David Friedman, lead web designer and Webflow developer at 97 Switch. I take sites from brief to launch.
Selected work
I own a web project from the first conversation to long after launch. That means the design and build, and also the client relationship: setting expectations, running reviews, coordinating account managers, strategists and developers, and keeping decisions made once so the site ships without rework.
Every engagement starts with listening. I work with the client, the account manager and the content strategist to agree on business goals, audience, constraints and how success will be measured before any design begins.
Each page is built around one primary action, whether that is a booking, an inquiry or a lead. Content is outlined before layout so the structure serves the message, not the other way around.
A brand-true design system in Figma covering type, colour and components, followed by key templates presented with clear rationale, so feedback is focused and approvals are efficient.
Webflow or WordPress, whichever suits the client's team and goals. Clean class structure, CMS where content changes often, and interactions that earn their place. I can also prototype and build faster with Claude Code.
Device, browser and form testing, plus SEO set-up and redirects, run against a launch checklist so go-live is calm and predictable for everyone involved.
Post-launch maintenance, iteration and training sessions so the client team can edit and extend the site with confidence, and so the site keeps improving after launch day.
Most of what makes a project go well happens outside the design file. I handle that directly.
Scope and timeline
Deliverables, review rounds and dates are agreed up front and revisited as the project moves, so there are no surprises at launch.
Communication
Regular check-ins, written decisions and honest status updates keep clients and internal teams aligned.
Feedback
I frame each review around the client's goals and consolidate input, so feedback turns into decisions rather than endless revisions.
I use Claude Code day to day to build, document and automate, and I design AI systems and the architecture behind them: how models, tools, data and people fit together in a workflow a team can trust and maintain.
Prototype and ship sites and internal tools faster.
Decisions, conventions and handoffs written down as the work happens, so nothing lives in one head.
Repeatable checks and routine tasks handed to tools, leaving people the judgment calls.
Layout follows the message. Pages are designed around real copy and real photography, never placeholders.
Reusable components, tidy structure and documented conventions keep a site, and an AI workflow, consistent and fast to extend.
Clients should be able to update their own site without breaking it, and teams should be able to run their own tools, so everything is organised for the people who inherit it.
About
I'm the Lead Web Designer at 97 Switch, a Chicago digital agency, working from Tampa. I build and maintain web experiences for small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S., from UX strategy and visual design through development, QA and post-launch care, and I manage the client relationship along the way.
Alongside client work I build with Claude Code and design AI systems and architecture, applying the same discipline to internal tools and workflows that I apply to websites.
Before 97 Switch I led a web design team at Succeeding Small in Colorado Springs, running concept, design and SEO integration and training the agency and its clients on best practice. I studied at the University of Florida, and I'm also a professional actor and a member of Actors' Equity Association.
97 Switch, Chicago digital agency
Lead design and development of Webflow and WordPress sites across hospitality, finance, real estate, technology and food & beverage, with day-to-day client management and AI-assisted workflows.
Succeeding Small, Colorado Springs
Led the web design team on client sites, with SEO integration and best-practice training.
