About Erlen

I'm a founder, design engineer, and creative director, building teams, brand systems, digital experiences, and campaigns for global brands. I've found that the best tools do more than make you faster—they expand your imagination in what you can create.

I started in print and illustration, then shifted to digital design. Today, I code, design, animate, and ship digital products. I build brands and set the strategy that holds it all together. Somewhere in there, I turned into a template nerd.

I've had a lot of fun doing this for sixteen years—from working at disruptor companies that led cultural movements, to global launches for Nike and campaigns for Burberry, Moncler, and McDonald's, and developed interactive formats that others in the industry later adopted. Most of the time, I've set the standard instead of following someone else's.

Most of my earlier successes happened inside publishers like TIME Inc, HYPEBEAST, and REVOLT.TV. The job was never only design. It was working between editorial, engineering, sales, and leadership, building the systems that drove the business forward.

Now I run By Default, a creative technology studio I co-founded in 2023. I named it By Default because a good starting point should include what usually gets missed out, the accessibility, the human strategy, and the cultural insight that leads to ground breaking ideas and who gets to take part.

This is how I approach my work: like a mechanic building a Formula One car. You might see the final work on the track, but most of the effort goes into building architectural foundations—the templates, feedback loops, process diagrams, and folder structures that keep everything working together like an engine. The person who sets the starting point shapes the outcome, so that's where I put my thinking. When the foundations are solid you can focus on your best work.