Simon is available for hire
Hire SimonSimon Rico
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Prague, Czech Republic
Toptal member since August 21, 2019
Bio
Simon is a product designer who led the design of Matcha at 0x. He’s now building Logram, an AI-native tool for creating brand identities, and previously built Lapz, a spatial Formula 1 experience for Apple Vision Pro. Simon values clarity, simplicity, and thoughtful design, turning complex ideas into intuitive, beautiful products that feel human.
Experience
- User Experience (UX) - 9 years
- User Interface (UI) - 9 years
- Design Systems - 8 years
- Product Design - 8 years
- Prototyping - 8 years
- Figma - 7 years
- User Research - 7 years
- Claude Code - 2 years
Portfolio
BBC Sounds
Interaction Design (IxD)Animated InteractionsiOS App DesignUser Experience (UX)User Interface (UI)Prototyping+ 1 more
Expiry
User OnboardingiOS App DesignUser Experience (UX)User Interface (UI)Wireframing
Work Experience
Principal Designer
2023 - 2026
0x Project
- Led product design for Matcha, 0x's DEX aggregator, enabling token trading across multiple blockchains with best execution and zero fees.
- Partnered with leadership and engineers to set the product vision and drive strategic initiatives across the Matcha roadmap.
- Led and mentored a team of designers and owned the design system, ensuring consistency and quality across all product surfaces.
- Conducted user research to inform product decisions across search, token discovery, and the core swapping flow.
- Evolved the Matcha experience to be more transparent, trustworthy, and scalable as it grew to support millions of tokens.
- Presented "Navigating the Maze: How Design Helps Users Find the Right Token" at ETHDenver 2025, drawing on the Matcha design work.
Technologies: Web App Design, Adobe After Effects, Miro, Figma, Design Systems, User Research, Prototyping
Lead Designer
2022 - 2023
One Up
- Joined One Up, an esports platform for on-demand tournaments and leagues with real cash prizes, as its first UI/UX designer.
- Led a comprehensive redesign of the platform to increase user engagement and streamline the competitive gaming experience.
- Restructured the user interface and improved navigation flows across the match lobby, tournament, and payout experiences.
- Established a scalable design system to support the platform's growth across web and mobile.
- Designed One Up TV, iOS home-screen widgets, and App Store assets for One Up OS, the app for tournament organizers and hosts.
- Collaborated closely with the founding team to define product direction and ship new features quickly.
Technologies: Figma, Web App Design, iOS App Design, Design Systems, Prototyping
Senior Product Designer
2019 - 2022
Status
- Worked for Status, a multipurpose communication tool that combines a peer-to-peer messenger, decentralized crypto wallet, and web3.js browser.
- Collaborated effectively with remote team members, including designers, researchers, engineering, product management, marketing, and others.
- Participated in the early stages of project definition and proposition creation on multiple projects.
- Communicated and presented research findings, conceptual ideas, detailed design, and design rationale both verbally and visually.
- Worked independently while identifying and solving problems effectively and efficiently.
Technologies: Adobe After Effects, Miro, Figma, Sketch
Product Designer
2018 - 2019
Signals
- Designed Signals, a platform for building and sharing crypto trading strategies powered by machine learning and crowd wisdom.
- Created the product's design system, establishing consistent components and patterns across the platform.
- Prototyped user flows and shaped the UX of a modular strategy builder for composing trading strategies from indicators and signals.
- Designed dashboards for users to monitor performance and backtest their trading strategies.
- Helped build a next-generation platform to create, train, and monetize cryptocurrency trading strategies.
- Collaborated with data scientists and engineers to translate complex machine-learning concepts into clear, usable interfaces.
Technologies: Web App Design, Sketch, Design Systems, Prototyping, Data Visualization
Senior UX/UI Designer
2018 - 2019
Touch4IT
- Led UI/UX design on client projects across fintech, logistics, and blockchain at Touch4IT, a digital product agency.
- Owned the entire design process from discovery workshops and user research through to final delivery and handoff.
- Mentored junior designers and handled task management, briefing, and onboarding of new designers on the team.
- Collaborated closely with developers throughout implementation to ensure design fidelity in the shipped product.
- Worked directly with clients and third-party partners to design end-to-end solutions from concept to launch.
Technologies: Web App Design, Sketch, Design Systems, User Research, Prototyping
UX/UI Designer
2017 - 2018
Story TLRS
- Collaborated within a creative team at Story TLRS focused on brand and product design for startups and agency clients.
- Created UX flows, wireframes, design systems, and clickable prototypes for startup and client products.
- Contributed to visual identity work and marketing pages, ensuring cohesion across all digital touchpoints.
- Produced personas, storyboards, job stories, scenarios, and animations to communicate design intent to clients.
- Articulated and justified design solutions to clients and stakeholders, and collaborated with engineers on delivery.
Technologies: Web App Design, Sketch, Design Systems, Prototyping, Branding, Wireframing
Graphics Production Specialist
2016 - 2017
IBM
- Joined IBM's internal design team in Prague as a graphic design intern, later serving as graphics production specialist and client center visual identity coordinator.
- Designed event materials and visual assets for global IBM conferences and client center engagements.
- Supported UI components and visual assets for internal applications and tools used across the company.
- Coordinated the visual identity of the IBM Client Center, ensuring consistency across printed and digital materials.
- Learned foundational skills in large-scale collaboration and design operations while working within a global enterprise design team.
Technologies: Adobe Suite, Sketch, Adobe After Effects, Branding
Education
2019 - 2022
Master's Degree in Future Design
Prague City University - Prague, Czech Republic
2016 - 2019
Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design
Prague City University - Prague, Czech Republic
Skills
Tools
Claude, Miro, Sketch, Adobe After Effects
Platforms
Figma, Adobe Suite, Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs), Webflow
Languages
HTML, CSS
Industry Expertise
Sports
Other
Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Fintech, Responsive Design, Mobile UX, Product Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), iOS App Design, Web App Design, Design Systems, User Flows, User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Interaction Design (IxD), Typography, Claude Code, Web3, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), VisionOS, Trading, User Testing, Data Visualization, Management, Branding, Logo Design, Animated Interactions, User Onboarding, Android App Design, Cross-platform UX, Product Launch, Leadership, Lottie, Product Strategy, Mentorship & Coaching, Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), AI-powered Product Design, Prompt Engineering, AI Agents, Motion Design, Design Leadership, ChatGPT
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