Smallgrove

"Simplify, and then add lightness…"

Lotus founder Colin Chapman said that in 1962, perfectly summing up a fundamental truth. I've always believed the best solutions come from removing complexity and focusing on what matters. Good design is intentional and never more complicated than it needs to be.

Who

My name is Tim Emanuel, and I'm a designer and developer based in Pittsburgh. For more than 30 years I've been working across print, web and mobile, helping to turn good ideas into great things that work.

What

I spend most of my time somewhere between design and development. I create websites, applications, interfaces, and the systems behind them. Basically, I try to make complicated things easier to use.

Where

Over the years, I've had the chance to work with some outstanding folks, including AHN, Bayer, Carnegie Mellon, Dollar Bank, and GlaxoSmithKline. I love what I do, and I've been doing it at Mescius since 2013.

When

I graduated in 1998 with a degree in photojournalism & design, and fell in love with web development somewhere along the way. With equal parts art and science, it felt like I'd found my calling and I've never looked back.

Why

I've always been curious about how things work. Design and development give me an excuse to take things apart, see how they work, and find better, more creative ways to put them back together.

How

I like being involved from intial sketches to final lines of production code. It keeps things simple and consistent along the way. Pencils, paper, Photoshop, Illustrator, and BBEdit are my weapons of choice.

A Few Examples

A mix of work across various projects and platforms. Each challenge calls for its own solution, but the goal is always the same: understand the problem, keep things simple, and focus on what matters.

Product Selector Application

Project Roadmap Application

SqrAway Application & Website

Surplus Application & Website

Community Forums

Process Infographics

New Projects

I'm currently not taking on any new projects, but good ideas, bad jokes, and cat videos are always welcome.

Same Places

You can always find me on LinkedIn, GitHub, Facebook, and Bluesky. Or, if you prefer, tim@smallgrove.com

Only what matters.

Purposeful design isn't a style, it's the result of experience.