# Dani Smith > Founder and Head of Design at Felis Lux Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/danismith I have been working in the UX and design field since 2004. I thrive in environments where I can build and grow a team of designers and researchers to help them achieve their greatest potential. What constitutes good design is not as subjective as many think. Design is meant to achieve a set of goals for the creator and the user of a product. The difference between products that achieve these goals and those that don't is in the process. In my 14+ years of experience, I have developed and evangelized a design process that draws on my knowledge of cognitive psychology, conventions, and visual cues to craft products and marketing materials that go beyond looking great; they thoughtfully work towards solving problems for both the company and the end-user alike. ## Work Experience ### Co-Founder @ Felis Lux Jan 2025 – Present Developing a vertically integrated ecosystem of cat enrichment products—from wand toys and scent tools to hydration systems and furniture—rooted in ethology and built to last. Overseeing product design, sourcing, and R&D with a focus on sustainability, animal welfare, and transparent supply chains. Building strategic partnerships with retailers, artists, and organizations (e.g., Mud Bay, Meowtel) to scale distribution and cultural impact. Growing a brand that positions enrichment as essential care, not a luxury. ### Head of Design @ Sabersmyth Jan 2020 – Jan 2025 | Oakland, California, United States As Founder & Head of Design at Sabersmyth, I drove the creative vision and led the development of high-quality leather goods. The brand focused on elevating traditionally overlooked product categories—including fashion accessories and intimacy tools—through thoughtful craftsmanship and user-centered design. Key Responsibilities Creative Direction: Directed the overall aesthetic and functionality of all Sabersmyth products. Product Development: Designed innovative leather goods across diverse categories, including fashion accessories and gender-affirming items. Customer Engagement: Collected and integrated community feedback to improve products. Brand Expansion: Scaled the product line while preserving Sabersmyth’s distinctive style and voice. Key Achievements Shipped over 1,400 orders to a growing customer base. Grew Sabersmyth into a multidisciplinary design house. Opened a flagship retail and showroom space. ### Principal Designer @ Heated Media Jan 2005 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area • Engaged at an expert level in Web design & development, Branding design, UI/UX design, Market strategy and definition, Commercial photography, Videography, B2B client acquisition. • Completed projects for high-profile clients such as Levi Strauss & Co. and Flock • Used Scrum agile methodologies to complete projects on-time and on-budget. ### Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer @ Alka Finance Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area As co-founder I was responsible for all aspects of design and product definition, in addition to managing the development team. • Oversaw product from concept to $800k seed round • Directed development to build MVP in 8 weeks • Conducted 50+ user interviews to find product-market-fit • Designed all branding assets to tell compelling story ### Product Design Consultant (Contractor) @ Credit Sesame Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco Bay Area I was hired to propose an alternate product direction to distinguish Credit Sesame in a crowded market. • Guided workshop to generate over 150 potential features • Collaborated with dev team to find low hanging fruit • Boosted credit card applications by 9% ### Lead UX/UI Designer @ Blue Rocket, Inc Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area • Oversaw UX research, wireframes, and design for complex IoT systems. • Pioneered process and workflow to improve communication of design solutions. • Directed junior designers to deliver within spec and on schedule. • Advocated for end users at every step of the design process. • Executed projects for Best Buy, AAA, and a series of startups and established clients. ### Principal UX Designer @ Henge Docks LLC Jan 2014 – Jan 2015 • Analyzed big data sources for UX insights. • Designed UX/UI for hardware control app (OSX). • Designed packaging and marketing collateral. • Used UX techniques to optimize sales funnel. ### CEO & Creative Director @ Cervecería Ulúa Jan 2012 – Jan 2014 | Veracruz Area, Mexico / San Francisco, CA • Founded a 1,600L/week craft brewery and brewpub. • Designed branding and marketing collateral for brewery, bar, and restaurant. • Designed UX and UI for beer finder iPhone app. • Designed and built furniture and interior for old world industrial style brewpub. • Designed and built industrial brewing system. • Brewmaster for 10 styles of craft beer and cider. ### Sr. UI Designer @ Deem, Inc. Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 • Researched and developed the visual language and UX strategy for the Deem Deals web application. • Created the UI mockups, visual assets, and HTML/CSS for the application. ### UX/UI Designer for 2012 Olympics (Contractor) @ NBCUniversal, Inc. Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 • Solved complex user experience problems for a high exposure site with mostly new users. • Designed intuitive user interface elements. • Created branded microsites for: Powerade, Coca-Cola, BMW ### UX/UI Designer (Contractor) @ Levi Strauss & Co. Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 | San Francisco Bay Area • Conceived and wireframed new social networking site revolving around the Levi's brand. • Created UI and UX for event-based mini-app, raising $100k for a clean water charity. • Designed brand collateral and website for new in-house design agency. • Served as interim project manager and introduced Scrum agile methodologies to the team. ### Mobile UI Designer (Contractor) @ Intrepid Learning Solutions through The Creative Group Jan 2010 – Jan 2010 • Designed mobile and desktop interfaces for learning resource management web application. • Introduced coding techniques to reduce loading time of mobile platform by 80%. • Held primary responsibility for wireframing application workflows. • Created Smarty templating framework to streamline branded mobile site creation. ### UI Design Consultant (Contractor) @ ING Jan 2008 – Jan 2008 • Designed and developed four Sharebuilder homepages for user testing, improving new-user conversions by 5%. • Designed Sharebuilder iPhone and Android apps. • Created production mockups for user interface changes to company website. • Designed five new icons for mobile and desktop Sharebuilder sites. • Rapid prototyped 20 pages of ING Direct website redesign using Flash. ### Principal & Designer @ Lucid Realm Design Jan 2005 – Jan 2008 • Fulfilled design contracts for 100+ small business clients, web design and development, SEO, branding and identity ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dnnysmth - Portfolio: https://dnnysmth.myportfolio.com/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/danismith JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/danismith/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13