An introduction

A brief history of my creative journey of seeing, documenting, and creating the things and experiences I want to see in the world.

I am a photographer who designs things for humans.

Along the way, I‘ve also been a Skate King DJ / Floor Guard, radio broadcaster, barista, shipper/receiver, Pike Market vendor, cook, server, painter’s model, data entry temp, and summer camp counselor.

Seeing

My creative life began as a child, in a foreign land, documenting my surroundings with a Kodak Instamatic camera. Seeing, appreciating, and archiving the color, shape, and variation of the world.

When I was 10 our family moved from southern California to Saudi Arabia for 4 years. My Dad gave me my first camera to record our life overseas.

I’ve been capturing the beauty of the natural and man-made worlds around me ever since.

Our family considered our time in Saudi as a ‘learning adventure’.

We:

  • Learned to appreciate other cultures and customs

  • Built trusted friendships with the citizens

  • Crafted the things we wanted to see, and do

  • Saw the world, embraced new experiences

Me creating things I wanted to experience: I used a blanket and some rope to create a hammock chair in our side patio

Select photos

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When I was 13 we moved back to the States. Seattle was our new home.

Dad gave me his 35mm Ricoh KR-5. I took it nearly everywhere.

  • Family, friends, nature

  • Texture, light, shadow

  • The geometry of designs found in the natural and material world

  • Long exposures, elongated time — a sense of ‘otherness’, something unexpected, which invited interpretation and imagination

My car headlights light up a scene of an old house with stories to tell

Exploring tension and in-camera framing on the streets of Seattle

Seattle art scene

Post Bellevue College. Moved out of Mom’s place, got a little studio apartment in the Biltmore on Capitol Hill. Remember Pacific Desserts? I worked there.

I continued my photography and was writing urban-folk songs. Even performing them at open mics. (Don’t ask).

Then I started working at Café Septieme in sleepy ol’ Belltown, and my life opened up in every major way.

Got a room in a loft nearby rooming with a couple, then later my own place on the next floor, with a darkroom. (Thanks, Jeff!)

I documented that heady time in Seattle art history, the early 90’s. My friends are painters and filmmakers, musicians and makers. I have enough decent portraits and photographs to fill a book. A future project awaits, getting these images collected, sorted, seen, and celebrated.

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Creating

Design for humans

All mediums

  • print, digital, silkscreening, signage

  • mobile apps, intranets, websites

  • video, audio

Methodologies

  • facilitation, stakeholder alignment

  • user research, usability testing

  • interactive prototyping

  • AI assisted design & code

  • design & build sprints

T-Mobile Home Internet App, 2020-21

I formed an Art Committee at Ascentium in 2007-2008 to showcase art made by Ascentium employees

Zeitgeist everything 1996-2018

Amazon News (‘About Amazon’) website redesign, 2024

Legacy projects (to date)

  • Uplift Northwest

    Research-driven Brand Re-design

    Formerly the Millionair Club Charity, their new target donor base was confused by the name. An aging donor base posed risks to long-term sustainability and growth

    Role
    Co-Lead Brand Strategy & Human-Centered Design: User Researcher, Creative Director, Visual Designer

    Outcome
    Full rebrand of Millionair Club Charity to Uplift Northwest: naming, identity system, brand voice, guidelines, and multi-channel launch support

    Impact
    - +146% growth in contributions (2021-23)
    - +60 Employer Partner growth (2019-25)

  • Movember

    Workplace Social Impact

    Founder of Slalom’s global Movember program, growing a Seattle grassroots team into a global multi-office initiative that raised $466K for men’s health programs

    Role
    Slalom Global Movember Lead: Seattle Team Captain, Creative Director, Marketing & Communications Manager, Chief Recruiter, Event Curation

    Outcome
    One of Slalom's most visible grassroots social-impact programs: 36 offices engaged, and men's health conversations normalized companywide

    Impact
    - +360% growth in office participation
    - Over 200 participants at peak
    - $444K raised during leadership

  • Seattle Culture Crew

    Workplace Culture & Experience

    Built and scaled a decade-long employee experience platform that strengthened belonging, creativity, and community across Slalom Seattle and the broader Pacific Northwest market

    Role
    Founder and leader of Culture Crew: Program Strategy & Experience Design, Creative Direction, Community Building, Event Production, Marketing & Communications, Digital Experience Design

    Outcome
    A durable, scalable culture platform integrated into the fabric of Slalom Seattle, with flagship annual events, digital experiences, and a lasting model for employee-led culture design

    Impact
    - +275% Makers Market participants growth
    - 3 programs incorporated into larger company events

    • UX/UI Design

    • Facilitation & Workshops

    • Prototyping & Interaction Design

    • Information Architecture

    • User Research & Usability Testing

    • AI-Assisted Design

    • Creative Direction

    • Visual Design

    • Brand & Identity Design

    • Design Systems

    • Content Strategy

    • Copywriting

    • Community Strategy & Engagement

    • Event Design & Production

    • Photography

    • Video Production & Editing

    • Screen Printing

    • Radio Broadcasting & Production

    • Aerospace & Manufacturing

    • Education

    • Financial Services & Banking

    • Food & Beverage

    • Forestry & Wood Products

    • Government & Public Sector

    • Healthcare

    • Logistics

    • Media & Publishing

    • Non-Profit

    • Professional Services

    • Technology & Computing

    • Telecom

    • Travel & Leisure

    • Figma

    • FigJam

    • Figma Make

    • Adobe Creative Cloud

    • AI-Assisted: Claude & Microsoft Copilot

    • Microsoft 365

    • Miro

    • Jira

    • HTML, CSS & JavaScript

    • React & Next.js

    • WordPress

    • Squarespace

“Gary is a designer who transforms customer experience into meaningful digital reality.

Beyond his technical aptitude, Gary is extremely adaptable, collaborative, is client focused, and is calm under immense pressure.

He is solution oriented and can be relied on to lead difficult situations and shift energy towards creative solutions.”

— Jila Javdani, President, West Coast Region, Slalom

Select awards

Slalom Summit ‘Freestyle’
Culture Crew Recognition: Slalom Culture Curator, 2025

Slalom Summit ‘Innovation’
Outstanding Team Award: State of Idaho Judicial Branch, 2023

Slalom Summit ‘Partners for Good’
Achievement award: Movember Campaigns 2011-2021

WMA
McKesson corporate website, 2009

Davey
Microsoft Pro Photography, community website, 2008

W3 ‘Gold’
Microsoft: Travels to the Edge with Art Wolfe website, 2006

Adobe ‘Site of the Day’
Boeing: 787 Dreamliner website, 2005

PRINT Magazine ‘Certificate of Excellence’
Regional Design Annual: Zeitgeist Coffee Logo, 2000

Select publications & press

Heartbeat Magazine
My Diva music video film stills, 2025

Bainbridge Island Review
Movember program leadership, 2014

Sub Pop
Steven Jesse Bernstein, ‘Prison’, 1992

My Diva music video film stills; My Diva, Super8 film, 1990
Most of the words and all the images are mine

Published in Heartbeat Magazine, November 2025