About James Warner
Introduction
I'm a design engineer based near London, UK. Currently, I'm working on a personal project; Cosmoflow.
During my early teens, I was fascinated by computer software and developed a strong reverse-engineering mindset to teach myself how it worked.
Throughout my career, I've worked from the high level of JavaScript down to the low level of assembly. This has been invaluable for identifying innovative technical solutions and security issues.
I've explored many realms of design and engineering, and I continue to find myself pulled back to web-based interfaces. I admire modern web design which exceeds visual expectations using motion and 3D graphics, while maintaining familiar user experience patterns and accessibility.
Values, Principles, Beliefs
- Product-driven, tech-inspired, impact-charged.
- Focus = commitment; shiny object syndrome is false progress.
- Reverse engineering balances forward engineering.
- Build the things we'd use, and use the things we build.
- Iterate development & aggregate marketing.
- What we're building > the technology used.
- User experience > internal complexity.
Recent Works
Some things I've worked on in recent months:
- Cosmoflow - Software engineer tool featuring a visual node-based workflow for data processing. It helps users explore, understand, and apply binary data principles and patterns.
- Spotilocal - Desktop utility app that saves your Spotify player state to text and images files.
- Design Engineer Tools - Curated list of helpful tools for design engineers.
- userpref - Simple user preferences for web apps.
- image-color-scheme - Calculate the color scheme of an image.
Professional Interests
- 🌐Web-based application and experience development.
- 🖥️UI design utilizing motion and 3D graphics.
- 🔣UX patterns and accessibility.
- 🔒Application and network security.
Personal Interests
- ☕Brewing coffee (V60 & espresso)
- 🌱Horticulture (growing lots of chillies)
- 🍳Cooking & fermentation
- 🚣🏻♂️Indoor rowing
- 👾Pixel art & video game design
- 🎸Playing guitar
- 🏠Home automation
Reading List
Some books I like and recommend!
Career & Practical:
Food & Drink:
Gardening:
Biographies:
Art & Video Games:
The Amazon links on this page may contain affiliate tags. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps financially support my content creation!
Software
I'm frequently asked about the tools and technologies I use, so here are some lists!
My preferred web tech:
- React - UI Library
- Vite - Front-end Tooling
- Node.js - JavaScript Runtime
- Sanity - Headless CMS & CDN
- Vercel - Static / Serverless Deployment & CDN
- Cloudflare R2 - Cloud Storage
- Cloudflare Registrar - Domains
- Plausible - Analytics
I also use:
- Next.js - React Web App Framework
- TypeScript - Typed Superset of JavaScript
- Zustand - React State Management
- Three.js - 3D Graphics Library
- GROQ - Graph Relational Object Queries
- MongoDB - NoSQL Database
- MongoDB Atlas Serverless - Serverless Hosting for MongoDB
- Electron - Desktop App Framework
- electron-vite - Use Electron with Vite Tooling
Tools:
- Brave - Web Browser
- Figma - Interface Design
- Trello - Todo / Management
- Parsec - Remote Desktop
- Color.review - Color Contrast Review
- RegExr - Visual Regular Expression Tester
- JWT.io - JSON Web Token Debugger
- Blender - Open-source 3D Tool
- Aseprite - Animated Sprite Editor & Pixel Art
- Unity - Game Engine
- ShareX - Screen Capture & Productivity
- OBS Studio - Broadcasting Software
- Spotify - Music Streaming
- TrueNAS Scale - NAS OS
- Home Assistant - Home Automation
Also, check out my curated list of Design Engineer Tools!
Code Editor
Right now I'm using:
- JetBrains Mono Font
- Dracula Pro 2 Theme
Hardware
Office Setup:
- ASUS ROG Swift PG279QM - 27" Main Monitor
- LG 27GP850-B - 27" Secondary Monitor
- Ergotron LX Dual Stacking Arm Black - Vertical Monitor Stack
- Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 - Display Tablet
- Herman Miller Embody Rhythm Black - Office Chair
- Fully Jarvis L-Shaped 200x160cm Black (Discontinued) - Sit/Stand Desk
- Razer Viper Ultimate - Mouse
Custom Workstation PC:
- AMD Ryzen™ 9 5950X - CPU
- Lian Li O11-D XL - Case
- Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme (rev 2.0) - Motherboard
- Samsung 980 PRO 2TB NVMe - SSD
- Corsair AX1600i - PSU
Custom Keyboard:
- GMK Dracula - Keycaps
- hineybush h87a - PCB
- Tealios V2 - Switches
- Gateron Milky Tops
- Gateron Blue Springs
- Krytox 205g0 Lube
- GMK Screw-in Stabs Clipped & 205g0
- White PBT Plate
- Stainless Steel Weight
Audio Gear:
- Yamaha HS8 - Studio Monitors
- MOTU M4 - Audio Interface
- HiFiMAN Sundara - Headphones
- Shure SM7B - Microphone
- DM1 DYNAMITE - Inline Microphone Preamp
Camera Gear:
- Sony a7 III - Camera Body
- Sony a7R II - Camera Body
- Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 ZA - Main Lens
- Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM - Wide Lens
- 5x Azure Kinect Developer Kit - Spatial Computing Camera
- Elgato Cam Link - Capture Device
- Blackmagic Intensity Pro - Capture Device
Guitar Gear:
- Godin ACS SLIM Nylon Natural SG - Guitar
- Neural DSP Quad Cortex - Guitar Pedal (Modeler)
- BOSS GM-800 - Guitar Pedal (Synthesizer)
- LEHLE DUAL EXPRESSION - Guitar Pedal (Expression)