A bit more about me
I have been designing since the beginning - though at first it was hidden under the guise of being artistic. I have blueprint drawings of 4th grade egg-drop designs complete with call-outs and overly serious product names as proof if needed!
When I was in middle school - between drawing on the backs of homework assignments and playing computer games, I was pirating 3D modeling software and figuring out how photoshop worked with tool tips and trial and error.
I first found my real break and community in the modding and freelance video game scene where I started balancing what the players wanted and what the product needed. GUI didn’t fully enter the scene however until I found myself working at a mobile gaming startup with no UI designer. Suddenly all those those years of figuring out how to solve visual problems, create assets and streamline solutions came into focus.
I was using photoshop generator the day it was released to push assets to the team in unity, often jumping in and setting up the UI myself with what primitive tools were provided back then - all while balancing texture memory and draw calls.
Old but fun stuff! ⤴️
This passion to visually solve problems grew from there - pushing me further into real UX, web design, interaction and tooling.
The lessons learned as a kid making instances in Cinema 4D transitioned to using smart objects in Photoshop, symbols in Sketch and now components in Figma. 10 times out of 10 I will spend a bit more time up front to make my designs as parametric and flexible as possible, knowing it will almost always pay off for me and my colleagues in the future.
While design has invaded many of my hobbies (like 3D printing) I also enjoy taking a hard hike or a long bike ride, roadtripping and camping, listening to science fiction audio books while sketching futuristic vehicles and gaming with my friends and family.
Thanks for checking out my stuff, and don’t hesitate to reach out!
-Michael Kingery