About me

As a child I spent any time I could in KidPix on my dad's black & white Mac Classic. I guess that was how I got my start in design.

creative dragonfruit photo

Background

I was raised by two professional pianists

Our house didn't have internet, so when I wasn't practicing an instrument I would ride my bike to the library with my brother. There we would load up flash drives with open source software and trials - Paint.net, Notepad++, Macromedia Flash... maybe some of you remember those! I chose not to finish calculus and chemistry, and instead missed a high school graduation ceremony to start a career in design.

Career

From cringe infographics to an audience of millions.

My first office job at Fannit Marketing was a quirky one. The startup was still figuring a lot of things out, but the eccentricity made for a fun time and a lot of diverse opportunities. After a year of managing client blogs and designing click-bait infographics I moved to Fresh Consulting. The designers there were much more talented than I was, so I learned a lot and broadened my experience. My first senior position at A Place for Mom came and went, but it helped me move up to my next role as a senior designer for Microsoft, where I designed the framework for their websites. I've continued in product design since then.

colorful coconut

Here's how it got started.

2013

First full-time design job

I started at Fannit, an inbound marketing firm.

2014

Founded a business

My friend Tony and I had an idea for a web app that could help marketing managers track their leads and calculate ROI. Unfortunately we closed shop before bringing it to market because it costed a lot to get going.

2014

Transition to UX at Fresh Consulting

Jeff Dance, CEO at Fresh, found me on LinkedIn and offered me a job. It turned out to be providential because the role allowed me to learn quickly and participate in a lot of projects.

2015
2016
2017
2018

First senior role

A Place for Mom hired me to do improve the user experience of their website and related platforms. Unfortunately, design wasn't valued very highly and my work collected dust. So I moved on.

2019

Senior designer at Microsoft and onward...

I was recruited to work on Microsoft's main website, which was cool. After that, I joined Alo to redesign their Moves's app, and am now at BandLab working on the Cakewalk team (and doing whatever else happens to enthuse me alongside).

2020
2021+

I think about my work beyond just the deadline and how it looks.

Philosophy

I think everyone alive wants the same three things.

Experience with the universe

Whether it be traveling, space exploration, science, or another avenue, people are always showing an interest in the world we inhabit. Entertainment distracts our focus from real life, causing some people to miss out on actual experiences.

Peace with the unseen

There's an innate desire to know God and experience spiritual peace. Attempting to negate the need for God, some people pursue power.

Relationships with people

We need to know people we can enjoy and communicate with. The alternative is the pursuit of fame, which seems like closeness to people but there's no individual connection.

Peace with the unseen

We need to know people we can enjoy and communicate with. The alternative is the pursuit of fame, which seems like closeness to people but there's no individual connection.

Relationships with people

There's an innate desire to know God and experience spiritual peace. Attempting to negate the need for God, some people pursue power.

Experience with the universe

Whether it be traveling, space exploration, science, or another avenue, people are always showing an interest in the world we inhabit. Entertainment distracts our focus from real life, causing some people to miss out on actual experiences.

I'm driven by these three values

Authenticity

Favoring sincere human interaction over marketing and the hunger for paparazzi.

I'm so tired of everything fake. I wish people were genuine enough to both care for each other and be vulnerable with each other. I choose to ask questions that show interest in people's thoughts & feelings, and I choose to remember your name. When you interact with me, I try to be in the moment and true to who I am.

Creativity

Allowing the inherent beauty of the universe to inspire wonderful design.

"Inspired by inherent beauty" - that used to be my personal motto. It means that I search for laws of nature to define patterns that supersede era, culture, and trends. I believe the earth is full of these, but learning how to translate them to design is a growth process.

Hospitality

Welcoming people to take part in my time, home, and life.

Preparing dinner for guests you've invited into your home is a special experience for you and your guests. But a lifestyle of generous hospitality is an area of life that Western culture (in my experience) has largely forgotten about. In visiting South Africa and hearing other people's stories from abroad I've learned of the value many cultures place on hospitality regardless of wealth or convenience.

Goals

Minimize automated interruptions to maximize human interactions
Listening to understand rather than hearing to respond
Being genuine about what I say and do, but accepting feedback for growth
Find inspiration daily from nature and people more talented than me
Seek to design artistic experiences and expressions into my work
Explore the laws of nature to find inherently beautiful patterns
Keep my schedule open for planned or spontaneous time with people
Share my income, not just with organizations but with individuals in my life
Invite people to enjoy time, food, and lodging at my home
colorful painted bananas

It took a bit of scrolling, but here's a basic resumé.

About me

I've loved all types of art all my life. When I was a very young child I told my mom I wanted to be a painter. She told me people don’t do that much for a living anymore, so I found the next best thing – I found digital experience design. I still love painting, sketching, fashion, and music, but UX design is my full time job. I've done app design, websites, user research & testing, and branding. My forte is cross-device app design, and my process sets me apart.

Full-time experience

Fannit logo

BandLab

Senior Product Designer • September 2021 - Present

Designing the interfaces for browsing samples and adding FX to audio tracks, among other things. I'm on the Creation team, which is building the BandLab DAW.

