<philschanely/>design technologist

Husband, father, design technologist, musician, and backpacker—these are a few things I’m excited to share with you to understand a little more about me.

Family is a central part of my life. I met my sweet wife in college and we were married shortly after graduation. She’s a photographer, and I work from home, so we’ve been very grateful to have the flexibility to collaborate and share the teaching responsibilities as we raise and homeschool our two kids. We have much to learn, but we count it a great privilege to be able raise our family this way!

I am delighted that my career has so far been a very fulfilling combination of several aspects of my personality: creative, and technical. In my first job after completing a degree in Graphic Design, I worked at a small design agency. I was amazed to learn how complicated it seemed to be for my web developer colleague to build out designs But this sparked a curiosity in me to learn more about how web development worked. Next I took a job at a university in which I switched roles, taking up the developer reigns alongside a talented graphic designer. Together we built dozens of custom micro-sites for professors and classes and I developed a passion for clean, semantic HTML and precise, yet scalable CSS. I completed an M.F.A. in Interactive Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and taught full time at the university for a few years. I eventually decided to leave Academia and pursue a career directly in software development and product design experience. I have been thrilled to take part in the industry as design systems have risen to prominence. Today I am all the more passionate about bridging between design and engineering to build high-quality products and delightful user experiences. I am greatly motivated to build systems that help both designers and engineers work quickly and consistently together.

Outside of family and work, my two main passions are music and the great outdoors. In high school I dreamed of being a composer and orchestra conductor. I even started my college studies as a music major. However, I was began to doubt that I’d be able to make ends meet as a musician or be present for the family I hoped to have. So I switched majors to Graphic Design instead. Fifteen years later we moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and as we got connected to our new church’s music team I rediscovered my passion for composing. Here I’ve had the unique opportunity to write a number of arrangements for the orchestra for regular services and special concerts including an orchestral arrangement of a 45-minute folk/rock Christmas program. After moving down south I also reconnected with my best friend from high school. We enjoy getting out for backpacking trips whenever we can and hope to make some trips out West together. The joy and inspiration I draw from these two hobbies helps to fuel my focus and zeal both at home and on the job.

Whether matching designs in code with pixel-perfection, pushing up a steep, rocky ascent on the trail, capturing the musical moment, or reviewing math homework with my kids, I love to work hard and strive to live with gratitude and joy.