About

15+ years. Systems thinking. Graphic craft. Design across media.

Journey

Background in graphic design and art direction. Work spans editorial, brand, UX, systems design, and AI-assisted product development. Over a decade of experience designing across contexts: corporate, start-up, cultural, international.

Clients include Penguin Random House, Cathay Pacific, The Trade Desk, WHO, Hong Kong Jockey Club, and enterprise SaaS / InsurTech companies. Work has moved through concept, design system, prototyping, and shipped products — understanding the full arc from vision to implementation.

What connects these projects: systems thinking. Every design challenge contains a system — supply chains, user behaviour, regulatory requirements, cost structures, cultural context. Understanding that system comes before design decisions.

Parent, Designer, Learner

Parent of an ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) child. This experience — learning systems I didn't understand, navigating jargon, asking questions as both parent and designer — fundamentally shaped how I approach design work.

It taught me: complexity is not confusion. Systems can be complex and still navigable. Accessibility matters everywhere. Culture and context are never neutral. Understanding your user's lived reality is non-negotiable.

That empathy and systems thinking informs all work: from consulting with parents navigating SEND systems (SEN Navigator), to designing field-first tools for a 40+ demographic with English as a second language (QCL), to building knowledge infrastructure for systems thinkers (By Design).

Design Approach

Research First

Ask before designing. Assumptions close doors; questions open them.

Systems Thinking

Everything connects. One design change cascades through constraints you haven't considered.

Real Behaviour

Design real workflows, not ideal ones. Observe what people actually do.

Clarity Over Decoration

Visual design serves understanding. Decoration without purpose is noise.

Cross-Media

Design thinking applies everywhere — screen, service, system, space.

What I Offer

UX Strategy

Journey mapping, research, systems investigation.

Design Systems

Components, tokens, brand systems.

Visual Direction

Art direction, identity, visual language.

Consulting

Product strategy, systems thinking, workshops.

Content & Copy

Clear, purposeful writing.

Product Design

Concept to shipped product.

Systems in Practice

Systems thinking at every scale — from individual projects to integrated ecosystems.

The Process

EMPATHISE
What is it?
  • Value Chain Analysis
  • Journey Mapping
DEFINE
What is needed?
  • Mind Mapping
  • Systems Thinking
IDEATE
What could it be?
  • Brainstorming
  • Concept Development
PROTOTYPE
How can it work?
  • Assumption Testing
  • Rapid Prototyping
TEST
Make it happen!
  • Customer Co-creation
  • Learning Launch
Discovery
Define
Develop
Deliver

Five interconnected phases. Each informs the next. Discovery → Define → Develop → Deliver.

The Ecosystem

UserExperienceVisualDesignResearch/TestingBrandingDataVizServiceDesignMotionDesignSystemsDesignDesignBack-EndWebNativeAppSystemArchitectureWeChatH5Mini-ProgramDevelopmentValuePropositionBusinessModelProductConceptInnovationPipelineGo-to-MarketBusiness DesignDesignThinking

Design thinking at the centre. Nested within broader systems of user experience, development, and business strategy.

Let's Talk

Open for consulting, strategy, and design projects.

The Process of Design Squiggle by Damien Newman, thedesignsquiggle.com