Fannit logo

Alo

Senior Product Designer • April 2020 - July 2021

I was hired to lead a redesign project for the entire Alo Moves app experience across various devices, starting with a design system in Figma. I also supported the marketing team with website updates, worked closely with developers, and influenced vision for the company.

Fannit logo

Microsoft

Senior UX Designer • April 2019 - April 2020

I worked a 1-year contract with the Store team to build a design system for their product websites (Microsoft homepage, Xbox, Skype, Surface, etc.). Tasks included redesigning the site navigation for all Microsoft marketing sites, defining type styles and sizes based on a mathematical algorithm for visual balance and coding ease, managing the library for all components in the Microsoft Web Framework, and designing various components.

Fannit logo

A Place for Mom

Senior UX Designer • August 2014 - Present

Freelance project serving local small- and mid-sized businesses with web and brand design.

Fannit logo

Fresh Consulting

UX Designer • August 2014 - Present
CBRE

UX design for broker CRM software

DTI/EPIQ

UX design for legal document cloud storage

Band of Hands

Branding and mobile app for the gig economy

Fannit logo

Isaac N.C.

Owner, Designer • Founded Jan 2014

Freelance project serving local small- and mid-sized businesses with web and brand design. In-between jobs this has provided full-time work.

Fannit logo

Marketing Manager

Co-Founder, Designer • Founded 2014, Closed 2017
Fannit logo

Fannit

Graphic Designer • Jul 2013 - Jul 2014

My career in design and usability started at Fannit, a startup marketing firm. I allowed this job to take the place of going to school, a decision I still don't regret because of hands-on learning it provided me with.

The role started as an account manager and content writer for a group of clients, but quickly moved to graphic designer as the firm evolved. My responsibilities as such were to design infographics, websites, and brands. But the focus, as a marketing provider, was always designing for the user so that experiences would equal conversions. This set the groundwork for my next role - experience design.

Reputation

Isaac possesses a solid design foundation including conceptualization, grid, typography, and color. He has a bright creative future as he’s eager to learn more and gain additional experience. Isaac has a good command of all the industry-standard tools and understands the technical aspects to the business.
Joel DuChesne

Cofounder of Luminous

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Isaac is a super talented designer and an amazing human being.

It was a pleasure to work with him. On each project he gives 110% of his energy and focus. He does the research, he puts in the time, and he definitely delivers the passion on each project.

Isaac is a team player and he has a unique ability to bring out the best in those around him. He is a smart and a very good leader.

I always felt inspired after having worked with Isaac.

Dan Noakes

Founder of Motifize

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A fantastic designer to work with! Always provided very thoughtful considerations while we collaborated on designs together. He's considerate, easy to collaborate with, and a strong advocate for end users.

Also gave very helpful pointers when it came to styling!

Brady Pascoe

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Isaac has incredible talent and produces exceptional work across UI, UX, and Graphic Design. He can produce a high volume of work without compromising quality. He is collaborative in nature and works across Product, Engineering and Brand teams to produce designs that are aligned with company and team goals, while ultimately delighting customers and influencing user happiness.

He is a joy to have on the team and and valuable resource for any company that is investing deeply in their user experience.

Paul Javid

CEO at Alo Moves

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Isaac's passion for design exists everywhere, both personally and professionally. He brings a thoughtful touch to all aspects, from entire page layouts to every icon and color. When reviewing designs together with engineering, he is always open to hearing feedback and iterating while also making the case for decisions he truly believes in.

I'm grateful to have worked alongside him and would gladly do so again anytime.

Brian Littman

Engineering Director at Alo Moves

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I worked with Isaac as a peer in Senior-level UX Designer roles while working on a project to establish a design system for our team at Microsoft. Isaac and I quickly developed trust with each other because we shared a mutual commitment to continuous improvement and high standards.

Isaac is detail-oriented and committed to always finding the best possible solution for a problem. He was able to help the less experienced on our team get up to speed and work through complex processes in Figma. He never settled for just the first idea and took the lead in keeping our system organized. He was always a joy to have around because of his interest in learning, trying new things, and his positive attitude and energy.

This makes him not just a good collaborator, but an enduring friend.

David Straight

Senior UX Designer at Microsoft

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As a video producer I needed a website that would stand out from the crowd from the many video freelancers out there.

Many freelancers create their own websites which are "ok", but the design and customer service Isaac brings to his websites truly elevates whoever works with him above the rest.
Brandon Truesdell

Founder of Be True Media

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Isaac is not your ordinary breed of designer. He's not simply just studied up on the latest Udemy courses on UX and design — he's possessed by an innate vision for what design can be and what it can do.  I've worked with Isaac in multiple different capacities over the years. He's worked on design projects for me specifically, served clients of mine, and we've teamed up for other projects.

Every time Isaac comes to the table, he teaches everybody in the group something new.  He is not afraid to tell people something that they may not want to hear; challenging the preconceptions of their chosen design direction.  Needless to say, Isaac scores 10's across the board in his creativity.

