About me

Hi there, my name is Leonardo Aranda. I was born in León, México in 1980. When I was 15 I taught myself how to use Photoshop and how to write HTML. I made some websites and earned a couple bucks, not knowing at the time that I would continue to do so for what is now over to 20 years.

At 18, along with a few good friends, I started Atom Creative Works to offer print, web and multimedia design/development. From 1998 through 2002 I worked at Atom, I did a couple of internships in the creative department at Gilbert DDB – now DDB México – in México City, and I completed my Bachelor's Degree in Marketing at Tec de Monterrey. During my undergrad I also participated as an actor in nearly a hundred performances for about a dozen theater productions.

In 2003 I packed my bags and left for New York. For seven months I worked two jobs, bussing tables at night to pay the bills and working for free at OFFICELAB – now Sinesio + Co. I have been there for close to 14 years, ending as an Associate Creative / Principal UX Designer & Developer.

Also in 2003, shortly after arriving to New York I met the woman who became my wife. Together for over 10 years, we have lived in three boroughs of NYC, and in Spain and Ireland. We now have two kids, who are the most amazing little people I have ever met, and the cutest border terrier, Taco.

6/2017: Looking for a job

Sinesio + Co is shifting it’s business model and closing its NY office. I am thankful for all the time I have spent there, the work I was able to produce, the many fields I was able to work on, and the friends I’ve made . . . but now it’s time to move on.

Ideally, I want to find a job that fulfills as many of these needs as possible:

• Do no harm. I won’t work for an organization that deals in violence to others, to the environment, or to fairness.
• Do as much good as possible – and still get paid. I would love to work for an organization that’s trying to make the world better, especially with respect to education, social justice or environmental issues. I’m not out to get rich, I will seriously consider lower pay for a job that makes the world a better place.
• With regards to location: New York City – Manhattan and Brooklyn in specific – or remote work.
• Stability. I want a permanent position with a sustainable salary, I work hard and I am loyal. I have no desire to be looking for another job in the near future.
• Work-life balance. Reasonably low overtime and travel requirements, and flexibility in work hours to be there for my family when they need me.
• Good people. I want to work with people who care about each other and help each other grow professionally.
• Technically hard problems, because I want to feel challenged and engaged at work.
• After reading this post I decided to add this point: I want to work for an organization that is diverse and that empowers women and minorities, not just because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is a massive red flag if this is not the case.

And here’s what I can offer in return:

• I am nice and I have worked long enough to know that that is a big plus.
• Curiosity. I am easily inspired by clients, projects, challenges, etc. to find out how things work and why. I like to think all this ends up being reflected in the work I do.
• A can-do attitude – I know it sounds boilerplate, do check with my references though.
• Pragmatic approach to delivering work. I know that in programming and design you can keep working on projects forever. I take deadlines seriously and I know how to prioritize the to-dos to deliver the work on time.
• The assurance that, as long as my employer fulfills the needs I listed above, I’m in it for the long haul.

In terms of a job title or position, I don’t have anything specific in mind. I have spent the past 20 years being somewhat of a generalist. I can say that I really enjoy solving issues through code and I also enjoy creating replicable systems like style guides and templates for brands.

Please let me know if you have any leads!

11/2017: Update

I have joined the UX team at Bloomberg LP and I could not be happier with how things turned out. The job alone excites me but that’s not all, after going through the application process, I can say that in joining Bloomberg, I am joining one of the best organizations in the world. I now know first-hand how special this place is, how unique its culture is and how incredibly talented and genuinely nice and caring the people at Bloomberg are. I am looking forward to giving my best to this fantastic global team for as long as they will have me.