I'm Ryan Downs, a visual designer and front-end engineer based in Portland, Oregon. I've spent over a decade as a visual designer working with Fortune 500 companies like IBM, Amazon, HP and Dell. I started teaching myself web development as a hobby, eventually weaving what I've learned into my professional career. This gives me a unique perspective and skill set that covers design and software engineering.

When I think about my work, my philosophy leans towards simplicity: as few clicks as possible, need-to-know information first, and less is always more. Every decision comes back to the question "Does this ultimately support the user?"

When I'm not at a screen, I work on Black Zodiac Prints, a small business I founded in 2020 illustrating Black authors, heroes, and leaders or fixing up my 1904 farmhouse in Southeast Portland.