Available for freelance work
Glenn Cahill
I design design systems
Twenty years designing digital products and the systems behind them, for banks, telcos and startups that needed things to work properly.
Available for freelance work
I design design systems
Twenty years designing digital products and the systems behind them, for banks, telcos and startups that needed things to work properly.
With two decades of expertise in digital design, I operate at the crossroads of design and technology. My current focus is on developing comprehensive design systems (encompassing tokens, foundational elements, components, and templates) to create a seamless ecosystem that simplifies the design journey from concept to completion.
A well-crafted design system enables designers to achieve results in days instead of weeks or months, ensuring greater consistency throughout. I enjoy delving into the finer details, making sure that my creations not only support development but also elevate the user experience. My journey started with extensive work in UI, branding, and motion design, which continues to shape my perspective.
I am deeply passionate about the dynamics of design, paying careful attention to both the movement of elements and their visual impact.
Brands I've worked with
Building CleanSlate, the design system behind SMARTY's React Native rebuild. Tokens at the foundations, less friction in delivery.
Modernised the design system around what Figma had just made possible: variables, theme modes, spacing modes. The app's store rating went from 2.9 to 4.4 while I was there.
Brought in to finish the Nexus library migration into Figma, then handed it over with training so the internal team could run it.
Eighteen separate Sketch libraries and no single point of truth. Rebuilt the Scottish Widows system from the audit up: foundation variables, semantic tokens, styles bound to them.
Two named journeys, Upgrades cross-sell and Book a repair, both grounded in deep UX testing with the findings presented back to stakeholders.
Restructured the long "take the quiz" onboarding into a multi-step flow. Conversion improved, and the testing behind it kept producing insights the team used.
A one month contract rebuilding an Adobe XD library in Figma. The first stop after going freelance.
Led the Pharmiweb Solutions rebrand to huumun from concept through rollout, in between clinical app work for the big pharma names.
Digital content and wireframes built on proper content hierarchy, plus mentoring the junior designers.
Led bank and finance work: the 2013 Nationwide redesign, an HSBC CRM tablet app back when tablet-first banking was a novelty, and more besides.
Press ads for 123-reg and Webfusion across the tech magazines, dashboards and landing pages for both brands, and the 123-reg YouTube channel.
Where it started, and the only designer in the building. Websites in HTML, CSS and JavaScript (and yes, Flash), banners and GIFs for digital campaigns, and print from business cards to instructional booklets.
Design studio The studio side of my desk. Where the client hat comes off and the ideas that don't fit a brief get built anyway.
pixeljam.design
Side project A food scanner app that makes sense of the label for you. Scan a barcode and see what's inside, checked against your own health conditions, allergies and diet.
biteinsight.co.uk
