I'm Nick Clark, a product design leader with 14+ years helping organizations bring ambitious ideas to life through strategy, design, storytelling, and execution. I set the vision and ship it myself.
Aligning user needs with business objectives to define clear roadmaps and actionable execution plans in ambiguous environments.
Building and scaling high-performing design teams, establishing operational cadences, and fostering a culture of critique and craft.
Synthesizing deeply technical or heavily regulated industries, AI, fintech, defense, into intuitive, high-utility interfaces.
Crafting compelling narratives that secure stakeholder buy-in, align cross-functional teams, and clearly communicate product vision.
Architecting scalable, token-based design systems that accelerate engineering velocity and ensure UI consistency across platforms.
Bridging design and engineering with a deep understanding of software architecture, data structures, and front-end constraints.
Designing AI-powered biosurveillance and threat-intelligence platforms that help public health, national security, and enterprise stakeholders identify, investigate, and respond to emerging biological threats.
Architecting a unified financial platform that automates payments, financing, and collections for freight brokers and carriers.
Designing payment infrastructure that helps businesses accept, manage, and reconcile payments at scale.
Partner with startups and small businesses to translate early-stage ideas into product strategy, user experiences, visual identities, and production-ready software.
Built and led the company's design practice across product and brand. Led product design for an AI-powered biosurveillance platform while owning the visual identity, marketing initiatives, and complete website redesign. Translated complex epidemiological science into intuitive experiences supporting adoption, executive communication, and growth.
First design hire. Architected the product experience for a complex B2B fintech logistics platform. Collaborated with executive leadership on investor communications and product storytelling that supported a successful $126M Series B funding round.
First product design hire. Led UX/UI design for a small but rapidly growing fintech platform that now processes more than $23 billion in payments annually for over 39,000 businesses.
Began career engineering defense systems, bridging the gap between highly technical constraints and user-interface requirements for cleared personnel.
Multidisciplinary designer spanning product, web, and brand. Designed enterprise K-12 data-management software, produced motion graphics and marketing content, and designed and coded the company's website.
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to provide my highest recommendation for Nicholas Clark, who has served as our Head of Design at PHC Global for over three years. Nick joined our organization during its early and formative stages, and his exceptional vision and design leadership have been instrumental in shaping both our core products and the identity of our company.
Throughout his tenure, Nick has consistently demonstrated outstanding quality of work, creativity, and a profound commitment to our mission. He has a rare ability to transform vague or highly complex technical concepts into intuitive, elegant, and high-impact visual products. Notably, Nick spearheaded a critical company-wide brand update to better align our platform with defense and national security audiences. Under an accelerated timeline, Nick delivered outputs that directly contributed to PHC Global's first Department of War (DoW) contract as a prime vendor.
Nick's core expertise lies in User Experience (UX) design and user research. His work on major product milestones, such as bespoke products for DoW and commercial customers, highlights his exceptional skill in thinking through user stories to maximize value. He has been a primary contributor of critical visual assets for our leadership and board of directors, including the development of foundational graphics that uniquely enabled us to build trust and shared understanding with our DoW customers. Many of his graphics have reached the highest levels of government.
Nick is an exceptional team player who has consistently demonstrated an invaluable ability to work seamlessly across cross-functional teams, bridging design, engineering, and product strategy. His lighthearted and kind demeanor consistently boosts team morale, and he expects only the finest work of both himself and his teammates. He is also incredibly adaptable, managing quick turnarounds for urgent requests with enthusiasm and resilience. Any organization would be lucky to have him.
Nick is a fantastic teammate and professional. Nick is willing to do whatever is needed that's best for the business no questions asked. He has always helped push our view of design and move the Overton window for what we see as possible and usable. He'd be a great first design hire for any firm and sets a great example in a team of how to be a rockstar. Any organization would be lucky to have him, and I hope to work with him again very soon.
Nick is an absolute gem of a person. He joined us a Senior Product Designer and quickly impressed his manager, my co-founder, and I with the quality of his work, his work ethic, and his infectious energy. While at Denim, Nick consistently produced clean, beautiful, and delightful designs for the business, but what stands out most to me was his reaction when we asked him to help us redesign our fundraising materials, in addition to his normal workload. Without batting an eye, Nick agreed to take on the project, often working late nights and weekends in order to help us meet the tight deadlines required by the process. With his help, we were able to execute a successful fundraising process in a tough market. Nick is a phenomenal designer and a true team player. I highly recommend him for any product design role.
I have had the pleasure of working with Nick during a time of hyper-growth for our company, and I can confidently say that he is a valuable asset to any team. Nick has an exceptional eye for detail and a unique ability to create aesthetically pleasing as well as highly functional designs. He is a skilled problem solver, able to identify and address potential issues promptly and effectively. However, the best trait that Nick exemplifies in my opinion was beyond his technical design skills. At an early-stage startup, times may be difficult and we may ask people to take on more than what was in their job description. Nick has one of the best "Team First" mentalities of anyone that I have worked with. He brought positive energy into every conversation, taking the time to listen to and incorporate the ideas of the team, and take on whatever work is necessary to help the team succeed. It was an absolute honor working with Nick and I am confident that he will excel in any role he is given.
Nick has an incredible mind. His ability to take big problems and break them down is unmatched. I've had the pleasure of working with him on countless cross-functional projects. He is a great asset to the team not only for his design ability but also for his skill at driving a team towards a common goal.
Whether it's a design leadership role, a fractional engagement, or an idea you want to shape, design, and ship, send a note and I'll get back to you.