Overview

About me

My work

Playground

Let's Connect

Overview

About me

My work

Playground

European citizen based in Netherlands

European citizen based in Netherlands

Rolando
FERNANDEZ

Rolando
FERNANDEZ

Staff Design Engineer building scalable component libraries and high-velocity design infrastructure for product teams.

Staff Design Engineer building scalable component libraries and high-velocity design infrastructure for product teams.

Download my CV

Download my CV

Open to new projects

Open to new projects

A systems-thinking designer who simplifies complexity

Overview

A systems-thinking designer who simplifies complexity

What I do

User Interface Design

Design Systems

Prototyping

Responsive Design

Frontend Development

Design Tokens

I build design systems that help companies move fast without breaking things.

I've navigated two startup acquisitions (Travelaer→PROS, RunMyProcess→Fujitsu), scaling design infrastructure from 0-to-1 to enterprise deployment. At each stage, I've been the bridge between design vision and production code, writing React components, establishing token architectures, and building workflows that let teams ship 40% faster.

What I bring to early-stage teams:

  • Hands-on execution: I write production code (React, TypeScript, CSS), not just design specs

  • 0-to-1 experience: Built multi-brand design systems from scratch, no

  • Velocity mindset: 60% faster onboarding, 95% design-to-code fidelity, systems that scale without slowing down

  • AI-powered workflows: Published author on modern design-to-code automation

I lead by doing. Whether it's prototyping new patterns, mentoring engineers, or establishing governance that doesn't feel like bureaucracy, my focus is removing friction so teams can ship quality work faster.

I build design systems that help companies move fast without breaking things.

I've navigated two startup acquisitions (Travelaer→PROS, RunMyProcess→Fujitsu), scaling design infrastructure from 0-to-1 to enterprise deployment. At each stage, I've been the bridge between design vision and production code, writing React components, establishing token architectures, and building workflows that let teams ship 40% faster.

What I bring to early-stage teams:

  • Hands-on execution: I write production code (React, TypeScript, CSS), not just design specs

  • 0-to-1 experience: Built multi-brand design systems from scratch, no

  • Velocity mindset: 60% faster onboarding, 95% design-to-code fidelity, systems that scale without slowing down

  • AI-powered workflows: Published author on modern design-to-code automation

I lead by doing. Whether it's prototyping new patterns, mentoring engineers, or establishing governance that doesn't feel like bureaucracy, my focus is removing friction so teams can ship quality work faster.

About me

My story

My Experience

Education

Certifications

I'm a Design Systems engineer, originally from Venezuela and French citizen since 2015, based in the Netherlands. I've spent the last 20 years building bridges between design and engineering, working across Europe and Latin America for companies ranging from startups to enterprise.


My background is unconventional. I started in Business Process consulting, moved into Product Development, and eventually found my home at the intersection of Design and Code as a Design Engineer.


Outside of work, I volunteer with electronic music festivals, handling websites, mobile apps and mailing campaigns. I love to travel and I'm trilingual (Spanish, French, English), which has shaped how I think about communication and collaboration across cultures.

My story

My Experience

Education

Certifications

I'm a design systems engineer, originally from Venezuela and French citizen since 2015, based in the Netherlands. I've spent the last 20 years building bridges between design and engineering, working across Europe and Latin America for companies ranging from startups to enterprise.


My background is unconventional. I started in Business Process consulting, moved into Product Development, and eventually found my home at the intersection of Design and Code as a Design Engineer.


Outside of work, I volunteer with electronic music festivals, handling websites, mobile apps and mailing campaigns. I love to travel and I'm trilingual (Spanish, French, English), which has shaped how I think about communication and collaboration across cultures.

My Experience >

I'm a design systems engineer, originally from Venezuela and French citizen since 2015, based in the Netherlands. I've spent the last 20 years building bridges between design and engineering, working across Europe and Latin America for companies ranging from startups to enterprise.


My background is unconventional. I started in Business Process consulting, moved into Product Development, and eventually found my home at the intersection of Design and Code as a Design Engineer.


Outside of work, I volunteer with electronic music festivals, handling websites, mobile apps and mailing campaigns. I love to travel and I'm trilingual (Spanish, French, English), which has shaped how I think about communication and collaboration across cultures.

My story

My story

My Experience

Education

Certifications

I'm a design systems engineer, originally from Venezuela and French citizen since 2015, based in the Netherlands. I've spent the last 20 years building bridges between design and engineering, working across Europe and Latin America for companies ranging from startups to enterprise.


My background is unconventional. I started in Business Process consulting, moved into Product Development, and eventually found my home at the intersection of Design and Code as a Design Engineer.


Outside of work, I volunteer with electronic music festivals, handling websites, mobile apps and mailing campaigns. I love to travel and I'm trilingual (Spanish, French, English), which has shaped how I think about communication and collaboration across cultures.

