Thoughtful brand, website and app design rooted in strong visual design principles
I am obsessed with brand identity and interface design, especially how the two disciplines relate to one another and form great digital experiences. Currently, I lead design at Input, where we do that for bold brands and startups. Outside of agency work and independent projects, you can find me on two wheels enjoying my hometown's world-class mountain bike trails, or curled up on the couch with my wife and our dog.
I am obsessed with brand identity and interface design, especially how the two disciplines relate to one another and form great digital experiences. Currently, I lead design at Input, where we do that for bold brands and startups. Outside of agency work and independent projects, you can find me on two wheels enjoying my hometown's world-class mountain bike trails, or curled up on the couch with my wife and dog.
Background
From a young age, logos have captured my attention. I was always amazed that someone was creating a singular mark to represent a business, one that people would hopefully remember. I later learned that so much more than a logo goes into making a company memorable. Since then, I’ve been doing my best to help businesses with that problem. I like to get my hands on all the touchpoints of a business, both digital and physical, and create something your audience will connect with and remember.
What I Do
01
Brand Identity
I design brand identities that answer the brief. Whether that be a brand for an outdoor lifestyle company or a SaaS startup. I ask many questions and try to understand who we are designing for and what makes them tick. My goal is to always create a brand that feels appropriate to the industry but find ways to differentiate it from the competition, add moments of delight and grab your audience's attention.
02
Interface Design
The last 10 years of my career have been focused on product design in an agency setting. I have gained experience at all stages of product design, and have a deep network of UX specialists for those very complex problems who I actively collaborate with. My bread and butter is art direction, UI and interaction design rooted in strong visual design principles.
03
Direction
Direction plays a huge role in my work as a design lead and in my freelance projects. While at the agency, I am doing my best to guide our team of talented designers to produce extremely enjoyable and usable products. While doing brand work, I create a set of guidelines that my clients can follow and grow into a lovable brand. I love working with other designers and teams to achieve end results customers connect with.
01
Brand Identity
I design brand identities that answer the brief. Whether that be a brand for an outdoor lifestyle company or a SaaS startup. I ask many questions and try to understand who we are designing for and what makes them tick. My goal is to always create a brand that feels appropriate to the industry but find ways to differentiate it from the competition, add moments of delight and grab your audience's attention.
02
Interface Design
The last 10 years of my career have been focused on product design in an agency setting. I have gained experience at all stages of product design, and have a deep network of UX specialists for those very complex problems who I actively collaborate with. My bread and butter is art direction, UI and interaction design rooted in strong visual design principles.
03
Direction
Direction plays a huge role in my work as a design lead and in my freelance projects. While at the agency, I am doing my best to guide our team of talented designers to produce extremely enjoyable and usable products. While doing brand work, I create a set of guidelines that my clients can follow and grow into a lovable brand. I love working with other designers and teams to achieve end results customers connect with.
Who I Work With
01
Early-stage
I see it all the time. Startups or early-stage companies that have a truly great product and service to sell but need stronger branding and design. We are so inundated with brands and ads that good messaging and design are table stakes if you want to grab the attention of people who should know about your product. I help businesses get started in the right direction and make them look like legit players in their space. Good design can positively impact your business, and I can help you.
02
Agencies
Having worked with agencies for most of my career, I understand (and enjoy) the fast pace and variety of work. I also know that teams get stuck. Sometimes, all it takes is fresh eyes to unlock ideas that answer the brief. I enjoy collaborating with teams working on interesting visual challenges and products. I leave my ego at the door and believe that really great work comes from collaboration.
03
Established Brands
As much as I love shaping the look of a company from the start, I also enjoy the challenge of working on established companies and finding unique ways to push their brands forward while still feeling like them. Early in my career, I got the opportunity to do this with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. I got to see first-hand what it was like to adhere to brand standards while getting briefs from a marketing team and coming up with creative ways to solve them.
01
Early-stage
I see it all the time. Startups or early-stage companies that have a truly great product and service to sell but need stronger branding and design. We are so inundated with brands and ads that good messaging and design are table stakes if you want to grab the attention of people who should know about your product. I help businesses get started in the right direction and make them look like legit players in their space. Good design can positively impact your business, and I can help you.
02
Agencies
Having worked with agencies for most of my career, I understand (and enjoy) the fast pace and variety of work. I also know that teams get stuck. Sometimes, all it takes is fresh eyes to unlock ideas that answer the brief. I enjoy collaborating with teams working on interesting visual challenges and products. I leave my ego at the door and believe that really great work comes from collaboration.
03
Established Brands
As much as I love shaping the look of a company from the start, I also enjoy the challenge of working on established companies and finding unique ways to push their brands forward while still feeling like them. Early in my career, I got the opportunity to do this with the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. I got to see first-hand what it was like to adhere to brand standards while getting briefs from a marketing team and coming up with creative ways to solve them.
I work with businesses, founders, startups, and agencies that value great design and understand its positive impact on a business. I like to work with people who invest their time in doing things right and sweat the details. That’s where the magic happens.
James Clear
•
Vancouver Canucks
•
Consumer Reports
•
Tonal
•
Input Logic
•
The Vacuum
•
Tonal
•
James Clear
•
Input Logic
•
Vancouver Canucks
•
The Vacuum
•
Consumer Reports
•
Principles
01
Design is like salt
Good design is like salt in a recipe—essential. It's the difference between a dish that sings and one that falls flat. When done well, you hardly notice it; when overdone or missing, it stands out for the wrong reasons. A great designer knows when to amp up or hold back, letting the design support the main idea without stealing the spotlight. Less, but better.
01
Design is like salt
Good design is like salt in a recipe—essential. It's the difference between a dish that sings and one that falls flat. When done well, you hardly notice it; when overdone or missing, it stands out for the wrong reasons. A great designer knows when to amp up or hold back, letting the design support the main idea without stealing the spotlight. Less, but better.
02
Let it marinate
Great design, like a good marinade, takes time to develop. While good design can happen quickly, the best ideas benefit from space to breathe and evolve. Stepping away and returning with fresh eyes brings clarity and often reveals ways to improve. Iteration is key—refining, adjusting, and rethinking constantly leads to stronger results than rushing to ship the first idea.
02
Let it marinate
Great design, like a good marinade, takes time to develop. While good design can happen quickly, the best ideas benefit from space to breathe and evolve. Stepping away and returning with fresh eyes brings clarity and often reveals ways to improve. Iteration is key—refining, adjusting, and rethinking constantly leads to stronger results than rushing to ship the first idea.
"Nick is one of the best designers I've worked with in my career. He always finds a way to take your vision and elevate it to a higher level. I keep bringing new projects to him because he delivers every time."
James Clear
NYT Best Selling Author, Atomic Habits
Let's work (or ride) together
Whether you are a small business starting from scratch or an established company looking to shake things up, I would love to hear about how I can help.
Get In Touch
Let's work
(or ride)
together
Whether you are a small business starting from scratch or an established company looking to shake things up, I would love to hear about how I can help.
Get In Touch