I'm a creative systems designer.

I'm obsessed with building creative systems that adapt and deliver results. Right now I work at Gift of Life Marrow Registry, where we help cure blood cancer and rare diseases with stem cell transplants.

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Jake Hartigan, smiling, photographed against a light grey background.

My background

I graduated with a business degree from the University of Central Florida, but I split my time about evenly between the engineering lab, the art studio, and the Blackstone entrepreneurship center — where I consulted small businesses on sales and marketing.

I've always sat at the intersection of business, engineering and art. That's why, after selling for Samsara, I got certified in UX/UI design at Georgia Tech. I haven't stopped learning or building since.

It's a useful combination for one specific reason: I've been on the sales call. I know what a buyer actually objects to, because I've heard it hundreds of times. Most positioning work fails because it's written by someone who has never had to answer the question live.

How I work

If I solve the same problem twice, the second solve becomes a system

I solve a lot of problems. But the second time the same one shows up, it stops being a task and becomes a design brief — something to optimise or automate so it never costs a third afternoon.

Lately that means AI is doing a lot of the load-bearing work. I bounce between Claude, ChatGPT, code and APIs, and stitch them together with n8n, Make or purpose-built skills. This site is an example: designed in Figma, built in Astro, and typed end to end so a new case study is a content file rather than a page rebuild.

I work creatively in the office and I keep working creatively at home. It's who I am, not a productivity system I'm trying out.

“Solving the same problem again and again without creating a system is my definition of insanity.”

— Jake Hartigan

Background

Experience

  1. Designer · Gift of Life Marrow Registry

    Aug 2025 — Present · Boca Raton, FL

    • Integrated AI tools into design team workflows (e.g., asset retrieval, ideation, asset creation), reducing production time and accelerating iteration cycles.
    • Developed and maintained scalable design tokens, components, and visual systems to ensure consistency across web, email, and digital platforms.
    • Trained cross-functional team members on Figma and digital asset management (Air), improving design workflow efficiency and quality
    • Designed and prototyped responsive interfaces in Figma, creating wireframes and high-fidelity mockups aligned with user needs and organizational goals.
    • Created user journey maps and funnel optimizations to streamline the donor experience from awareness to conversion and retention
    • Supported data-driven design decisions through A/B testing, campaign performance analysis, and continuous UX iteration

  2. Marketing Manager · Apace LLC

    Apr 2021 — Aug 2025 · Remote

    • Redesigned client websites to improve conversion by up to 90% (TALFLO, Alpha Body System).
    • Designed responsive web and mobile UI for fitness and e-commerce projects in Figma and Framer.
    • Built user flows and a prototype for a custom nutrition tracking tool on the USDA API and React.
    • Created wireframes and design systems for internal tools and client platforms.

  3. Account Development Representative · Samsara

    Jun 2019 — Dec 2020 · Atlanta, GA

    • Averaged 120% of quota selling into small and mid-sized fleet operators.
    • Converted leads away from incumbent competitors on value rather than price.
    • Ran tailored outreach and consultations — the habit behind how I write for technical buyers now.

  4. Cofounder · Brite Investments

    Dec 2018 — Dec 2020 · Remote

    • Led SEC/FINRA-compliant marketing for an investment platform startup.
    • Placed 4th of 70+ startups in UCF’s Joust Pitch Competition.
    • Produced founder video interviews to lift engagement and organic search.

Education

UX/UI Design Certificate
Georgia Tech · 2021
B.S. Business
University of Central Florida · 2019

Out of office

You can catch me making art and exploring nature

I'm passionate about exploring the natural world and creating art that captures its beauty and complexity. One of my recent projects is creating a custom deck of playing cards featuring hand-drawn illustrations of birds and aquatic wildlife from Florida.

  • The two of diamonds from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink swallow-tailed kite in flight, wings spread and tail forked, against a red oval. The suit pip is a feather.
  • The five of clubs from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink ring-billed gull dropping feet-first towards the water, drawn in white line against a solid black oval of sea and sky.
  • The seven of diamonds from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink sandhill crane standing in profile, its red crown the only colour on the bird, against an oval of red vertical strokes.
  • The two of spades from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink spotted porcupinefish facing the viewer head-on, wide-eyed beneath a hatched waterline. The suit pip is a shark fin.
  • The six of spades from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink sergeant major fish in profile with two smaller fish above and below, all against dense hatched water.
  • The four of hearts from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink giant manta ray seen head-on with cephalic fins raised, a smaller ray banking below it, against a red oval. The suit pip is a ray silhouette.
  • The four of diamonds from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink anhinga in flight, inked almost solid black with its dagger bill and long tail extended, against a red oval.
  • The three of diamonds from the Fins & Feathers deck: a pen-and-ink burrowing owl standing square to the viewer on its long bare legs, one eye wide and one narrowed, against a red oval.

This project is ongoing. Check out the case study where I document the entire process, from initial sketches to final execution.

Read the case study