luxfordm@gmail.com · Surrey / Remote Open to senior roles · 2026
Matthew Luxford Senior Web Designer and Creative Lead
Senior Web Designer based in Surrey, UK, working end-to-end across UX, UI, brand and design systems — at home between users, business and engineering. Four years at Kraken on consumer web, and open to senior roles in 2026 — remote or hybrid, worldwide.
Led creative direction, UX and UI for Lifecake (now BackThen), a family photo-sharing platform with 3.4M+ users. Only web designer on a 5-person team that won Apple's award out of thousands of App Store submissions. Overhauled the native app (iOS & Android) and web platform with new brand identity, tone of voice, and user-centred design practices.
Contract and freelance since 2015 — engagements often ran in parallel, so some dates overlap. Going contract is also why the titles stop climbing: I care about the work, not the ladder. Full-cycle, kickoff brief through to delivery, is where I'm happiest — and I talk to developers without the ego.
Four years on the consumer trading web experience — crypto, traditional equities and tokenised stocks on one platform. Sole designer for consumer web, reporting directly to senior leadership: UX, IA, UI, front-end build, copywriting and project management all run through one desk, with review cycles measured in hours, not weeks. The work itself is under NDA.
Brought in for a one-week email project; stayed a year. Sole creative in a nine-person company — brand, creative direction and design practice, all of it. Designed and shipped the full e-commerce store, plus an online questionnaire that guides customers to the right products for them.
Rebuilt the web component library from the ground up — one of two senior leads on a six-person team, shipping piece-by-piece over six months. The old components broke at responsive breakpoints and buried the vehicle imagery under text overlays. Ran the Figma workshops, built the library, and set the animation patterns for interactive states.
Led creative direction and UX/UI across multiple digital projects. Strategically updated the booking flow — within the first month post-launch, analytics showed a 500% increase in booking enquiries. Also refreshed brand positioning and overhauled the native app (iOS & Android) to improve booking, event organisation, and payment flows.
Led creative direction, UX and UI across native app (iOS & Android) and web for a 3.4M+ user family photo platform. Owned the brand identity refresh, tone of voice, and embedded user-centred design practices across the business.
Designed the tools people use to choose a car, across 27 markets and both brands — Help Me Choose, the comparison tool, the customer portal and global navigation. Managed design teams, ran the workshops, and presented to build teams and global stakeholders.
UI design across four native iPad & iPhone apps for a Tier One ASPAC bank as part of an innovation lab and business transformation project.
Short-term contract providing creative oversight of all design output. Evaluated work, created pitch presentations for prospective clients, and guided the design team on art direction and quality standards.
Led two major projects (Slaughter and May, GLL) and managed other designers. Client-facing role presenting all UX and UI work, creating mobile prototypes, and producing digital and functional brand guidelines.
Led creative direction of the business, implemented new working methodologies, and participated in strategy planning. Managed a team of 6 designers, supported their career development, and provided creative oversight and design standards. Last permanent role before going contract-only.
Senior Designer at Big Group and Global Beach. Digital Creative Lead at JPMH and Bell Design. Digital Designer at Galileo London and Wickedweb. Where the craft was sharpened.