Logo for the company 'Hive', with the word 'Hive' in green and a small plant sprouting from the letter 'i'.

HTC Mobile 2007-2014

Reflecting on my journey down memory lane, I can't help but smile as I reminisce about the various HTC mobile projects I have had the privilege to work on and launch over the years. From the inception of the iconic "flip-y clock", the thousands of icons created and updated, to the meticulous customization of carriers' interfaces, including the development of hundreds of keyboard layouts for diverse languages and SIP variations, each project brought its own set of challenges and triumphs. As a common challenge among all devices was the fact that every product had 2-4 different resolutions that we had to design for, scaling down some of the information, interactions, motion and in some instances areas of the ecosystem for specific markets. After all and with the help of researchers and the days spent interviewing and user-testing every area of the device, all the data and information collected was an important step in the process that helped us defining challenges we were facing with keyboard layouts, spacing, accuracy, touch screen performance and reactiveness to some motion and heavy graphics.

I recall the countless hours spent producing BMP assets for Windows Phones and the seamless transition to creating captivating PNG designs for Android devices—a true testament to the evolution and innovation within the mobile industry. Each project, each launch, was a unique chapter in my career that has left an indelible mark on my professional journey.

Rolls : UX / Visual / Motion / Iconography / On Screen Keyboard Guru / 3D / Art Direction

HTC Touch - ELF

The HTC Touch Elf, also known as the HTC Touch (P3450), was a Windows Mobile smartphone released in 2007. As part of HTC’s Touch series, it aimed to bring touch-based navigation to the forefront—well before the iPhone reshaped the industry. This was my entry point into the digital playground, at a time when even PNGs weren’t supported. But every constraint, when fully understood, becomes an opportunity to push creative boundaries and explore alternative solutions.

I had also the opportunity to design a few covers for “Tattoo” HTC device which it was the big brother of HTC Touch “ELF”

Multiple black HTC smartphones and a camera arranged on a white background.
Collection of ten HTC smartphones with various decorative back covers, arranged in two rows on a gray background.

HTC Touch Diamond

From the inception of the iconic "flip-clock," to the creation and refinement of thousands of icons, and the meticulous customization of carrier interfaces—including the development of hundreds of keyboard layouts for diverse languages and SIP variations—the HTC Touch Diamond marked the continuation of my most intense and fast-paced learning curve. What began as a focus on pure visual design quickly expanded into a deep, hands-on experience across nearly every major design discipline in tech, shaping me into a well-rounded designer.

Multiple HTC smartphones displaying a variety of screens including weather, photos, messages, calendar, music, and contacts, arranged in a semi-circle on a black background.
A black slide phone with a digital clock displaying 12:38 AM on April 18th, 2008, showing missed calls, a staff meeting appointment, and app icons for home, contacts, messages, mail, and camera.
Image showing four smartphones with the same time, date, and missed call notifications, each with different colored background themes, from left to right: yellow, blue, gray, and pink.
A screenshot of a Windows Mobile phone showing the time as 12:38 AM on August 18, 2008. The phone's status bar indicates a Verizon Wireless signal, battery level, and notifications. The interface has icons for home, contacts, messaging, music, and email.
Three virtual keyboard layouts for smartphone login screens with different key counts: 20-key, 12-key, and 20 key, overlayed on a black background. The keyboards include alphanumeric keys with various symbols, spacebar, shift, and backspace keys.
Two smartphones showing different contact and call screens; one with a call to Malcolm Ford, and the other with a contact list including Malcolm Ford and others.
A hand holding a smartphone displaying a contact list with a profile picture of a smiling woman named Grace Fuller.
Three black smartphones displaying different app interfaces: a contacts list with a smiling woman, a weather app with sunny weather in London, and a photo gallery app with a flower photo.
A smartphone screen showing the date April 18th, 2008, time 12:38 AM, with notifications for missed calls, a staff meeting scheduled from 9:00 am to 10:30 am, and app icons for home, contacts, messaging, email, and camera. The phone carrier is HTC, and the signal and battery icons are visible at the top. The background is black, and the phone is running on a Windows Mobile interface.
A smartphone displaying the Windows Mobile interface with the time set to 12:38 AM on February 12, 2008. The screen shows missed calls, a scheduled meeting, and navigation icons at the bottom. To the left is the AT&T logo, a black background with a white globe symbol.
Two smartphone screens displaying Wi-Fi setup instructions. The left screen shows options to sync data automatically, once, or never with a progress bar at the bottom. The right screen shows a Wi-Fi router and laptop with a message about sharing the phone's 3G internet via Wi-Fi, with a 'Next' button at the bottom.
Icons of a camera, red toolbox, SIM card, letters in envelopes, a box with an upward arrow, and a cordless drill arranged on a black background.

Keyboards

Keyboards, a big area to cover that most users don’t realize all the hours that were dedicated to each key and every gap in between that without the help of the research team in different countries, the challenge would’ve taken a long time to solve. Accuracy and layout creation for different languages were two of the most important and challenging areas on the keyboard, hence the design of the 12 and 20 key along with the QWERTY, perhaps a longer approach for typing in some languages but faster in others like Japan, Taiwan and China.

