Leighton Hughes

Leighton Hughes

Finding delight in crafting interfaces.
Building web experiences that serve communities.

Finding delight in crafting interfaces. Building web experiences that
serve communities.

2024 Projects

Implementing interface and interactions with GSAP.

Implementing interface and interactions with GSAP.

Design and development in Framer.

Design and development in Framer.

2023 Side Projects

Animating SVGs and experiments with Astro web framework.

Animating SVGs and experiments with Astro web framework.

Generate PDF designs from Craft CMS entry content.

Generate PDF designs from Craft CMS entry content.

Experience

2020

Now

Founder

Melbourne, Australia

Working with a client portfolio spanning the education sector, religious organisations, and creative industries.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2020

Now

Founder

Melbourne, Australia

Working with a client portfolio spanning the education sector, religious organisations, and creative industries.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2023

2024

Front-end Developer Lead

Remote Contractor

Led a cross-functional team to revamp a product onboarding experience. This included streamlining the consideration and registration process through iterative enhancement guided by user feedback.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2023

2024

Front-end Developer Lead

Remote Contractor

Led a cross-functional team to revamp a product onboarding experience. This included streamlining the consideration and registration process through iterative enhancement guided by user feedback.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2022

2023

Front-end Developer

Melbourne, Australia

Worked on a variety of Laravel-based projects for clients in the construction, e-commerce, and hospitality industries.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2022

2023

Front-end Developer

Melbourne, Australia

Worked on a variety of Laravel-based projects for clients in the construction, e-commerce, and hospitality industries.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2020

Now

Full-stack Developer

Remote Contractor

Enabled a content creation workflow for 6 content editors. This included a range of email templates built with MJML that could pull in news and events content.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2020

Now

Full-stack Developer

Remote Contractor

Enabled a content creation workflow for 6 content editors. This included a range of email templates built with MJML that could pull in news and events content.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2019

2020

Front-end Developer

Contractor

Developed accessible component library adhering to WCAG AA standards.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2019

2020

Front-end Developer

Contractor

Developed accessible component library adhering to WCAG AA standards.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2018

2019

Senior Designer

Melbourne, Australia

Contributed to high-profile projects for Bunnings, one of AKQA's largest global accounts and a renowned Australian brand, as part of a cross-functional design team.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2018

2019

Senior Designer

Melbourne, Australia

Contributed to high-profile projects for Bunnings, one of AKQA's largest global accounts and a renowned Australian brand, as part of a cross-functional design team.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2015

2017

Lead Designer

Hamilton, New Zealand

I orchestrated a comprehensive redesign of Mental Health New Zealand's online presence, including their invaluable A-Z mental health index, delivering an intuitive and accessible platform that empowers users with vital resources.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2015

2017

Lead Designer

Hamilton, New Zealand

I orchestrated a comprehensive redesign of Mental Health New Zealand's online presence, including their invaluable A-Z mental health index, delivering an intuitive and accessible platform that empowers users with vital resources.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2011

2017

Senior Designer

Hamilton, New Zealand

Collaborated with small and medium-sized businesses to design responsive websites and user interfaces, create engaging content, establish brand identities, and produce print materials.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

2011

2017

Senior Designer

Hamilton, New Zealand

Collaborated with small and medium-sized businesses to design responsive websites and user interfaces, create engaging content, establish brand identities, and produce print materials.

Software Development

Front-end Development

Design Strategy

Branding & Identity

Design Systems

User Experience Design

Volunteering

2023

Now

Web Development

Remote

Contributed pro bono design and development expertise to elevate marketing for new events and advance brand messaging, leveraging Tina CMS and Next.js to create an impactful digital presence.

2023

Now

Web Development

Remote

Contributed pro bono design and development expertise to elevate marketing for new events and advance brand messaging, leveraging Tina CMS and Next.js to create an impactful digital presence.

2023

Now

Small Group Leader

Melbourne, Australia

Facilitated engaging small group discussions as part of the Alpha course, fostering an inclusive environment for participants to explore and discuss foundational concepts of the Christian faith.

2023

Now

Small Group Leader

Melbourne, Australia

Facilitated engaging small group discussions as part of the Alpha course, fostering an inclusive environment for participants to explore and discuss foundational concepts of the Christian faith.

2022

Now

Music Ministry

Provided instrumental accompaniment to enhance the worship experience and support vocalists during services and special events.

2022

Now

Music Ministry

Provided instrumental accompaniment to enhance the worship experience and support vocalists during services and special events.

2019

2020

Leadership Team

Melbourne, Australia

Designed and developed a Craft CMS plugin to generate and automate the creation of PDFs that pull in news and event related content.

2019

2020

Leadership Team

Melbourne, Australia

Designed and developed a Craft CMS plugin to generate and automate the creation of PDFs that pull in news and event related content.

Education

2007

2009

Bachelor of Computer Graphic Design

at

The University of Waikato

Hamilton, New Zealand

2007

2009

Bachelor of Computer Graphic Design

at

The University of Waikato

Hamilton, New Zealand