David Swales

I’m a UX/UI designer with over nine years in the field. Much of my experience centres around design systems, and after an extensive period working on consumer-facing products I now focus on designing technical tools.

Originally from New Zealand, I’ve lived in five cities across three continents, settling in Berlin, Germany since 2016.

Prior to transitioning into UX/UI design professionally in 2017, I worked as an audio/visual engineer in London’s events industry.

Since 2026 I work in the defence and intelligence sector with Berlin-based start-up  ••••••• •••••••••••• ••••  Hidden for security reasons .

Prior to this, I spent eight years at Good Hood GmbH, working on nebenan.de (Germany’s largest social network for neighbours), as a UX/UI designer (first design hire) and design system manager.

Aside from regular feature work, I designed the icon library, redesigned the web platform following the company’s rebranding, built and maintained the design system, and conducted regular design reviews of other designers’ work.