Designing and building clean, modern digital experiences

I'm Derek, a hybrid designer and frontend developer focused on crafting scalable interfaces and strong brand systems.

About Me

About Me

I’m a hybrid designer and front-end developer with 14+ years of experience stewarding and evolving a large institutional brand, most recently leading the visual direction and design system for a comprehensive brand refresh. Over the past few years, I’ve expanded that work into front-end development, bringing those systems to life on the web.

Working within a complex, collaborative environment where brand consistency matters and execution must scale, I’ve designed everything from large-scale environmental graphics and multi-channel campaigns to digital interfaces. For the recent brand refresh, I developed the core design concepts, visual language, and scalable system that now guides the brand across platforms. This experience sharpened my ability to think systemically and design for longevity, alignment, and real-world constraints.

Today, I operate at the intersection of design and development, translating brand systems into responsive, production-ready UI and collaborating closely with developers to improve handoff and build quality. My approach centers on understanding user needs, establishing clear visual hierarchy, and iterating within technical constraints to create thoughtful, usable experiences.

Outside of work, I’m a lifelong musician and drummer who spent much of my 20s touring the country. I also train and compete with my Dobermans and work with pet dog clients. Music taught me rhythm and timing. Dog training taught me patience and clarity. Both shape how I lead projects with steadiness, adaptability, and focus.

Design, development, rhythm, structure. It’s all connected in how I build.

Portrait of Derek Lien

Portfolio

Portfolio

Selected work spanning branding, campaigns, UI design, and web development.

Skills

Expertise

A hybrid skill set built for modern digital teams.

Design & UX
  • User-centered design principles
  • UX/UI design for web and responsive interfaces
  • Visual design & branding systems
  • Wireframing, prototyping, and interaction design
  • Design systems and component-based thinking
  • Accessibility-aware design (WCAG considerations)
  • Adobe CC and Figma (design, prototyping, collaboration)
Front-End Development
  • HTML, CSS, modern JavaScript
  • React & component-based UI development
  • Responsive and mobile-first layouts
  • Translating designs into production-ready code
  • Working with existing codebases and design systems
  • Cross-browser testing and QA
  • Git / version control fundamentals
Collaboration & Product
  • Working closely with developers, product managers, and stakeholders
  • Iterating based on feedback, constraints, and user needs
  • Designing within real-world technical and timeline constraints
  • Brand stewardship and consistency at scale
  • Agile / iterative workflows
Bridging Design & Code
  • I’m especially effective at bridging the gap between design intent and front-end implementation, reducing handoff friction and improving build quality
  • Fluent in both design and development languages, I can communicate effectively with both designers and developers to ensure a smooth process from concept to launch

Contact

Let’s build something great together

Looking for a designer who can think in UX and build in code? Let’s talk.