Lately I've been using self-initiated projects as a way to practice the kind of creative work I want to be doing more of — in the industries that interest me most.
Not redesigns. Not starting with an existing brand system and figuring out how to make it look better.
Starting with nothing, and coming up with ideas that are quick, memorable, and pack a punch. Some I may develop fully into built sites, some might serve as future inspiration.
I recently built two experimental brand experiences: Lom Talay, a concept for a luxury hotel in Thailand, and Alpine Line, a concept for a mountaineering tour operator based in Jackson Hole, WY.
Very different industries. Same question driving both: what would happen if I stopped designing from the conventions of the category?
For hospitality, that might mean dynamic, fluid experiences that capture an audience immediately — distinguishing a brand in moments rather than pages. For adventure, it might mean moving beyond a static mountain photograph with a logo slapped on top, and building something that asks for interaction.
With Lom Talay, I envisioned the design as an infusion of color, texture, and imagery — something that captures the essence of Thailand while imbuing the themes of retreat, escape, and exclusivity. The moving imagery, color, and texture behind the words "Escape. Elsewhere. Exquisitely" symbolize an opportunity to disconnect and forget the familiar, offering a metaphorical window to escape the persistent grind of daily life.
With Alpine Line, I explored a more kinetic experience: a 3D globe on the hero that lets users spin directly to their desired expedition the moment they land on the page. The process is no longer a list — it's an invitation to explore.
The goal wasn't to be different for the sake of it. It was to ask: what is the most natural digital expression of this particular brand?
The other critical consideration in rapid iteration is balance. How do I hold creativity and user experience at the same time?
I believe not only that both are possible, but that great UX and distinctive branding should reinforce each other. Too often, a site nails a big idea only for the actual experience to be confusing and frustrating. Or conversely, a site is easy to use but forgettable — and forgettable brands don't do their job.
With Alpine Line, I noticed that many tour operators lose bookings because finding an expedition and starting the booking process takes 3–5 clicks. That's too much friction for most people.
The 3D globe solves both problems at once: it's the striking brand differentiator — the kinetic pull of spinning and exploring — and it's simultaneously the easiest possible way to do exactly what users came to do.
That's the standard I'm holding myself to.
One of the biggest shifts has been using AI as a coding partner — not to replace the creative thinking, but to make experimentation dramatically more efficient. I like to try to come up with an idea in my head before looking at what other designers have done. There's value in seeking inspiration, but also in pushing boundaries.
I'll have an interaction in my head that I'm not sure will work. Instead of spending hours planning it out, I can describe the idea, build a rough version with AI, interact with it, and immediately decide: this works, this doesn't, what if it behaved more like this?
That has fundamentally changed the relationship between idea and execution. I'm able to pursue ideas that previously would have been dismissed as "too complicated to build" — before I even knew whether they were worth building.
For me, that's one of the most exciting applications of AI in creative work. Not generating the finished design. Making more experimentation possible.
The more I work this way, the more convinced I am that originality comes from giving yourself permission to start without an answer.
Start with the blank page. Question the conventions. Make something that might not work. Make another version.
Eventually you find something that feels like it could only have been made for that brand.
That's the kind of creative direction I'm building toward — distinctive brand experiences that don't just communicate what a company does, but create something the audience can almost see, smell, touch, and taste.
If you're a brand that wants a digital experience built around who you actually are — not what your category expects, let's talk.
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