Aaron Mercado +
Multidisciplinary designer based in San Jose, California, working across visual identity, editorial design, cover art, and digital content.




































UX Foundations
Designlab - 2025  (UX/UI Design)
 As part of Designlab’s UX Academy Foundations course, I worked on a capstone project that applied core UI principles in a practical context. This project focused on creating responsive web and mobile interfaces, emphasizing visual hierarchy, color theory, typography, and layout. Using Figma, I developed a cohesive design system and iterated on my work through structured mentor feedback and peer critiques



OVERVIEW                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

[01] - Starting Off

AI tools were introduced not as a replacement for creativity, but as a way to enhance it — helping streamline parts of the process like background removal, content-aware fills, and layout expansion, while keeping full creative control in the hands of the designer. The program emphasized using AI to support and speed up workflows, without compromising the originality of the work.






For my final capstone, I revisited a travel-focused brand concept I created earlier in the program called WanderNow. The challenge was to select a past project and improve it using the skills and tools we had built throughout the course — including AI-powered features. I refined the brand identity, enhanced visual layouts, and expanded imagery using generative tools, all while keeping the tone and direction rooted in my original concept. This project gave me the chance to level up my creative thinking and apply modern tools to elevate my design execution.


[02] - Posters


[03] - Social Media Designs


UX Foundations