Jeff Broderick: Product Designer You Need To Know

Design doesn’t have to be complicated to be breathtaking. In fact, it shouldn’t be complicated. And, creating an eye-catching design is not as hard as some people may think. At least that’s what Jeff Broderick wants you to know.

You guessed it, we have another designer for you. Or, your mom’s favorite freelance product designer, as he likes to call himself. Jeff Broderick is a passionate visionary who has been creating things since the age of 13. Teaching himself everything from Visual Basic to PHP/MySQL to HTML5/CSS.

He’s a creative man who has had an accomplished career and seems to be on an upward trajectory. We can’t wait to tell you more about him!

Let’s talk about Jeff Broderick

Originally from Dallas, Jeff Broderick eventually moved to San Francisco to experience the startup life first-hand. As someone who fell in love with design and building things at an early age, it’s not surprising that he decided to do it professionally. 

He sold his very first company, InviteShare, to TechCrunch almost immediately after founding it. He developed an app that made invite sharing much easier to facilitate. The TechCrunch team loved the idea so much that they considered developing their own app to do it. However, they decided it would be bad form to start making an identical version of an already extant service without at least offering to buy it.

Jeff showed that he’s not just a creative and clever designer. He leveraged the positive coverage (provided by TechCrunch, no less) to get a really good deal. 

Most people would be sitting on their laurels, but not Jeff. He continued working with companies like Line2, SocialCam, AppMakr, Socialize, Swipely, TestFlight, and many others. In his own words, “creating isn’t just a job, it’s a passion.” 

Let’s talk about Jeff’s personal presentation

Jeff’s personal website – brdrck.me – is excellently put together and focuses on his professional achievements and creative output; with just a touch of humor. It’s very minimalist, perhaps even excessively so, but the uncluttered pages allow the visitors to focus on what’s really important. Simplicity has a beauty of its own, and Jeff’s personal presentation shows you exactly what you came there to see. The minimalist design also allows for easy navigation, and it’s difficult to imagine a designer of this calibre not taking that into account.

The site has a link to his Dribble portfolio with examples of his work. It also has a link to his Twitter profile, showing he’s not afraid to show his more personal side. Regardless of whether you are a freelancer or a business, your website needs to show who you are. And what better way to do that than by personalising your website address with the .ME domain.

Everything is online and everything is connected, meaning one’s digital footprint is crucial for personal brand recognition. The best way to use your website is to showcase what you think matters. It can be your quirks, personality, body of work, or creativity. Jeff managed to blend it all in one well-designed package.

Let’s talk about Jeff’s process

His website also includes some thoughts on design, including basic design principles, tool recommendations, and even musings about art (yes, art is designed).

He loves simple but effective pieces. Overdoing it, risks creating clutter and overloading the viewer. Even a digital button needs to look and even “feel” like a button, but it’s easy to get carried away. His view can be summed up as follows: “If your design gets in the way of function, you are doing it all wrong.”

Despite his love for minimalism, he still insists that details are what breathes life into a design. The absence of detail makes items or interfaces look sterile, while their presence shows care and love that’s been put into the work. While a sleek piece with minimal textures can be (and often is) functional, people are less likely to form an attachment to it because of the lack of “soul.”

Wrapping up

Competition is incredibly fierce for any designer determined to make their way as a freelancer. You rely heavily on word of mouth, and you need to find the right way to present your work.

Jeff still managed to thrive. On top of being driven, hardworking, talented, and enthusiastic, he created an online portfolio that can’t help but impress. This is a surefire way to draw in prospective clients and definitely something other designers would do well to emulate.

While far from a rookie, Jeff still has a long career ahead of him. Keep it up Jeff, we look forward to seeing the impact you’ll leave on the design world.