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Excellent web design is essential when you’re breaking into a crowded market. The coaches below are a curated mix of product designers, UX leaders, and front-end engineering veterans who’ve shipped at startups, hyper-growth scale-ups, and Fortune 100s. If you want targeted guidance on portfolios or web performance, you’ll find someone here who aligns with your goals. See all web design coaches here.
Carlos L.
Experience: UX Designer at Amazon and dedicated early-career coach with 5+ years of mentoring. Carlos has participated in the hiring processes and helps candidates reverse-engineer their path to opportunities.
Specialties:
- Interview preparation for Big Tech
- “Working-backwards” career planning
- Direct feedback to accelerate results
For ambitious candidates who want unfiltered, results-focused coaching, Carlos pushes you to the bar. He’s ideal if you’re targeting competitive UX roles and want a candid partner who holds you accountable every step of the way.
"Carlos is the real deal. He doesn’t sugarcoat things, and that’s exactly what I needed to land my first design role. As an international early career UX Designer - I had applied to ~6000 jobs and was on the market for ~14 months - It was rough. I was getting ditched on last rounds and I needed that edge to make it through. I started to question my abilities and potential. But, I found Carlos at the right time - from day one, he helped me get super clear on where I wanted to go and laid out a plan to actually get there. His feedback was direct, but always came from a place of wanting me to succeed. He prepped me for interviews and helped polish my portfolio. I can vouch for him and he really cares about your growth. he knows what it takes to stand out, especially in competitive spaces. If you're serious about leveling up, working with him is 100% worth it."
- Prachee J., Coached by Carlos and landed a role at Incent
→ Book a free intro call with Carlos
Jake L.
Experience: A VP-level engineering leader with deep front-end roots, Jake has led teams building high-performing web portals and CRMs at companies like Claravine. He has also coached individuals through pivotal career transitions.
Specialties:
- Front-end leadership and architecture
- Scaling web teams
- Transitioning from IC to management
- Career planning for fast-growing orgs
For web designers stepping into a larger scope, Jake helps you navigate the messy middle. He’s especially helpful if you’re moving from individual contributor to team lead or scaling an organization.
"Jake is incredible! As a coach, he’s positive, funny, and encouraging. He’s helped me feel that seemingly impossible tasks were totally achievable. Not only that, but he helps me along the way, every day, to feel good about what I’m doing. I can’t say enough good about him."
- Jon S., Coached by Jake and working at a startup
→ Book a free intro call with Jake
Nathan T.
Experience: As an ex-CTO who has consulted with 100+ companies, Nathan is known for transforming the developer experience and shipping “impossible” projects quickly. He’s moved teams from monthly to daily deployments.
Specialties:
- Developer experience and platform practices
- Shipping faster
- Staff preparation
- Process and tooling that elevate UX outcomes
When slow pipelines block your web design ambitions, Nathan helps you unlock flow. He’s a strong match for design leaders who need culture and platform upgrades so great design can actually reach production and users faster.
"Nathan is a great Technical Leader, with a lot of knowledge in different technologies, processes and work methodologies, from software development and devops. The best of him is his capability to encourage change and transmit ideas with confidence, influencing in the corporate strategy and its management that his ideas are necessary and valuable, empowering people to drive them themselves. Finally he's technical enough to support the low level changes. Simply an amazing person to work with, very kind and smart professional."
- Cristobal L, Coached by Nathan
→ Book a free intro call with Nathan
Brandon O.
Experience: Product design leader across startups to Fortune 100s (CVS Health, Ford, Abbott, PepsiCo, ADP, Dell, Airbnb). Brandon has led 125+ people to deliver award-winning applications grounded in data-driven design.
Specialties:
- User-centered design
- Design strategy for complex products
- Visual design excellence
- Lean innovation from discovery to delivery
If you want enterprise-grade rigor with startup speed, Brandon blends both. He’s perfect for designers aiming to elevate portfolio storytelling and visual craft to Fortune 100 standards.
"Brandon helped me grow into my role and helped advance my career. Not only did he do a great job as the Head of Product and Design, but he was always helping the sales team, onboarding team, running marketing, and helping to run the day-to-day operations of Lodgable. We constantly received praises from clients on demos about how clean our UX was and how it made everything so easy and intuitive to use. I am grateful to have had the chance to work and learn from him. It truly made me a better sales person and helped launch my career in SaaS sales."
- Blake L., Coached by Brandon
→ Book a free intro call with Brandon
Tanner T.
Experience: Head of Design at Leland and former studio founder, Tanner has 9+ years of experience designing for early-stage startups. He’s known for high standards and mentoring designers through career pivots.
Specialties:
- Product and web design for startups
- Brand-to-product integration
- Portfolio refinement
- Navigating career transitions
Early-stage environments demand designers who can wear many hats and ship quickly, Tanner’s wheelhouse. Work with him if you want to raise your visual bar and get pragmatic feedback that drive growth.
