The Economist · Financial Times
The Telegraph · The Times
More than ten years designing subscription products. At The Economist I lead design across Engagement, including the app, with a team of five designers.
Designing the editorial direction for how The Economist sells subscriptions online. The new offers page became the default and more than doubled mobile performance. Alongside it, my team’s paywall and checkout work was part of a programme the 2025 annual report credits with a 12% rise in customer lifetime value.
How the Ecommerce team made it easier for customers to manage, change or leave their subscription, while balancing retention, revenue and trust. Switching proved the case for removing friction, and the new My Account scored 88% in navigation testing.
How people would subscribe and upgrade to Insider, a premium tier that changed shape partway through. I started the work alone, brought a junior designer in, and we prototyped on the web to bring other teams along.
My own brief, designed in a day. I used AI to make sixteen versions of a working prototype, to show the team how quickly we can now put good design to the test.
I have always trusted Luke to not only get the work done, but to appreciate context, invent solutions, and lift and guide those around him. He is also a delight to be around and have on any team!
Luke was my partner in crime in the subscriptions pillar. He put so much into building the design team, not just hiring great people, but coaching them and helping them develop. A brilliant partner and a genuinely lovely person.
Luke was a brilliant design manager, helping to build my confidence through our years working together at The Economist. He gave me the power to believe in myself, and my abilities as a Senior Product designer.
He has a brilliant ability to foster a great team culture, making sure everyone has a voice while also keeping everyone laughing. Working with Luke is always fun and I’d love to work with him again one day.
Managing a team of five designers, and still designing.
Design for the homepage, articles, newsletters and podcasts.
Worked on the Live News app redesign, and on Apple News.
My first product design job, on parts of the website redesign.I’ve spent my career designing digital products around journalism, beginning as a visual designer at The Times before moving through The Telegraph and Financial Times to The Economist.
I care about the clarity and usefulness of a product, but also how it feels. Today I lead a team of five designers, and I’m happiest in the work. Outside work, I’m a trained wingfoil instructor.
Hi, I’m Luke. I’m a product designer, and I love the craft.
I’m drawn to editorial design: old magazines, printed ephemera, misprinted litho.
I used to art direct a print magazine called Accent, and I still like moments of fun and chaos within order.
For more than ten years I’ve designed subscription products, at The Economist, the FT, The Telegraph and The Times.
I lead by doing. I sketch, I prototype, and I care about the details.
At The Economist, I designed the editorial direction for how we sell subscriptions online.
The new offers page became the default, and its mobile performance score more than doubled.
I also redesigned how people switch, cancel and manage their subscription. Clear and honest, with no traps.
When the team was down to three, I was the hands-on designer in two squads, while still managing the team.
I designed this site in Figma first, then built it with Claude.
It’s a seriously exciting time to be a designer. If you can imagine it, you can code it.
The hardest bit is knowing what not to build.
I keep asking Claude if, ten years ago, this site would have cost more than a Ferrari.
If you need a designer who gets their hands dirty, let’s talk.