This site is the most recent iteration of my online home. It's a collection of thinking, writing, and work that expresses some of my particular way of being. This is also where I ramble on about design and all things that interest me. I am passionate about UX design, apps and software, typography, and all things well-crafted.
I’m a web, mobile, UX and product designer living in Colorado. When I’m not making things with pixels, I enjoy being a husband, dad, friend, sports nut, mountain bike enthusiast, hobbyist landscaper, armchair theologian, and the reader of many books.
My family, good books, good food, sports of all kinds, sports jerseys, Dallas Cowboys football, mountain biking, Apple products, historical fiction, pizza, hiking, trees, landscaping, and anything well-designed or of solid craftsmanship — from software and hardware to furniture and architecture.
Know-it-alls, loud-talkers, close-talkers, micro-managers, me-monsters, sudden expertism, not doing your best, PowerPoint, fingerprints on my screen, cold weather, thyme, sage, okra, asparagus, and anything cherry-flavored.
I am not a formally trained designer. I'd consider myself self-taught, but that isn't entirely accurate. I try to keep in mind that I didn't earn any of what I have now — at least not on my own. I've been incredibly lucky to learn so much from others.
I wouldn’t be the designer I am without the tremendous influence of industry stalwarts like Jeffrey Zeldman, Dan Cederholm, Cameron Moll, Doug Bowman, and Jason Fried. None of them know it, but they’re all my design heroes.
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
— Sir Isaac Newton
But there are others. Lesser-known, everyday types of influencers we all have crossed paths with in our careers. People that are not famous, but those with whom we’ve worked side-by-side and worked with in the trenches.
In the early days before I was a web designer, Steven Murray taught me how databases work and also how to work smart. Leslie Peeler is one of the smartest people I’ve ever known and championed my abilities when no one else did — not even myself. Kevin Brungardt taught me how to craft a message with precision and how to rigorously insist on excellence.
Andrew Shearer taught me more about CSS in 10 months than anyone else has in my whole career. Doug Alcorn taught me that it's ok to push back and argue for what you think is right, but also how to disagree professionally. Jeremy Johnson and Travis Isaacs taught me how to creatively and effectively present and defend my design decisions.
Pete Zaballos helped me rediscover something I knew, but forgot the importance of — the fact that words matter. Kristi Whitman has demonstrated time and again the value of making incremental progress within project constraints. Allyson Lerner taught me the art of trade-offs and how "it depends" is usually the right answer. Noah Wenz showed me how to find the humor in design complexity and linguistic redundancy. And of loyalty — my friend Cyrus Cords has shown me more than he’ll ever know.
Saving the best for last: Cori Mallott — my greatest supporter, fan and best friend — has taught me more than anyone else in my life. She's shown me how to love learning, care for others, embrace diligence and pursue quality in how I interact with those around me, how I parent, things I make, and how I work.
"It takes curiosity to learn. It takes courage to unlearn. Learning requires the humility to admit what you don't know today. Unlearning requires the integrity to admit that you were wrong yesterday. Learning is how you evolve. Unlearning is how you keep up as the world evolves."— Adam Grant
Holding to these values shape how I live, how I parent, how I vote, and how I work with others. They are a reflection of how I see the world, for better or worse.
chuck.mallott.me
