Between the Brackets: Joel Swick, Senior Designer

We're back with another spectacular edition of Between the Brackets [ ] where you get to know the talented people behind the best B2B SaaS websites. 🚀

Today, we are highlighting a Webstacker known for being a design powerhouse behind creating artful marketing sites. Say hello to Joel Swick!

About Joel

Thrilled to have you on Between the Brackets! Tell us about yourself.

I’m from St. Charles Illinois, just outside of Chicago. I currently live in Bellingham, Washington where I’ve been for the last eight years. I attended Full Sail University where I received my bachelor’s degree in graphic design. I’ve been at Webstacks for just over two-and-a-half years. 

I love hiking with my pup, skiing, playing pickleball with friends, really anything I can do to get outside. I’m also a big pottery fan. If I can get on the wheel and throw, then it’s been a good day. Side-note: The Great Pottery Throwdown is a must-watch hidden gem. Most days you can find me listening to The National, hanging out with my wife, going on walks with my dog, and planning the next big project to start. 

What is your role here at Webstacks? 

I am a Senior Designer here at Webstacks primarily focused on designing artful  marketing sites that generate leads and increase conversions for clients. I work closely with the design team, dev team, project managers, and our clients. I often get to work with Lauren, Brandon, and Chloe on the design team. We love a good brainstorming session and I love learning from all of the designers on our team!

We love seeing you active in our #webcats Slack channel! Can you share how you became a cat parent and describe your cat's personality in three words?

I am so happy to hear this! To be candid, the main reason I’m a cat parent is because I wasn’t able to be a dog parent at the time but I do love our cats! Years ago my wife and I were at a brewery with friends and everyone was passing around this orange cat that just slept in everyone’s lap. It was the chillest cat I’ve ever seen. I thought this was the closest cat I could get to a dog so I got in contact with the owners and they coincidentally were having another litter which is how we ended up getting our first cat, Pippin.

 Pippin is, trouble, trouble, trouble! She’s an orange cat who loves people, loves exploring, and if I haven't stated it enough, loves trouble. We ended up getting our second cat, Riven, just to keep Pippin out of trouble. Riv is an angel who loves belly rubs and is Pippin’s best friend. You really don’t know what kind of cat you’re gonna get which makes them so fun! Even though we have a dog now, I love our cats and I’d say I’m just a “pet person” now, not just a dog person!

If you could instantly master a skill, what would it be and why?

Over the years I’ve wanted to master so many different skills but one skill in particular would be learning a new language easily. I would love to learn as many languages as I could, but to start it would probably be French or Spanish. I have family in South America and it would be great to be able to go out around town without needing their help translating! I feel like if you have the ability to master new languages instantly, your brain could do anything at that point!

Design at Webstacks

What do you enjoy the most about your role at Webstacks?

Specific to my role as a Product Designer, I love maintaining design systems for our clients. It’s so rewarding to tweak, build, and organize every component and page in the design system. I love diving into how our clients use these components and solving problems they’re facing. It’s all really rewarding for me. I also get to support our Dev team by setting them up better for success. I love any chance I get to work with our Dev team. 

Overall, I love getting to work with everyone at Webstacks. It truly feels like our team drops the ego and comes into work everyday with humility. It also helps that everyone is uber-talented! I learn something new every day from a team member.

What is your favorite project you’ve been a part of at Webstacks and why?

Oh this is a great question! My favorite project was getting to work on Blocknative’s Gas Estimator Tool a couple of years ago. We spent a lot of time designing upgraded versions of this tool, adding more features, and refining it to create the best experience we possibly could. It was such a unique tool that I think set Blocknative apart and had a major impact in the crypto industry and I’m just thankful I got to play a little part in that. 

What do you think is one of the most underrated skills to have as a designer?

I would say one of the most underrated skills is learning how to be understanding. Most of what we do is making sure we understand every element of what we’re working on, who the client is, how users will use each tool, feature, or view our work. You have to perceive how your work is going to be viewed in the future from as many perspectives as possible. This can be hard because I’m only one human with one perspective. The job is to understand all the other perspectives and worldviews in relation to what you’re designing. Accessibility is one of the most popular sectors of understanding a user’s perspective.

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The Wrap-Up

Any advice for candidates who may be interested in your role today?

Absolutely. One of the things I learned here at Webstacks that changed the way I think about product design is the Atomic Design Methodology. We build our design systems & sites using atomic design and mastering these principles will level up your skills immensely. 

I’d also highly recommend striving for the Webstacks core values: drop the ego, break through ceilings, and move fast. I think these are worthy goals for one's career. 

Drop the Ego: Humility goes a long way in all aspects of life and work is no exception. One bad apple can bring a whole team down and as a designer we are constantly putting ourselves on the line creatively to be critiqued and judged so  humility and accepting constructive criticism with grace is a must.

Break Through Ceilings: Striving to take things to the next level, improving the current, and making things better. This is a clear goal for anyone wanting to grow in their career. 

Move Fast: I think this is the most misunderstood value. Moving fast doesn’t always have to mean putting more energy into something. Most often it means having strong processes in place to make you more efficient.

Join the Webstacks Crew

Hope you've enjoyed meeting another amazing Webstacker here on Between the Brackets! If you're interested in joining our team, check out the Webstacks Careers page to see our open positions!