Pixieset
Picture perfect
After a year at Pixieset I still can’t believe we ship solutions that thousands of people use within hours of launching.
My son is a photographer, and as one of those customers, he actually introduced me to Pixieset before I worked here. Seeing what it’s done for him makes me excited about what we’re building for everyone.
In my role as Design Director, I’m working on Pixieset’s flagship product that serves a global community of a million+ users and billions of photos. Photographers can run their entire business in our product, from sharing & selling their photos to sending contracts & invoices to showing off their work with websites & email campaigns.
It’s nuanced and hard to get right but Nick worked with the team to make a ton of seemingly small improvements to the product that add up to big impact.
Manager, annual review feedback
The suite life
Gallery
Deliver and proof photos online in custom galleries
Studio
Simple booking and payment software
Store
Sell prints and digital downloads online
Website
Themed websites, portfolios, and blogs
Getting to work on a product you’re proud of is a privilege in the tech world, but working with a team that puts priority on “pixiedust” is extra rewarding. And it’s the pieces of pixiedust I’ve put into Pixieset I’m most proud of, from major new product launches to the quality of life items our customers get so excited about. That extends into bringing our projects into the physical world, where I’ve commemorated launches with an ongoing series of mission patches that can be found stuck to the backs of our laptops.
I really like the collaboration time, games, and design talks we have, they're a fundamental part of feeling connected to ourselves, our work, and the company.
Direct report, anonymous 360 feedback
Initiatives and side quests
💼
Capturing cool projects
Since starting I’ve been part of launching features like Pixieset Payments, bulk upload, folder privacy, RAW photo support, collapsible nav, and natural language search (and have 3 big ones ready for imminent release).
🎩
Wearing all the hats
With my co-director on parental leave, I’m owning the role of sole design leader and providing continuity and advancement for every team and all designers, while still achieving an 100% manager approval score.
🪄
Man of magical meetings
I’ve refined facilitation of our ceremonies to foster an inclusive and cohesive design culture, locally and with a global remote team, which has been recognized with reviews like “Design has been more fun since he joined”.
🪴
Coach’s corner
Always seeking to amplify the impact of our team through a coaching approach, I’ve supported the team with everything from helping grow a designer into a staff role, to redesigning our career framework, and welcoming our first practicum students.
He’s great at creating an environment where high-quality work and creative exploration can coexist.
Direct report, anonymous 360 feedback
🚀
To marketing and beyond
Going beyond my normal product design responsibilities, I’ve also dipped into developing sub-brands, product icon refinement, hiring process improvements, people team projects, and the first sales website relaunch in over a decade.
🎉
Focused on fun
Devoted to day-to-day delight through things like self-produced team stickers, office installations, holiday decorations, and introducing seasonal Slack renaming traditions that resulted in the review “The true embodiment of a Design Director”.
🔠
Clicking with communications
Between my creative writing skills and an infamous eagle eye, I’ve become the de facto authority and author of our official product copy style guide. I even found a spelling mistake in the product that was there for over 4 years.
🙌
Cultural curator
Whether it’s winning the Halloween costume contest dressed as an office inside joke, or building an internal Slack app that pairs people who want to split a snack, I’m always looking for the next opportunity to make work not feel like work.
He keeps the team always organized, highly functional, and motivated. It's always a pleasure to have design sessions together, as I feel I always have something new to learn from him.
Direct report, anonymous 360 feedback
If all this sounds like a great team to be a part of, I’m actually in the midst of hiring a Senior Product Designer.
Maybe it’s you? Or someone you know? Feel free to let me know directly.
Previous roles
Thanks for visiting my roadside attraction on the information superhighway.
My name is Nick and I'm a product designer by day and a sticker designer by night. Over the course of my career I've cofounded three hilarious children and cried at every Pixar movie.