Gian Mendoza
Portrait
Based
Fremont, CA · SF Bay Area
Role
Product Designer
Status
Open to early-career roles, 2026
Education
BA Visual Communication Design · SFSU
contact@gianmendoza.design
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About
Design grounded in research, built with a veteran’s discipline.
Hi, I’m Gian, a product designer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I came to design after five years working on F/A-18s in the U.S. Navy, then a degree in Visual Communication Design at San Francisco State. I make calm, accessible, research-first product design for problems where the details actually matter.
Background
I grew up in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. after high school. My first career was in the Navy: nine years between active duty and the reserves, most of it on F/A-18 aircraft. Aviation maintenance is unforgiving work: it teaches you to slow down, follow the evidence, and respect the cost of a careless decision.
I carried that into design at San Francisco State, where I focused on UX/UI and product design. What pulled me in is the same thing that pulled me toward the Navy: high-stakes, detail-heavy problems where good work quietly changes the outcome for someone on the other end.
Most recently I interned at Swords to Plowshares, a nonprofit serving veterans, designing for the community I came from. I’m the designer who reads the research first, asks the awkward question, and ships copy shorter than the version we started with.
How I work
Research before pixels.
My instinct is to understand the problem first (talk to people, read the context) before I open Figma. The work I’m proudest of came from listening a little longer than felt comfortable.
Plain language is a design decision.
If a screen needs a glossary, the design isn’t finished. I treat copy like layout: something to simplify, revise, and pressure-test.
Design for good, never for tricks.
No dark patterns. I’d rather earn a choice than manipulate it. Design should respect the person on the other side of the screen.
Selected experience
2025–26
Product Design Intern · Swords to Plowshares
Design for a nonprofit serving veterans: research, IA, and shipped work, two days a week.
9 yrs
Aviation Maintenance (F/A-18) · U.S. Navy
Five years active duty plus four in the reserves. Where the obsession with precision and process came from.
Ongoing
Freelance & Volunteer Design · Independent
Building and maintaining real sites for real people: design under real constraints, not classroom ones.
Education
Class of 2026
San Francisco State University · BA, Visual Communication Design
Focus on UX/UI and product design. Research-led, accessibility-minded coursework.
Skills
Design
Product design
UX/UI
Information architecture
Wireframing & prototyping
Visual & type systems
Research
User interviews
Usability testing
Heuristic review
Synthesis & reframing
Accessibility (WCAG-minded)
Tools
Figma
Framer
Webflow
Light HTML / CSS
Plain-language copywriting
What I’m looking for
An early-career product design role on a team that ships things that matter: startups, product teams, or mission-driven orgs. I work best paired with people who’ll push my thinking, where research and clear writing are treated as part of the design, not extras.
→ 01
Early-career / junior product designer, full-time
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SF Bay Area, hybrid, or remote (US time zones)
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Available now
Say hello →
Download résumé (PDF)