Built the design team, the brand and the products behind one of the most visited sites on the internet

Not your average first week

If you’re not familiar, Aylo (MindGeek at the time) is a multinational tech and media company best known for operating some of the world’s most visited adult entertainment platforms, including Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, and Brazzers.

I went to the interview because a friend was already working there. At the time, my English wasn’t great, and the whole interview was in English, but I ended up having a great connection with the directors, and they offered me the job.

The first week was… strange. I had a hard time adjusting to the nature of the content; it’s definitely not for everyone. Coming from small creative agencies, it was a big shift. Suddenly I was working in a company with 2,000+ employees, in a space that was anything but conventional.

"I'll just stay a year" turned into seven

I really flourished there. I started as a product designer and touched just about everything: web, mobile, TV apps, even marketing. I was all in.

After two years, I stepped into a leadership role and helped reshape the design culture. I restructured the team into dedicated product squads, giving designers ownership and focus. Each person could now dive deeper into their product experience: less scattered, more strategic. We moved from Photoshop (oh yes) to Sketch and then Figma, and I pushed for design systems that scale, really creating a culture of design.

Over time, my role evolved from designer to design manager, but I stayed hands-on. I led projects from concept to launch, built new products from scratch that attracted millions of users, and scaled the design team to over 15 talented creatives.

Removing the wall: 20M to 170M users

The highlight was definitely Pornhub. I know it’s taboo. But from a design and data perspective, it was genuinely fascinating. When you’re a data-driven designer and see the scale of that traffic, you can’t help but get curious.

When I took over the brand, I gave the identity a subtle refresh, modernizing the logo and fine-tuning the color palette. Enough to make it feel sharper, stronger, and just a bit more approachable (yes, even Pornhub can be friendly). Honestly, it might be the most-seen logo I’ll ever design.

When I joined, the mobile site was locked behind a paywall: users got just a few free views before hitting a wall. I joined early product discussions that questioned this model, pushed for data, and helped drive the decision to go ad-supported. We removed the barrier, rebuilt the experience, and traffic exploded. Monthly users grew 750%, from 20M to 170M, with mobile accounting for over 90% of that growth.

I owned the full mobile experience from UX flows to interface design. The goal: keep it clean, fast, and ad-friendly without annoying users. Every decision balanced engagement with monetization.

Trust over dark patterns

I led design for the premium version of the site, building the entire experience from the ground up. Through extensive A/B testing, we launched a landing page that converted at 62%. Instead of relying on dark patterns and overpriced subscriptions common in the space, we took a transparent, frictionless approach: $7.99/month, cancel anytime. Think Netflix, but… you know.

By addressing real user pain points and prioritizing clarity and trust, we generated millions in revenue in the first month and delivered a premium product people genuinely wanted.

Working on a player used by millions was truly inspiring, and for once, we launched a feature before YouTube did: a graph that highlights key moments, helping people quickly find exactly what they’re looking for.

When Kanye became creative director

Pornhub’s brand was exploding into mainstream culture, referenced in Family Guy, Rick and Morty, Euphoria, and just about every late-night show that could get away with it. I led branding work across Pornhub, PH TV, Stream, and product lines including toys and merch.

Then came the Pornhub Awards. In 2018 Kanye West signed on as Creative Director for the first-ever show, with full control of trophies, costumes, music and stage production. I collaborated with the agency he hired to design the Awards website. Surreal.

Stream

We built a platform that enabled performers to earn extra income by hosting live shows, engaging fans via video and chat. We interviewed many performers, involved them at every stage, and took their feedback seriously, which made the product both intuitive and empowering for creators.

Also shipped

• Messaging: redesigned for clarity and control, including messaging specific groups at once.
• TV: designed the full user experience.
• Web: led design across the entire web presence, even the tough parts.