Hi, I'm Manuel.
Craft first. Judgment now.
14+ years in design, the last 8 focused on UX as a Senior Product Designer specializing in design systems. I've built these foundations from the ground up at the World Bank and expanded them at enterprise scale at Apple, covering tokens, components, and the governance that lets product, engineering, and design work as one.
My systems work is supported by hands-on project work in user research, information architecture, and content strategy.
Years of hands-on practice shaped the designer I am, and design systems is where that shows most. What's left to refine isn't the craft itself; it's the judgment behind it: knowing what to hold onto, and what to let go of, so what I build is trusted, not just adopted.
E X P E R T I S E
E X P E R I E N C E
2022 — Current
Sr Product Designer, Design Systems — Apple
2020 — 2022
Sr UX Designer, Design Systems and Visual Design Lead — The World Bank
2018 — 2020
UI/UX and Visual Designer — The World Bank
2016 — 2018
Web Designer — US Institute of Peace
2012 — 2016
Web and UI Designer — US Institute of Peace, Global Campus
E D U C A T I O N
2025 — 2026
UC Berkeley Extension
Professional Program in User Experience (UX) Design
2018
General Assembly
UX Design & Human Computer Interaction
2016
General Assembly
Front-End Web Development
2005 — 2009
Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, Focus in Advertisement

