Hello there, I’m Julian Smith-Sparks.
I'm a product designer and art director based between LA and Boston. I like taking complicated things and making them feel simple, and I'll always spend a little extra time on the details that make them feel right.
Right now I lead design at Massachusetts DESE, where I've worked on the E2C Hub, a statewide data platform used by 40,000+ people, and the DESE Profiles redesign. I also art direct Club Indgo, a music collective with 7M+ streams, and help run Deep Cutts, our nightlife series.
My work moves between product, brand and music. Lately I've been prototyping with AI to get ideas into the browser faster.
How I work
From the first question to the shipped product, the same four moves show up in everything I make.
- 01InterviewsAuditsUser flows
Research first
I start with the people using it: stakeholder interviews, competitive audits and user flows before a single pixel.
- 02FigmaDesign systemsAccessibility
Design in Figma
Wireframes to high-fidelity screens, built on a design system so the whole product feels like one thing.
- 03ClaudeHTML/CSS/JSFramer
Prototype for real
I turn designs into working code with AI tools, so ideas get tested in the browser, not just in mockups.
- 04JiraDev handoffIteration
Ship and refine
I stay with engineers through launch and QA, then keep improving once real people are using it.