Hi, I’m Ethan.
I’m a designer and writer based in Boston. And it’s just real nice to meet you.
A bit more about me: Over the last two decades, my design practice has focused on designing and building beautiful, accessible web experiences, and on helping organizations create more effective design systems. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for clients like New York Magazine, the Sundance Film Festival, and Google. In 2010, I coined the term "responsive design," and things haven’t been quite the same since.
I also write and speak about digital design, technology, labor, and justice. (The most recent entry in my journal is "A right to copy.")
My latest books
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Book cover for You Deserve a Tech Union You Deserve a Tech Union
On the tech industry’s labor movement, and how you can be part of it.
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Book cover for Responsive Design: Patterns & Principles Responsive Design: Patterns & Principles
Methods and principles to help your responsive layout reach more devices (and people) than ever before.
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Book cover for Responsive Web Design Responsive Web Design
The book that launched a new way of designing for the web.
Selected conferences
I’ve been fortunate to be a featured speaker at design conferences across the globe. Some selected talks follow below.
- New Adventures 2019
- Clarity 2019
- Adobe MAX 2016
- Webstock 2016
- Build 2012
- Webstock 2012
- An Event Apart 2010
Selected articles
- The OpenAI workers’ open letter, and what it means for tech labor WBUR, 2023
- Why the Hollywood strikes matter to all of us WBUR, 2023
- Drop caps & design systems Vox Media Product, 2019
- Frameworks A List Apart, 2015
- Fluid Images A List Apart, 2011
- Responsive Web Design A List Apart, 2010
- Fluid Grids A List Apart, 2009
Selected press, interviews, & mentions
- Design Observer 2025
- Labor Notes 2024
- Shop Talk Show 2023
- TEN7 Podcast 2021
- Rosenfeld Media 2014
- net Magazine 2014
- Fast Company 2014
- The Atlantic 2014
- Northwestern University Knight Lab 2013
- Garcia Media 2011
A roll of blogs I like
- Molly White,
- Chris Coyier,
- Chris Glass,
- Jeremy Keith,
- Melanie Richards,
- Mark Llobrera,
- Rob Weychert,
- anh,
- Jen Schuetz,
- Dan Cederholm,
- Jason Santa Maria,
- Robin Rendle,
- Mandy Brown,
- maya.land,
- Brendan,
- Anil Dash,
- Frank Chimero,
- Dave Rupert,
- Erin Kissane,
- Susan Robertson,
- Naz Hamid,
- Lucy Bellwood,
- Jenny Zhang,
- Rach Smith,
- Ingrid Burrington,
- Greg Storey,
- Sara Hendren,
- Lisa Maria Marquis,
- Jessica Spengler,
- Eric Bailey,
- Miriam Suzanne,
- Henry Desroches,
- Lynn Fisher, and
- Rizwana Khan.
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