Salut

Sr. Product Designer
building products, systems and the layers in between

RO

99:99:99 PM

NY

99:99:99 PM

Hey, I'm Horia

I'm a design lead and senior product designer who's spent the last 10 years building products across web, mobile and complex systems. I've worked with early-stage startups, scaling companies and established product teams.

As a designer, I focus on taking products from zero to one, building systems that scale, and leading design across teams when needed. As a partner, I keep communication tight, push for quality at every step and make sure we stay aligned as the product evolves.

Selected Work

Shipped products and ongoing projects. A selection of what I've been building since 2023.

Telemetry [zypsy project]

Next-gen trading terminal by BONKbot for Solana traders. One unified system across web, mobile, and Telegram, built for speed, precision, and real-time on-chain analytics. Trade, track wallets, and monitor token activity all in one place.

Mobile
Prototyping
Design Direction

Solo.io [zypsy project]

Cloud-native connectivity platform for securing, observing, and controlling APIs at scale. From edge API management to multi-cluster service mesh, it supports complex cloud architectures built on open source foundations and enterprise-grade tooling.

WebApp
Design System
Design Direction

Duel

Brand advocacy platform connecting companies with engaged customers. Users complete challenges, earn rewards, and promote brands across social channels. Helps brands scale relationships with advocates, affiliates, and ambassadors. Clients include Charlotte Tilbury, Monica Vinader, and ELEMIS.

WebApp
Design System
Strategy

Ternary [zypsy project]

FinOps platform helping teams optimize cloud spend across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Brings finance and engineering together with clear cost visibility, smart forecasting, and real-time insights. Turns complex cloud data into confident, data-driven decisions.

WebApp
Mobile
Strategy

Sweat Wallet

Part of the Sweat Economy, a Web3 initiative turning physical activity into digital value. Users earn and manage $SWEAT tokens through a built-in crypto wallet. Since launching in 2022, the platform has grown to over 14 million wallets, becoming one of the fastest-growing in the market.

Mobile
Prototyping
Design Direction

Design Playground

Explorations, experiments and additional projects from over the years. A mix of product work, visual design and things I've enjoyed building.

Working Together

Every project is different, but the way I work stays consistent. Get close to the problem, stay involved through execution, and keep the bar high until it ships.

Building from Zero

Working with founders and teams to shape ideas into shipped products. This means getting involved early, helping define what to build, and staying hands-on through strategy, direction, and design until the product is out the door.

Startups
Early-Stage Ventures

Leading the Work

Leading design across teams when the project calls for it. Setting direction, keeping things aligned, mentoring other designers, and making sure quality stays high as the product and team evolve.

Scale-Ups
Growing Teams

Scaling with Structure

Building design systems that support growth. Tokens, components, patterns, and clear documentation that keeps teams aligned and shipping faster. Systems that hold up as the product scales and the team evolves.

Start-ups
Scale-Ups
Established Companies

Thoughts & Writings

Writing about design, process, and the lessons that have stuck with me over the years. Project stories, thoughts on collaboration and the occasional reflection.

Published in Muzli - Design Inspiration ⎯ February, 2024

Building Sweat Hero: A Journey into Web3 Mobile Gaming

A look behind the scenes of designing a web3 mobile game for Sweat Wallet's 14M+ users. The process, the challenges, and what it took to ship it.

Published in Bootcamp ⎯ January, 2024

Cut out the noise & zero in on personal progress

Five habits that helped me stay focused and build momentum. Less about productivity hacks, more about cutting out what doesn't matter.

Published in Bootcamp ⎯ January, 2023

Using gamification techniques to encourage a healthy walking habit

The thinking behind Piggy Boost, a feature designed to make walking feel rewarding. How we used gamification to drive daily engagement on Sweatcoin.

Published in UX Collective ⎯ June, 2020

Impostor Syndrome: living as a fraud daily

Constantly doubting yourself isn't always a weakness. A personal take on impostor syndrome and how it's shaped the way I work.

Published in UX Collective ⎯ March, 2020

I should get out of the house more, a designer’s tale about working remotely

The reality of remote work vs the fantasy. What I've learned about staying balanced, productive, and sane while working from home.