About

Hello, I’m Charlie 👋

Hi, I'm Charlie Ellington. I'm a former startup founder turned designer–developer who loves nothing more than building products that solve real problems. For years, I was a product designer working in Figma, always handing off my designs to developers or collaborating with engineering teams. But in 2024, after returning from a sabbatical, something clicked – I started coding with AI and rapidly discovered an incredible workflow. I became addicted to iterating and reviewing my processes every week, and I realized something profound: what I truly love about design is creating. Now that I can both design AND code, I'm finally able to see my ideas come to life completely. I really am creating.

After a decade in the startup world wearing every hat from marketing to CEO, this newfound ability to create end-to-end has transformed how I work. I've had some wild adventures along the way: I taught sailing in my early 20s, co-founded a yoga retreat business (that unexpectedly grew to over €1 M in revenue), and even led a 40-person design team in the Web3 space. Not everything was smooth sailing (I definitely hit my share of storms and failures along the way!), but through it all one thing stayed constant: I love crafting bold, user-centered designs that make a difference. The difference now? I don't just design them – I build them too.

In 2023, after years of leading a fast-growing design studio left me drained, I stepped away completely. I built a campervan and spent months living off-grid, surfing at sunrise, with my computer gathering dust. No Discord, no deadlines, just waves and freedom. That sabbatical was a game-changer – it helped me rediscover my core values: freedom, craft, and doing work that truly serves people. When I returned to work in early 2024, I knew I wanted something different. I launched Zebra Design as a solo venture and discovered coding with AI. Now I get to choose projects I believe in, partner directly with fellow founders, and pour all my experience into creating complete products – from the first sketch to the final line of code. No handoffs, no translation issues, just pure creation.

(In short: I've been in your shoes as a founder, and I bring that perspective to everything I create. No hype – just honest collaboration and the joy of bringing ideas to life, completely.)

Teams I’ve worked with

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Timeline

2024–Present — Zebra Design (solo venture)

Returned from sabbatical with clarity and launched Zebra Design. The game-changer? I discovered coding with AI and found my true calling – creating. No more hand-offs to developers, no more lost-in-translation moments. Now I design in Figma and build in code, seeing my ideas come to life completely. It’s addictive. I’m having more fun than ever because I’m finally doing what I love most: creating products from start to finish.

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Early 2024 — Return to work & finding flow

After months away, I slowly returned to work with a new perspective. I realised that design puts me in a flow state like nothing else – that feeling of complete absorption where hours disappear. This insight, combined with discovering AI coding tools, transformed how I approach creation. I wasn’t just returning to work; I was evolving into something new.

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2025 (planned) — Growing family

We’re expecting our first daughter in Dec 2025 😊. As my family grows, so does my commitment to designing a life (and career) that we love. (Yes, we’re still chasing waves – just with a baby on board soon!)

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2023 — Meeting Bene

In the midst of that reset, I met my partner, Bene. She taught me a lot about balance – how to flow rather than fixate. Life’s a lot richer when you leave space for serendipity (both in relationships and in work).

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2023 — Surfing & values reset

Months of dawn patrol with my computer gathering dust. No work, just waves. This complete disconnection from tech gave me space to reflect on what really matters: freedom (living on my own terms), craft (creating things I’m proud of), and service (building things that genuinely help people). By stepping away completely, I found clarity on how I wanted to return.

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2023 — Remote-work campervan

After leaving the studio, I took a real sabbatical – a complete break from tech. Built a new campervan from scratch and lived off-grid for months. No computer, no Discord, no deadlines. Just sunrise surf sessions and the freedom to do absolutely nothing productive. It was exactly what I needed to reset and remember why I create in the first place.

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2019–2023 — Deep Work Studio

Founded & scaled Deep Work from zero to 30+ multidisciplinary designers, transitioning from a founder-owned agency to a collective-ownership model. As Creative Director I led multiple 5-person squads and facilitated workshops that aligned founders and engineers on product vision. We delivered research-driven design for 50+ leading Web3 teams – including the Ethereum Foundation, MakerDAO, ConsenSys and many others.

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2017–2019 — Freelance design beginnings

Discovered product design by accident. I volunteered to redesign a dashboard for Nexus Mutual (a crypto project) just for fun. That one open-source pull request snowballed into paid freelance gigs, and before I knew it I had leapt full-time into product design. I realised I’d found my passion.

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2018 — Electric yacht conversion

When the diesel engine on my old sailboat died, I literally taught myself electronics via YouTube and converted the boat to electric. Ripped out the fumes, wired up solar panels and batteries, and installed a silent motor. It was my first hardware hack – and it worked! This project gave me a huge confidence boost in my self-taught engineering skills (and a much quieter ride at sea).

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2013–2017 — Yoga retreats in Ibiza & the Alps

Co-founded a yoga-holiday startup with friends and, through scrappy marketing and a demand-based pricing model I designed, bootstrapped it to over €1 M revenue in just two years. I focused on growth strategy and business operations while a lean team handled the day-to-day retreats. That experience showed me the power of smart positioning and pricing – lessons I still apply today.

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2008–2012 — Sailing-instructor summers

Spent my summers teaching sailing. Working with crews of all ages taught me teamwork and leadership. I was obsessed with time on the water – so much that I realised I’d rather chart my own course in life than take a typical office job.

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1989–2007 — Ocean roots

I've been sailing since I was a kid (and started kitesurfing at 11). Growing up on the water taught me to love adventure and challenge – a mindset that's shaped everything I do.