Meet Jordan Layao, one of our phenomenal designers. Learn more about his role and his journey from a Webstacks intern to a full-time designer.
Get ready for another edition of Between the Brackets, your inside look into the talented individuals elevating the websites of today's fastest-growing B2B SaaS brands!
Today, we are spotlighting one of our amazing Webstacks designers—what's up Jordan! 👋
I’m originally from Hawaii but grew up in California. I studied Marketing in college, but I have always had a deep fascination with graphic design. I think I was just too intimidated at the time to go all in—felt like I wasn’t artsy enough. I kept practicing it though! Even as I worked full-time in marketing, I embarked on personal projects and odd freelance gigs in graphic design.
I’m an L2 product designer! I work closely with Irene our awesome project manager and Curtis the coolest engineer on the planet. I’ve learned so much working with them both. My day-to-day is getting design tasks completed for different clients or mocking up vignettes for creative direction!
Haha, this is such a sweet question. The most challenging trick would probably be learning to skate your opposite stance (the technical term is “switch”). So for the past 3 years, I've made it a habit to skate switch. It’s like learning how to write with your opposite hand! It’s helped me experience the board in a fun new way.
Dropbox! The rebrand that the Collins Agency did for Dropbox was a masterclass. I remember being thrilled with the case study and seeing how Collins injected life into the brand. I think their website could use a bit more reflection on that original vision and energy. I could see us partnering with them and uniquely pushing their website.
I hope this doesn’t sound cheesy but I really do love to just design! Maybe to be more specific, the vignette process we do is really fun. Hearing the client's vision and coming up with a design solution is so rewarding to me.
The seven-bedroom vignette process was fun. That was my first vignette but I remember it being the most fun. The client wanted an unconventional aesthetic so I got to be playful with my approach.
Designers need to understand the content and its context. The more expert you are with the subject matter the better the design is. The organization and presentation of content is key.
For sure! This advice is for someone who wants to be self-taught like me. Buy a graphic design college textbook and learn the fundamentals. Understand that these concepts are tools in your arsenal, much like a chef's knife. Just because you know how to cut, doesn’t make you a chef. So practice with these tools! Personal projects, internships, and freelance gigs are a great way to do this.
Constantly look at or experience beautiful things. Build a visual palette and a reference of design solutions. Learn how to strip away your biases when encountering a new problem. Read or hear how other designers think. Lastly, learn to separate your identity from the design, this will help keep you objective in your decisions.
Hope you've enjoyed meeting another amazing Webstacker here on Between the Brackets! If you're interested in joining our team, check out the Webstacks Careers page to see our open positions!