareness and ensuring that our digital products are inclusive and accessible to all users.
Simon is very trustworthy and dependable. He is also highly empathetic which allows him to understand and advocate for both internal stakeholders as well as end users. His positive energy, passion, and collaborative spirit inspire those around him.”
— Meghan Slattery
“Simon is a thoughtful manager, who is supportive of his team and their career aspirations—always making himself available and providing helpful guidance. He’s also a talented designer and developer. He has used these skills to lead the creation and management of a design system for Abercrombie & Fitch Co., which has been adopted by cross-functional teams and serves as a foundation for the company’s e-commerce sites. He’s very knowledgable and a strong advocate for accessibility, with different teams looking to him for his expertise. He effectively manages projects and encourages creative solutions. It’s always a pleasure working with Simon because of his enthusiasm and passion for design systems!”
— Stephanie Gordon
“I had the pleasure of reporting directly to Simon on the Design System team as a contractor at Abercrombie & Fitch. His investment in the growth of his team transformed personal interests into robust skillsets and business results while fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability. Simon encouraged innovation at every step of the design and development process. His depth of knowledge as a designer, developer, and accessibility subject matter expert positioned him as a thought-leader for an evolving design language. Simon has an ability to deliver with pace while balancing the diverse design direction from cross-functional partners and is a reliable and well-respected authority across domains.”
— Anna Weidman
“Throughout our collaboration at Abercrombie & Fitch, Simon consistently demonstrated his comprehensive understanding of complex design systems. His work to develop and maintain cohesive systems for 5 brands greatly streamlined and enhanced the UX Design Teams ability to create user experiences across multiple platforms.
Simon demonstrated an unwavering commitment to accessibility. He possess an extensive knowledge of WCAG guidelines and continually advocated for inclusive design practices. He takes a proactive approach to address accessibility challenges and consistently incorporates user feedback to improve the overall experience for all users.
Simon is an expert in this field, showcasing an exceptional ability to create cohesive and inclusive user experiences. I greatly enjoyed our time working together and he would make a wonderful addition to any team looking for design system leadership.
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— Ben Hurte
Contact Me
If you're interested in working with me, please send me a message or contact me via LinkedIn.
Columbus, Ohio
(working locally or remote)