Meet Anthony Walker

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anthony, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I draw optimism from our shared human journey on this planet and the drive to make a mark that improves things for my fellow travelers now and into the future. I know it can be easy to get mired in a pessimistic view of the past, present and future, but I find it much more motivating to focus on how I can help people now, and the possibility of what’s ahead.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

As a Senior Product Designer and founder of Walker Design, my focus is on helping clients bring their visions to life through high-impact, user-centered design. Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of leading design for a range of companies and startups, creating intuitive, engaging digital experiences that align with strategic business goals. With Walker Design, I’m excited to offer this depth of expertise directly to clients looking for top-tier, personalized design solutions.

At Walker Design, I provide a full spectrum of design services—whether you need to establish a new brand identity, build responsive, user-friendly interfaces for web or native apps, or create cohesive, engaging content for print and digital. My approach is hands-on and collaborative: I work closely with each client to understand their unique goals and then develop a tailored, strategic plan to achieve them.

From exploring your information architecture to interactive prototypes in Figma, corporate logs to printed matter to swag, I ensure that every project is not only visually compelling but also robust, responsive, and scalable. I thrive on adapting complex concepts into clear, intuitive designs that resonate with users and elevate brands. Through thoughtful design and strategic thinking, my goal is to empower my clients, helping them stand out in a crowded market and connect more deeply with their audiences.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say the most import skills that have carried me the farthest are my curiosity, my ability to dive deep into a unfamiliar subject matter, and willingness to question accepted truths and get the the ‘why’ of a design solution.

My advice to designers would be, just stay curious! Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions until you truly have a good sense of the people who will be using your designs, and clearly identify what problem you’re trying to solve for them.

To folks on the business end of the spectrum: keep your users top of mind always and listen to your designers. Business goals are important, but at the end of the day if you don’t understand your users and create a product that effectively solves a real problem they have, you are always going to have difficulty selling it.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I think its critical to invest in being well rounded generally and pushing on both your strengths and weaknesses. At a minimum, you might improve your knowledge, experience or skillset in an area you were less familiar with, or you might even discover that you have a passion for something you thought was completely outside of your skillset!

Read, watch movies that challenge you, eat great meals you’ve never tried, travel to new places, meet new people and hear their stories, learn new languages, love deeply. This all may seem unrelated to design, but I guarantee you none of it is wasted effort! Good design starts with understanding people, and a wide breadth of experience will teach you curiosity and empathy.

Especially in creative roles, you’re often having to pull something concrete and actionable out of the ether or connect dots between amorphous ideas that at first blush might not seem connected. I find that when faced with challenges like these, something from my travels will be whispering in my ear and that becomes a thread to pull on and informs the work ahead of me. The greater the breadth of hobbies, interests and exposure to cultures and views outside your own, the more able you are to challenge your own notions of how something ought to work or ought to be, uncover less than obvious connections and elicit creative solutions.

When I first started Walker Design I mostly did print and logo work, but as time went on more and more clients wanted me to design their websites. Not only that: most small businesses don’t just want a pretty picture of what their future website *might* look like – they need it built out and working, yesterday!

Being a design shop of one, this meant I needed to push myself to lean front end technologies as well so that I could deliver simple usable websites to clients, or call in engineering help as needed. I don’t consider myself an engineer but I really do enjoy it when I get to do that type of work as part of a project – and I know its truly helped me understand and empathize with all the engineers I’ve had the pleasure of working with on larger teams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anthonywalkerdesign.com/
• Other: https://www.walkerfineart.org/