Memo EsparzaWorkProjectsEmail me

Product design and creative production

Memo is a designer working across product, web and brand. He thinks of design processes as facilitation, he starts by defining the problem together, stays hands on until it ships, and keeps it human the whole way.

ProjectVerticalsSubprojectsYears
TafkaBranding, Web Design2 subprojects2017–2019
Open CollectiveBranding, Product Design, Web Design4 subprojects2019–2024
Community & PublicationsCommunity4 subprojects2016–present
Independent practiceBranding, Product Design, Web Design7 subprojects2024–present
Memo Esparza presenting at a wall of workshop notes

Profile.

Design is not a profession or a discipline it is the sensibility of being able to materialize different futures, and that's what it is in my life. Over nine years I have launched digital products, built design organizations, owned product surfaces where money and transparency meet, and shaped how companies stand out.

I always start with strategy, asking the right questions and know the people behind each project before visualizing anything.
I value uniqueness, purposefulness, high quality standards, hard challenges, deep conversations, and a light-hearted approach to life.

Above all, I consider design valuable for the impact it has on people and communities, which is why my main drive is to create positive impact for people with design.

Info.

Disciplines.
  • Product design
  • Design systems
  • Brand identity
  • Design leadership
  • Web design and art direction
  • Information architecture
  • Creative direction
Scale.
  • In-house design team built from 1 to 10
  • Design system maintained and scaled with dozens of open source contributors across many cultural backgrounds
  • $40M a year moving through Open Collective, roughly $135M over tenure. 15,000 collectives, 200,000 people, 40+ countries
  • Sustain Open Source Design Podcast, 26 episodes across 3 years
Roles.
  • Co-founder, Renderia (2016)
  • Co-founder and owner, Tafka (2017 to 2019)
  • Head of Design, Open Collective (2019 to 2024)
  • Independent practice (2024 to present)
Organizations & Collaborators.
  • Google, Mozilla, MIT Bootcamps, Ford Foundation, Varkey Foundation, Prototype Fund, Late Checkout Agency.
Industries.
  • Fintech, open-source, nonprofits, AI, Ecommerce, education, customer products, professional services

Designing with and for others to create a positive impact.