I had the opportunity to lead this project for over 3 years in all areas (UX, Visual, Production) I meticulously hand-drew red lines for each individual element across a wide range of keyboard variations, from QWERTY to 12Key and 20Key layouts, and across multiple languages. This hands-on approach not only made me an expert in keyboard layouts and interactions but also honed my understanding of key sizes, hit areas, optimal key spacing, and other intricate details that contribute to a seamless user experience.

Screenshots of a smartphone typing interface with different keyboard layouts for English, Arabic, and Amharic languages.
Three mobile phone screens showing a messaging app with a keyboard, highlighting the input of the word 'simple' and language changing options.
Three smartphone screens showing different input methods for typing in the Thai and Russian alphabets, and activating voice input.
Three smartphone screenshots showing the compose screen of a messaging app with different keyboard layouts.
Screenshots of a smartphone keyboard in three different input languages: Cyrillic, Chinese, and Latin, showing the language selection options.
Three smartphone screens showing different virtual keyboard layouts for typing in Russian, Chinese, and English languages.
Screenshots of messaging app compose screens with various Cyrillic keyboards.
Comparison of two smartphone screens showing messaging apps, one with emoji icons and the other with handwritten text.
Two smartphone screens showing a compose email interface with a keyboard implementing Asian characters, side by side.
Screenshots of three mobile phone keyboards showing different character layouts in black and white with various symbols, numbers, and punctuation marks.

And the entire vector base iconography from 2007-2015

Collection of black and white icons related to digital technology, design, and media, arranged in a grid with a gray background.

HTC Hero - First Android Device

Then came Android—this marked a turning point where I began to focus more on designing well-structured, organized systems. Every deliverable included detailed redlines for engineers, since we didn’t have tools like Figma or Sketch to auto-generate specs. Precision mattered, and pixel-perfect documentation was part of the craft.

At the same time, screens were evolving to higher resolutions, and for the first time, we could start integrating motion into the user experience. That unlocked a whole new level of creativity, pushing me to explore and expand beyond traditional visual design boundaries.

Seven HTC Hero smartphones displaying various screens, arranged in a semicircle, with 'HTC Hero' text below.
Smartphone screens displaying weather forecast and calendar for January 22, 2009, with calendar showing January 22 highlighted.
Two smartphones displaying calculator applications on a gray background.
Two smartphone screens showing a music player app with album artwork and music controls, with the album artwork featuring a person with a cap against a vibrant red and orange background with birds.
Front and back views of an HTC smartphone, showing a gray surface background.
Screenshots of a mobile email app showing an email from Sarah Vincent, an inbox with multiple emails including from Malcom Ford and April Lin, and a detailed view of an email from Malcom Ford about club dues.
Two smartphone screens showing a call interface; one is dialing a number, and the other is connected to a woman named Grace Fuller.
Mobile phone screens displaying Twitter and stock trading apps on a gray background.
Screenshots of a mobile app displaying article summaries and titles, with a gray background.
Comparison of two calculator app interfaces on smartphones, one with a dark background and scientific functions, and the other with a white background and basic functions, displaying a calculation of 5234.

Analog First: Sketching as a Creative Catalyst

Writing down every thought, sketch, and idea on paper is one of the most valuable steps in my design process—a practice I find unique and increasingly rare among creatives. This tactile habit drives my workflow: it captures fleeting notions, sparks new ones, and keeps everything flowing smoothly. Watching a sketch come to life, then jumping straight into rapid prototyping and quick iterations, keeps my creativity in constant motion.

Handwritten notes and sketches on a dotted notebook page about project instructions, comments, and collection methods, with highlighted text and diagrams.
Handwritten notes and diagrams on dotted paper showing graphs, rectangles, and sketches with annotations related to data visualization and analysis.
Hand-drawn wireframe sketches of a mobile app interface with blue accents, showing a timetable at 10:00 AM, with notes and arrows around for app features like sharing and adding sources, on dotted paper.

HTC Sense

One of the most recognizable Android skins during HTC’s peak years in the smartphone market.

Three smartphone screens showing restaurant and food recommendations, notifications, and restaurant details over a street cafe background with outdoor tables and chairs, plants, and brick walls.
Screenshot of a smartphone interface showing a dialer app with a call to Maggie Stewart, and an app menu with icons for Camera, Calculator, Weather, Contacts, Mail, Clock, Messages, Calendar, Music, Gallery, Fetch, and Settings.
Screenshot of a messaging app showing a conversation with Maggie Stewart. The chat includes texts about grocery shopping and dinner plans. The app also displays a list of contacts and recent messages in another window.
Smartphone screens displaying a world clock app on the left and a settings menu on the right, both with dark themes.
Two smartphones displaying messaging apps. The left screen shows an email from Maggie Williams to Jesse Penico about a control document. The right screen shows a list of conversations in a messaging app with contacts and brief messages.