"Tanner was incredibly helpful. Tanner brought his wealth of knowledge of the design industry to every conversation we had. Highly recommend working with Tanner!"
- Chandler W., Coached by Tanner
→ Book a free intro call with Tanner
Steven F.
Experience: Former LinkedIn Staff Software Engineer turned Co-Founder at Resonance Systems, Steven has 10+ years of experience building modern websites. He specializes in performance and UX.
Specialties:
- Front-end engineering for the modern web
- Page performance and UX optimization
- System design
- Career navigation for aspiring web engineers
If your web design goals hinge on top-tier front-end execution, Steven brings rare credibility from LinkedIn-scale systems and startup leadership. He’s ideal for designers who want to sharpen the engineering layer of great design and move confidently toward higher-impact roles.
→ Book a free intro call with Steven
Maddy P.
Experience: A product designer who transitioned from branding to UX, Maddy has navigated multiple career pivots and now helps aspiring designers land their first roles.
Specialties:
- Portfolio that stands out
- Networking strategies
- Defining your niche and job hunt planning
If you’re launching or switching into web/product design, Maddy’s structured, empathetic approach keeps you moving. She’s great for early-career designers who need clarity and a roadmap to that first offer.
"I had the chance to work with Maddy in a coaching session and it was such a positive experience. She gave me clear and constructive feedback on my resume and portfolio, and also shared resources that I could put into action right away for my job search. She sent me a detailed recap afterward and took the time to answer my follow-up questions, which made her guidance even more valuable. I’d happily recommend her to anyone looking for career coaching and support."
- Nahla N., Coached by Maddy
→ Book a free intro call with Maddy
María A. M.
Experience: Staff Product Designer at Deel with 7 years in fintech across startups to hyper-growth scale-ups. She’s involved in hiring and mentors within the fintech vertical.
Specialties:
- Product design in fintech
- Portfolio quality and execution excellence
- Structured, practical mentorship
María blends high standards with actionable guidance. Choose her if you want to elevate problem-solving, craft, and collaboration, while learning exactly what hiring managers look for and how to show it.
"An exceptional designer and an even better mentor. Her feedback is always thoughtful, well-structured, and incredibly valuable. She has a great eye for detail and truly cares about helping others grow. Throughout the mentoring process, she provides expert guidance in UX/UI design and UX research while always offering support and encouragement."
- Sara P., Coached by Maria
→ Book a free intro call with María
Jacob B.
Experience: Senior Product Designer at Wells Fargo with 7 years of cross-industry design and coaching 100+ designers. He’s built human-centered digital experiences across finance, healthcare, legal, and more spaces.
Specialties:
- Portfolio development
- Interview prep and career strategy
- UX/UI across regulated and complex industries
- Action-oriented mentorship
Jacob’s coaching is tailored, energetic, and rooted in real hiring needs. He’s a strong choice for designers seeking actionable feedback on their portfolios and interviews to secure job offers.
"Jacob's coaching transcended the typical mentor-mentee relationship; he genuinely understood the path I was carving and showed me he'd walked a similar path without any pretense. His feedback was a potent blend of honesty and encouragement, always delivered with genuine support. His strong knack for highlighting my strengths and celebrating minor victories fueled my motivation. But beyond that, Jacob truly grasped the essence of coaching: knowing when to offer support, provide guidance, and precisely when to deliver that perfectly timed push. He helped me recognize my potential and empowered me to pursue it confidently with actionable steps toward my goals."
- Jonathan D., Coached by Jacob
→ Book a free intro call with Jacob
Find the Best Coach for Your Web Design Journey
Expert guidance turns effort into outcomes. Explore coach profiles, find the experience and style that fit your goals, and book a free 15-minute intro call to get started, or browse all coaches here.
Not sure who to pick? Hop on a free strategy and coach-matching call with the Leland team, and we’ll point you to the right fit. Find the right coach and start building your web design career today.
Read More:
- The Product Design Interview: Ultimate Guide (With Common Questions)
- The Product Development Life Cycle: What It Is & How to Implement
- Product Sense: What it Is & How to Develop It
Top Web Design Coaches – FAQs
How can a web design coach help me build a portfolio that actually gets me hired?
- A coach can help you transform projects into compelling case studies that resonate with hiring managers. They provide a safety net, helping you steer clear of common pitfalls like cluttered layouts or unfocused narratives, ensuring your portfolio stands out for all the right reasons.
What’s the fastest way to transition from graphic design into product or web design?
- A mentor can provide a clear roadmap, outlining the specific skills you need to acquire. This could include mastering tools like Figma, understanding responsive layout principles, and grasping user flows. They can also help you leverage your existing visual background. This focused approach can potentially save you months compared to navigating the transition on your own.
Can a coach actually prepare me for web design interviews at top tech companies?
- Yes, many coaches simulate real design exercises, whiteboard challenges, and behavioral questions. They’ll also guide you on how to showcase collaboration with engineers, which is a key differentiator in web design interviews.
