Design Lead & Design System Specialist · Stockholm

A decade of design leadership.

As a Product Design Lead and Design System Specialist, I bring over a decade of experience crafting digital products, guiding design teams, and building the design infrastructure that keeps organisations moving fast — from concept through launch.

16+
Years experience
20+
Designers in one team
8.5M
Users in one product
Profile

Human-centred.
Results-driven.

Over 16 years leading design at scale — managing teams of 20+ designers, shaping products used by millions, and building from zero to shipped. I bring both the hands-on craft and the strategic clarity that ambitious digital products demand.

Craft & Systems

Human-centered product design, accessible interfaces, and design systems built to scale — from token architecture to governance models that teams actually use.

Leadership

Building and guiding high-performing design teams, fostering creative culture, and connecting design to business outcomes.

Delivery

From ambiguous brief to shipped product — fluent in agile, cross-functional collaboration, and maintaining quality at pace.

Design is about the audience. Everything else is decoration.

Currently co-founding Castafiore. Previously partnered with Hapkey, and served on advisory boards at Hyper Island and Nackademin.

✦ IAAP Certified Accessibility Professional
Career

Employment
& Feats

2024 — Present
Co-Founder & Lead Product Designer
Castafiore
Founder
2023 — 2024
Partner & Lead Product Designer
Hapkey
Partner
2022 — 2025
Program Steering Committee Digital Creative
Hyper Island
Advisory
2020 — 2025
Educational Advisory Board UX Program
Nackademin
Advisory
2019 — 2024
Co-Founder & Head of DesignOps
Frank Fam
Founder
2018 — 2019
UX Designer
Valtech
Full-time
2010 — 2018
UX & UI Consultant and Designer
Freelance
Consultant

Selected Clients

Eton· Hyper Island· 1177· Skolverket· Claes Ohlson· Vinci Energies· Nackademin· Inera· Forex· Arla· Alektum· Urban Deli· SEB· KTH· Adobe· Kundo· Folksam
Case Studies

Selected
Work

Design Philosophy

The
Manifesto

Eight principles I hold to when designing products and leading teams. Not guidelines — commitments.

01

Lean

Design with a lean mindset by focusing on minimal viable products, gathering continuous feedback, iterating rapidly to validate assumptions, and removing waste to achieve the desired outcome efficiently.

02

Accessible with Empathy

Design for accessibility and inclusivity by empathically understanding the diverse needs and abilities of all users, including those with disabilities, and implementing inclusive solutions throughout the design process.

03

Problem Focused

Thoroughly understand the needs and pain points of users before proposing solutions, rather than jumping to answers without fully understanding the problem at hand.

04

Collaborative

Design through collaboration by actively engaging end users, clients, and stakeholders throughout the process to co-create solutions that meet their needs and exceed expectations.

05

Encourage Experimentation

Foster an environment of exploration, encouraging new technologies, design approaches, and methodologies to stay ahead of the curve and continuously learn smarter ways of solving problems.

06

Shareable & Reusable

Create shareable and reusable design systems that provide a foundation for consistent and efficient product design, easily scaled to support new products and features.

07

For the Planet

Create solutions that meet user needs while benefiting the environment, considering the full lifecycle of the product and minimising its ecological impact through circular design principles.

08

Lead by Example

Design leaders earn respect by staying current with the field's evolution — the only way is by consistently participating in design work with the team and being an integral part of production.

"Art is about the artist, and design is about the audience. Art is subjective, while design is objective. Art expresses creativity while design leverages creativity."
Recommendations

What people
say

"I have had the honour to work with, and learn from Alexander the last few years in a number of projects and services. It has been a great experience and I highly recommend him as a colleague or consultant. His work for us has varied from web solutions to the full conceptualisation of our newly developed design system."
Andreas Melin
"Alexander is a talented UX designer with a unique combination of thinking deeply and at the same time having the ability to work out quick qualitative results. His knowledge and deliveries were always above expectations."
Andreas Bjurenborg
"It's rare to come across people who has such drive and compassion as Alexander. He has a natural skill of making everyone in his team feel confident and appreciated. His skills in leadership, group dynamics, strategy & design makes him an invaluable asset in any company that wants to become the best."
Christopher Lindström
"I've had the pleasure of working with Alexander in several projects where he has had the position of design lead. He sets up a good communication structure so it's very clear where the team is and where it needs to be. He is the kind of leader that lets all team members contribute with ideas."
Jimmy Mcguire
"Alex is a product designer of the highest calibre — the person who has made the biggest impression on my professional career, and someone I am constantly in awe of. Alexander brings enthusiasm, dedication, and drive in everything he does. No doubts whatsoever — I strongly recommend him."
Majah Brink Disland
"Alex is a rock! He is one of the quickest thinkers I've ever worked with, and I'm constantly impressed by his analytical ability. I think it's near impossible not to be infected by his enthusiasm and dedication — and with that much drive and curiosity, there are no limits to what Alex can achieve. The fact that he's also fun and easy to be around is of course a bonus. Warmly recommended to everyone, any day of the week!"
Evelina Griborn
"The first thing you notice when working with Alex is his drive to always keep growing. He is curious, and his enthusiasm is contagious — it spreads to everyone around him and creates a positive environment for new ideas and creative solutions. Having Alex as DesignOps lead has been invaluable, not only for his deep expertise in design and leadership, but for his ability to inspire and support others. In short: he combines hard work with a genuine care for the people around him, which makes him a valuable part of any team. Alex has my full recommendation."
Anna Benettsson
"I worked with Alexander on the development of Folksam's design system. He was brought in as an expert consultant with deep, specialised knowledge in exactly that area. Drawing on his prior experience, he hit the ground running — building out the design system and supporting the team with whatever was needed. We've come a long way, and that's thanks to Alexander's dedicated work. As a person, he is an incredibly warm and positive colleague who brings an infectious energy to everything he does. I give Alexander my highest recommendation and hope we get to work together again in the future."
Alexandra Nelson
Writing

Ideas &
Thoughts

01 Designers, we need to have a talk about responsibility. 02 Why skipping the retrospective is a big mistake. 03 7 principles for good product design. 04 Competence mapping instead of design titles.