Case studies

Featured Case Studies

Featured Case Studies

View all case studies

View all case studies

View all case studies

Playground

Code experiments and side projects

Not everything needs a case study. This is where I test new patterns, play with emerging tools, and share the experiments that don't fit anywhere else. Some are polished prototypes, others are quick sketches. All of them represent learning something new or solving a problem that caught my attention.

See more examples in:

Codesandbox

GitHub

Figma

Playground

Code experiments and side projects

Not everything needs a case study. This is where I test new patterns, play with emerging tools, and share the experiments that don't fit anywhere else. Some are polished prototypes, others are quick sketches. All of them represent learning something new or solving a problem that caught my attention.

See more examples in:

Codesandbox

GitHub

Figma

Playground

Code experiments and side projects

Not everything needs a case study. This is where I test new patterns, play with emerging tools, and share the experiments that don't fit anywhere else. Some are polished prototypes, others are quick sketches. All of them represent learning something new or solving a problem that caught my attention.

See more examples in:

Codesandbox

GitHub

Figma

How I work

Answers that move things forward

Design engineering is about bridging vision and execution. I approach projects systematically, align stakeholders, collaborate across functions, and mentor teams to build sustainable systems. Here's my process and philosophy.

I start with discovery, not solutions

Every project begins with understanding the full landscape: business goals, user needs, technical constraints, and team dynamics. I invest time upfront interviewing stakeholders, auditing existing systems, and mapping pain points before proposing solutions. This research phase prevents building the wrong thing and creates buy-in from day one.

I start with discovery, not solutions

Every project begins with understanding the full landscape: business goals, user needs, technical constraints, and team dynamics. I invest time upfront interviewing stakeholders, auditing existing systems, and mapping pain points before proposing solutions. This research phase prevents building the wrong thing and creates buy-in from day one.

I start with discovery, not solutions

Every project begins with understanding the full landscape: business goals, user needs, technical constraints, and team dynamics. I invest time upfront interviewing stakeholders, auditing existing systems, and mapping pain points before proposing solutions. This research phase prevents building the wrong thing and creates buy-in from day one.

I align stakeholders around shared outcomes
I align stakeholders around shared outcomes
I align stakeholders around shared outcomes
I partner with Product to bridge strategy and execution
I partner with Product to bridge strategy and execution
I partner with Product to bridge strategy and execution
I work embedded with both design and engineering
I work embedded with both design and engineering
I work embedded with both design and engineering
I mentor teams to scale impact beyond myself
I mentor teams to scale impact beyond myself
I mentor teams to scale impact beyond myself
I measure impact through system health and team velocity
I measure impact through system health and team velocity
I measure impact through system health and team velocity

Writing Highlights

Sharing insights on design systems, UX engineering, and the bridge between disciplines

A practical guide for designers to leverage flexbox concepts in Figma for better handoff.

How MCP Servers are changing the game for UX/UI Designers

Read the article

A practical guide for designers to leverage flexbox concepts in Figma for better handoff.

How MCP Servers are changing the game for UX/UI Designers

Read the article

A practical guide for designers to leverage flexbox concepts in Figma for better handoff.

How MCP Servers are changing the game for UX/UI Designers

Read the article

Exploring how AI-powered tools bridge design and development with real examples from PROS.

Integrating Flexbox principles with Figma auto layout

Read the article

Exploring how AI-powered tools bridge design and development with real examples from PROS.

Integrating Flexbox principles with Figma auto layout

Read the article

Exploring how AI-powered tools bridge design and development with real examples from PROS.

Integrating Flexbox principles with Figma auto layout

Read the article

Open to opportunities

Currently exploring opportunities in the Netherlands and EU where I can bring my experience building scalable design systems.


I'm especially interested in teams that:

* Value hands-on technical leadership over pure management

* Need someone to build design infrastructure from 0-to-1

* Want to move fast with high quality

* Are exploring AI-powered design workflows

Currently exploring opportunities in the Netherlands and EU where I can bring my experience building scalable design systems.


I'm especially interested in teams that:

* Value hands-on technical leadership over pure management

* Need someone to build design infrastructure from 0-to-1

* Want to move fast with high quality

* Are exploring AI-powered design workflows

Currently exploring opportunities in the Netherlands and EU where I can bring my experience building scalable design systems.


I'm especially interested in teams that:

* Value hands-on technical leadership over pure management

* Need someone to build design infrastructure from 0-to-1

* Want to move fast with high quality

* Are exploring AI-powered design workflows

Let's connect

Let's work together !

[email protected]

(+31) 6 82 09 94 86

LinkedIn

Codesandbox

GitHub

Figma

Send me a message

Send me a message

Send me a message