Product Design · Front-End · Design Systems
Work smarter.
Not harder.
Design principles. Data-informed decisions. Empathy for the customer. Thirty years of design and making, brought to digital products and the systems behind them.
What I do
I design data-dense products and the design systems that scale them. Operator tooling, analytics, and commerce platforms.
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Design systems that scale
I’ve founded and architected two design systems, partnering with engineering on implementation. Shared components and brand themes let teams reuse the same foundation across retailer sites.
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Operator & admin tooling
Content builders, authoring tools, and analytics dashboards. I work through the task, the data, and the awkward parts of the workflow, then design and prototype a clearer way through.
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AI-augmented prototyping
I use AI to help turn an idea into a working prototype with realistic sample data. Then I use it, test it, and bring the evidence to the team. The prototype makes the decision tangible.
How I work
Design that earns its place in the product.
I start with the person doing the work. What do they need to get done? What gets in their way? I make the idea tangible, test it, and work with engineering on what it will take to deliver it. The visual craft and the technical decisions have to serve that person.
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Thirty years across print, websites, and interactive art. The tools keep changing. I keep learning what the work needs.
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A designer who codes — I prototype in real components, so design and engineering speak one language.
30
Years
Across print, web, and data-dense product.
1st
Design hire
Founded the practice and set the standards.
2
Design systems
Founded and architected from zero, partnering with engineering.
Explore the work
PRODUCT DESIGN
14 projects
DESIGN SYSTEMS
2 projects
WEB DESIGN
3 projects
BRANDING
3 projects
PRINT DESIGN
10 projects
FINE ART
9 projects
About
A designer who codes — leading from the front.
I’m Bill Klingensmith, a product designer and design technologist. I’ve taught design, co-founded food ventures, and led design at Freshop through its acquisition by NCR. A creative optimist who still sweats the details, and learns whatever tools the idea needs.
“It’s not always about technology. Start with the person on the other side of the screen, and the rest follows: the visual design that earns their trust, the engineering that holds it up, and the concept that ties it together into something that actually solves their problem.”
Let’s build something.
Open to Staff and Principal product design roles on complex B2B platforms — operator tooling, analytics, and the design systems that hold them together. If that’s you, let’s talk.
Remote · Salisbury, NC