Tanner Christensen
Leads software design for autonomy and design systems at Anduril
The zero-to-one design org, written as a case study.
What they show
A plain, fast site with one headline ('I design software that helps people understand and use complex systems') and three selected projects: Lyft, a meditation app he built end to end, and Gem, where he was the first design hire and built the practice through a $1.2B valuation. The Gem case study is titled 'Building a design practice, team, and roadmap from the ground up.' Below that, a grid mixes work (Anduril, Netflix, Facebook, Oculus) with books he's written, a podcast, and conference talks.
Why it works at this level
The site refuses to separate 'designer' from 'leader'. The Gem story is the leadership proof, the Lyft story is the craft proof, and the side project is the 'still builds things' proof, and they sit in one row with equal weight. The mixed grid underneath does the same trick at a glance: books next to product work next to talks says 'this person shapes how others think' without a single line of self-description. It's also a reminder that a leadership portfolio doesn't need a leadership section; it needs leadership work presented as work.
What to steal
If you were ever the first design hire, or rebuilt a function, that is your lead case study, and its title should say so. Put your writing, talks and side projects in the same grid as your work rather than in a separate tab; the mix is the message.
What I'd change
One thing I'd push on. Every site here is good; this is the note I'd send the author.
The current Anduril role gets a thumbnail but no story, and the headline is about the products, not the team. For a Director-level reader, one paragraph on what leading design systems at Anduril actually involves would land harder than another product tile.