Hello,

 
 
 

I’m Justin, a designer in Seattle with over 20 years of experience building compelling digital experiences.

I currently lead the Rio Design System at Amazon, defining the design language for a shopping experience used daily by millions of people around the globe. Before that, I helped reinvent Amazon’s customer service platform and launched a program connecting designers, engineers, and leaders to solve big problems together.

Earlier, I built Nordstrom’s first design system, led ideation at Atlas, a startup whose search tech is now in Windows OS, and was part of the small team that designed the first online Microsoft Store in just 18 weeks. My career began as an art director and product photographer in the music industry, shaping my passion for visual storytelling.

I love designing scalable systems, driving collaboration, and building products that make an impact. Let’s talk!

 
 
 
 
 
 

Amazon

Principal UX Designer, Rio Design System

2020 – Present

Principal designer leading the strategy, design, and governance of Amazon’s core retail design system, driving consistency and accessibility across billions of customer interactions.

  • Redesigned Amazon.com’s foundational design language, modernizing typography, color, and iconography across global surfaces used by millions of customers daily

  • Led a multi-year overhaul of 40+ system components, coordinating rollout with dozens of product teams and using A/B testing to manage UX and business risk at scale

  • Advanced accessibility across Amazon Retail, implementing high-impact component updates and driving universal design adoption across 50+ teams

  • Evangelized system adoption and design excellence through internal conferences, roadshows, and direct team engagements; built a culture of scalable design excellence

  • Supported a builder ecosystem of thousands, creating self-serve documentation, scalable support channels, and live office hours to guide adoption and governance

Work examples available upon request.

Senior UX Design Lead, Customer Service Technology

2017 – 2020

Led the design and research strategy for Amazon’s self-service and associate-facing customer support tools, shaping experiences used by hundreds of millions of customers.

  • Founded and facilitated a cross-functional ideation program, enabling design, engineering, and product leaders to rapidly co-create solutions to high-priority CX issues

  • Contributed to a ground-up redesign of Amazon’s customer service associate tools, improving agent efficiency and issue resolution accuracy

  • Defined a north-star vision for self-service troubleshooting, aligning product teams around new approaches to improving problem resolution without live support

Work examples available upon request.

 
 
 

University of Washington

Lecturer, Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering

Fall quarters, 2017 & 2018

Co-instructor with Rebecca Destello for HCDE 518: User-Centered Design in the University of Washington's HCDE graduate program.

 
 
 

Atlas Informatics

Product Designer

2014 – 2017

Product design lead at an AI-driven startup focused on contextual intelligence and productivity. Drove strategy, design, and research for cross-platform search and discovery tools.

  • Designed Recall, a universal personal search tool now integrated into Windows OS, including its visual language, faceted search, onboarding, and privacy tools

  • Led end-to-end UX for critical features, including contextual search, data discovery, and user guidance systems, informed by iterative user research

  • Ran design sprints and roadmap planning with executives, PMs, and engineers to align vision with technical feasibility and user needs

  • Explored and prototyped future product concepts, inspiring long-term vision and influencing investor and leadership alignment

  • Created the Atlas brand identity system, plus marketing materials for web, print, and launch events

Work examples:

 
 
 

Nordstrom

Principal UX Designer

2012 – 2014

Design leader responsible for strategy, research, and systematization across Nordstrom’s omnichannel and digital platforms.

  • Pioneered modular design systems using grid-based layout and pattern libraries, significantly improving design consistency and team efficiency

  • Redesigned Nordstrom.com’s global navigation, based on a year-long research study on customers’ mental models of catalog structure

  • Led the redesign of the adaptive mobile web experience, modernizing mobile CX and improving performance across devices

  • Provided mentorship and interim design leadership, supporting junior designers and ensuring continuity during a manager’s extended leave

Work examples:

 
 
 

Getty Images

User Experience Designer

2010 – 2012

Led UX design, IA, and research for Getty’s entertainment, music, and editorial content platforms.

  • Optimized core search flows for GettyImages.com via participatory design and iterative research, increasing user satisfaction and task completion rates

  • Redesigned the Contour, WireImage, and FilmMagic properties, improving content discoverability and editorial engagement

  • Developed a filter-based search experience for Getty Images Music, enabling rapid exploration of complex music licensing content

Work examples:

 
 
 

Microsoft

User Experience Designer

2009 – 2010

Key designer on the fast-paced launch of MicrosoftStore.com, collaborating across disciplines to ship a global e-commerce platform in under five months.

  • Designed site-wide navigation, search, and product discovery UX, balancing scalability with performance

  • Developed an in-store appointment scheduling tool, bridging digital and retail customer journeys

  • Conducted accessibility audits and drove remediation, ensuring ADA and W3C compliance

  • Led post-launch optimizations via agile development sprints, improving usability and site conversion

Work examples:

 
 
 

3dB Creative

Art Director, Partner

2006 – 2009

Co-founded a boutique design studio focused on pro audio and music brands. Oversaw design strategy, client relationships, and creative execution.

  • Directed multichannel campaigns for clients like Roland, AMS Neve, and Native Instruments across print, web, and live events

  • Built and managed an in-house photography studio, reducing overhead and improving creative turnaround

  • Led client engagement and business development, growing the studio’s reach and revenue

Work examples:

 
 
 

LOUD Technologies

Art Director

2004 – 2006

Led interactive, print, and motion design for LOUD’s portfolio of music and pro audio brands including Mackie and Ampeg.

  • Designed global marketing campaigns in over a dozen languages for international product launches

  • Modernized LOUD’s web presence, conducting IA and UX redesigns across brand sites

  • Saved $250K annually by transitioning product and editorial photography in-house

Work examples:

 
 
 

Justin Marx Design

Freelance designer

2001 – 2004

Independent design practice focused on print, web, and interaction design for cultural institutions, media organizations, and academic clients.

  • Delivered branding, digital, and interactive work for clients including CBS News, the Getty Museum, and the University of Michigan

  • Balanced creative direction and production across diverse project types and timelines

  • Built a foundation in multi-disciplinary design that informed later work in UX, systems, and product strategy