He comes alive in projects that seek to break through the status quo and do something revolutionary.  If you work with Isaac, you can be confident that you're working with the best — and your brand will undergo a rapid evolution to reap the benefits.

Don't settle for anything less. Hire Isaac.
Evan Ebert

Realtor at Windermere

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Isaac is a very talented, innovative designer that always puts the customer first. He was a pleasure to work with and always took marketing’s needs and feedback into consideration in his design work.

The next team that Isaac works with is very lucky!

Katie Abell

Marketing Manager at Alo Moves

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Isaac was a pleasure to work with at Alo Moves and by far the best designer I've worked with in my engineering career. He's very consistent and thoughtful and takes constructive feedback well, especially when it comes to designing alongside more technical specs. Additionally, Isaac often looked for opportunities to understand the product from an engineering perspective.

Definitely hoping to cross paths with Isaac again in the future!

Anthony Ho

Engineer at Alo Moves

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I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Isaac for several years and he never fails to impress me. He is the type of person who seems to have a never ending amount of tricks up his sleeves. Right when you think you've seen the best of his abilities he quickly shows you that he's so much more. He has a natural gift for design, user experience and problem solving. And, I love that he is eager to keep refining his craft, while sharing those insights with others.

All in all, Isaac is a rock star and any company would be lucky to have him!

Ashley Karatsonyi

Brand Manager at Alo Moves

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Isaac is THE most organized designer I know. He always ensures that his assets are in order and makes it easy for other designers to work on them.

On DTI/Epiq, Isaac has also been really good at critiquing and bringing new ideas to the table. He takes feedback well and easily comes up with alternatives. The musician in Isaac made him come up with the idea of looking at bundles [legal document collections] as 'playlists' and borrrowing this concept has helped us easily communicate with the developers.

Aravind Ravi

Colleague on Epiq project

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Isaac, I have been going through the mobile wireframes.

Love it! You nailed it.

I just wanted to thank you and encourage to keep going.

Aziz Badra

CEO at Band Of Hands

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Isaac is a highly skilled designer that embodies every attribute of creativity.

He has a very proficient ability to create UX/UI ideas from scratch, execute designs through maps, wireframes and visual designs in a very thoughtful way. His creative branding abilities are just as impressive.

I’ve had the pleasure to see Isaac's work first hand and would recommend him to anyone seeking high professional results. In addition to his great sense of creative design, Issac has a great personality and is a pleasure to work with.

David Rademacher

Founder of Synctup

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I’ve worked with Isaac for about a year. He’s officially a consultant but he’s more like a member of my team.

Isaac is an excellent UX designer, a good collaborator, and always ready to advocate for the best user experience possible.

He’s confident and challenges the team in productive ways, with an eye on the business needs and an understanding of our users. I would work with Isaac any time without hesitation and would recommend him as a valuable asset to any team.

Brett Polonsky

Director of UX at A Place for Mom (previously CBRE)

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Isaac has imagination, creativity and the technical skillsets that make him a top notch digital designer.

He seeks out challenges to make himself better and is open to feedback which gives him the ability to continue to improve his craft.

Upon leaving Fannit in mid-2014 Isaac was starting to transition to a place where he not only knew the design, but understood the business needs for particular designs. He is fun and productive!

Tony Lael

CEO at MarketingManager

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It has been a pleasure to work together with Isaac, who is an innovative designer. Isaac is a multi-skilled graphic designer with great creative suite skills. When you get to connect with him, you'll discover a naturally talented person.

No matter how complex the problem is, he will always come up with brilliant and elegant designs. His attention to detail is spot on and he spends time on his work to deliver high quality designs.

I can highly recommend working with him.

Priya Chauhan

UX Designer at Fresh Consulting

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With an inherent eye-for-design, Isaac consistently produces stunning pieces that exceed expectations.

His natural talent and positive attitude make him a valuable asset to any team.

Nathan Dean

Art Director at Microsoft

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'Exceptionally creative' and 'highly skilled' are phrases that come to mind when I think about Isaac.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Isaac for over a year, during which Isaac created standout wireframes and mockups for two large software projects for the Market Builder Group at CBRE. I was impressed with Isaac's ability to make our color scheme shine and convey our brand across multiple products.

We really appreciate how Isaac has always been available to add a beautiful element of design to features that required a quick turnaround.

And, of course, Isaac's fun nature and lighthearted demeanor make him an absolute delight to work with.

Isaac would be a true asset for any projects requiring Photoshop and/or design expertise, and I would recommend Isaac to others in a heartbeat.

Britt Johnson

Software Developer at CBRE

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Isaac is a progressive graphics designer that proved to be a great asset to our company in helping us determine our direction with web design, infographics, email marketing, custom graphics, logos, and more.

His eye for design (and art in general) has always been a step ahead of the average person. I would highly recommend his work.

It's difficult to find a designer who truly understands the direction a client is trying to take with their brand. Isaac just seems to have a knack for visually representing that image well. We look forward to working with him in the future on other web design related projects."

Keith Eneix

CEO at Fannit

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