Hey, I'm Juan. I make things for the internet.
I'm a design leader focused on architecting design systems. Over the last decade, I’ve led successful systems at Netflix and Spotify.
Within the product development lifecycle, I'm passionate about activating how teams leverage brand attributes when creating new user experiences, content types, or interaction paradigms. It's a balancing act between expressive and functional execution, each having a specific rationale or moment that adds true value to a customer’s experience.
I thrive on collaborative teams in a strategic player-coach role. It's important to me to build lasting cross-functional relationships between individual contributors and leaders.
My design journey
2021 → Present
Nook / Product Designer
Lead design for our Consumer Design System across Android, iOS, TV and Web. Focused on the system’s creative strategy and architecture, improving workflow and engagement models and identifying strategic innovation opportunities.
Co-created infrastructure which automated and stabilized the delivery of design tokens and assets to designers and engineers across platforms. Created a documentation platform to educate designers on component usage across business areas. Hired and managed several designers (mid to principal) who researched collaboration workflows, supported migration of design tools, designed and documented components, delivered an evolved icon system and evangelized the system.
2018 → 2021
James Ross Advertising / Multimedia Designer
Collaborated with the creative team in a fast-paced environment to design assets for multiple clients, including landing pages, websites, online ads, offline ads, and branding. Managed WordPress sites and created web/mobile UI.
2023 → Present
McFatter Technical College / Advisory Board Member
Worked with faculty and administration to enhance the Digital Media/Multimedia Design Technology curriculum relevance and effectiveness, ensuring instructional programs reflect current industry practices and meet evolving occupational demands.
Elsewhere
I live in Seattle, WA with my wife and daughter, where we spend the days watching it rain and longing for summer. We're typically travelling the world in search of good food and good vibes.
I have a fairly large tattoo collection with a general theme of death and nature by artists Victor Webster, Rachel Hauer, Erik Jacobsen, Damien Thorn, and Sue Jieven. One of my pieces by Rachel even made it to the top page of Reddit.
📍 Miami, FL
Savannah, GA
Bogotà, Colombia
Seattle, WA
Gatlinburg, TN
Glenwood Springs, CO
Ventaquemada, Colombia
Venice, Italy
Toronto, Canada