Design & Product

Analog Designs

2020 – April 2025

Note: These are one-half of my responsibilities at Analog Designs. The companion article on my engineering responsibilities is still being developed.

1. Branding
2. Design System
3. UI Engine
4. Diode
5. Website

Key responsibilities:

• Founder & CEO
• Head of Product
• Head of Design
• Idea-to-product
• Designed the logo & wordmark
• Designed & implemented design systems
• Designed marketing/branding assets
• Developed VST 3 audio plugins
• Developed VST 3-compatible UI framework
• Developed and shipped OpenGL 2.1 graphics pipeline framework & graphics engine
• Implemented custom DSP & Faust DSP pipelines
• Collaborated with industry producers & engineers to refine products
• Developed brand identity, visual direction, & voice
• Created internal tools to accelerate design & engineering workflows
• Created design systems; marketing, branding assets; graphic pipeline framework & engine

Tools used:

• Visual Studio
• Xcode (macOS development)
• VST 3 SDK
• Sketch
• Adobe Creative Cloud (marketing assets)
• Notes (iCloud)
• Calendar (iCloud)
• Reminders (iCloud)

Branding

I usually begin with simplicity. Crafting a logo from simple curves/shapes means anyone can draw it–and it’s memorable.

I started with a very simple logo based on the concept of stereophony in audio recording.

The placement of your mics affect the amplitude & timing–the phase of the recorded wave–which produces a stereo effect.

If a bird chirps to your left, the distance traveled by the chirp to your right ear is greater than to your left. This creates a phase difference, which you perceive as a small delay on your right ear.

I set up my mics and built out some logo concepts, keeping lines uncomplicated.

But it felt uninspired & incomplete. I wanted to craft a logo bold & mesmerizing.

I landed on the concept of the interval of a sound wave.

Rather than fluid audio curves, I imagined acoustic pressure waves (moreso amplitude) like sonar.

Using these principles, I designed the logo icon motif.

• I produced all branding elements, including the logo icon & wordmark.
• Produced brand guidelines for the company.
• Developed color palette, fonts, & type presets for the company.
• Designed logo based around the concept of sound wave intervals.
• Full concept boards were produced in Sketch.
• Logo concepts were mocked in Sketch.
• Iterations and final renders were produced in Sketch.

Design System

I’ve written a companion article with a detailed breakdown on the design system I developed.

UI Engine

For more on the OpenGL 2.1 (not ES2.1–the 19 year old 2.1) graphics pipeline framework, graphics engine, & UI framework I developed, please see this article.

Diode

• 3 months idea-to-product
• Designed using Sketch.
• Developed in custom UI framework.
• Implemented custom analog modeling DSP pipelines.
• Designed transistor-level circuit components in SPICE.
• Implemented circuit components in Faust, translated to custom DSP.
• Transistor; clipping network; biasing; RC filters.
• Implemented custom DSP pipeline as a VST 3 plugin.
• Collaborated with industry producers & engineers to refine product.

Website

Part of Diode’s marketing pitch is having control over its internal circuit components.

I wanted to play on that using the feeling of blueprint & wireframe sketches.

• 2 weeks idea-to-product.
• Check it out at analogdesigns.io.
• Landing page, contact, & terms pages.
• Mockups were produced in Sketch.
• Final renders were translated to and developed in React & Tailwind.
• Custom react-parallax animations.

This project was ultimately paused due to a shortage in personal funds.