Dive Club 🤿 — Tommy Smith: How Side Projects Can Land You a Dream Job
Host: Ridd
Guest: Tommy Smith
Date: February 16, 2026
Overview
In this episode, Ridd sits down with Tommy Smith, a designer who recently joined the Dive Club Talent Network. The main theme is how side projects—specifically Tommy’s “Chrono” calendar app—can transform a designer’s career trajectory. Tommy shares his journey of revamping his portfolio, the philosophy behind his work, how showcasing playful side projects can eclipse traditional client work, and the technical and creative strategies that make a portfolio stand out in today's competitive design market.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Power of Side Projects in Landing a Dream Job
- Main Argument: Side projects now reveal more about a designer’s skills, passions, and unique abilities than traditional, contracted work.
- Tommy's Perspective: Traditional work can box designers in, while side projects allow genuine skill display and experimentation.
- Quote: “We’re in an era where these side projects can tell you so much more about a designer than work that they were contracted to do and boxed into.” — Tommy [00:06]
- Ridd’s Experience: His decision to admit Tommy into the Talent Network was sealed upon seeing the Chrono project in action, not by past pedigree.
- Quote: “I played with it for like 20 seconds, and I was like, oh yeah, Tommy’s amazing. Like, of course he should be in.” — Ridd [08:52]
2. Rethinking the Designer Portfolio
Simplicity Over Heavy Design
- Portfolio Evolution: Tommy stripped his site down from an overdesigned, visually cluttered product to a more refined, digestible, and scan-friendly format.
- Quote: “I really wanted to take a sort of less is more approach...make sure this was digestible, easy to scan, easy to read.” — Tommy [01:01]
- Maintaining Personality: Though minimalist, subtle, playful elements like the animated avatar give unique character without detracting from the content.
Playful Details: Animated Avatar
- Implementation: Created with Rive, the playful robot mascot (avatar) uses lightweight, highly-integrated animation to inject personality (eyes follow the cursor).
- Philosophy: “This was me exploring Rive and just like falling in love with it … it should be everywhere on the Internet. Like, it’s Flash 2.0.” — Tommy [03:23]
- Generalist Mindset: Building this animation showcased skills outside core visual design, emphasizing the value of experimenting beyond one's main discipline.
- Quote: “I like to dip my toes in many ponds … I’m not a motion designer…but I just had so much fun building it … it would be criminal not to include it.” — Tommy [04:36]
3. Chrono: Building and Showcasing a Standout Side Project
Centering Side Projects in the Portfolio
- Strategic Hierarchy: Chrono was highlighted on the homepage and navigation, intentionally prioritizing the side project over professional client work.
- Quote: “Let’s build stuff. Let’s show the side projects. Let’s put them front and center…these side projects can tell you so much more about a designer…” — Tommy [06:58]
- Rationale: For those lacking high-profile professional work, side projects are the best way to demonstrate potential and craft.
The Journey of Creating Chrono
- Motivation: Frustration with existing calendar apps and inspiration from the craft of apps like Amy drove Tommy to build Chrono as both a showcase and learning vehicle.
- Quote: “What’s the most complex front end you can build? … a calendar dealing with time zones…it would be such a good learning tool…” — Tommy [09:19]
- Skill Growth: Tackled front-end logic and complex interactions, which improved design acumen (e.g., finessing “drag to create” interactions).
- Attention to Detail: Small micro-interactions—e.g., transitions, scale/tilt effects—were painstakingly obsessed over to make experiences feel “just right”.
- Quote: “I want everyone to know that they’ve interacted with something I’ve built…it has to feel natural, it has to be timed right, the easings have to be correct…” — Tommy [11:15]
4. The Role of AI & Design Engineering
Leveraging AI Tools
- AI as Creative Enabler: Rather than replacing designers, AI accelerates foundational coding, freeing more time for creative iteration and nuance.
- Quote: “AI does the things that I don’t want to have to think about so that I can spend time being creative, opening my mind and trying things out.” — Tommy [12:44]
- Practical Example: Tommy reuses refined micro-interactions ("Do it well once, then AI can extend it elsewhere") and uses AI-powered pipelines to bring Figma designs into code.
- Quote: “Once you’ve done it once, this can be reused in loads of different interactions…The foundations allow you to just go and be creative.” — Tommy [12:43]
Becoming a Design Engineer
- Transition: Tommy speaks about the industry’s blurred lines between designer and engineer, especially as building front end becomes more accessible.
- Quote: “If you can build these interactions...and you know what makes interacting with a product feel good, then you absolutely can be a design engineer.” — Tommy [19:47]
- Collaboration: Tommy sees design engineering as not only about personal skill but also about enabling team pipelines and bridging designer/engineer divides.
- Quote: “A lot of the design engineer role for me is about not only enabling myself to build in front end code…but my team around me as well.” — Tommy [17:42]
5. Micro-Craft: Subtle UX and Visual Details
Noteworthy Interactions in the Portfolio
- Theme Switcher: Unique transition animation using a new API, not universally supported (not in Firefox), but showcases technical curiosity.
- Case Study Navigation: Hidden gem—a custom, smooth progress/navigation bar within case studies. Example of unobtrusive, high-quality interaction.
- Quote: “There’s a fine line between just like throwing it all in there…trying to put these things in subtly is so much better…” — Tommy [23:31]
Craft as a Signal to Employers
- Intentional Craft: Details like navigation blur slides, sticky typography hierarchy, custom video previews, and image carousels all contribute to a higher perceived quality.
- Visual Hierarchy: Extreme attention to typography makes content quickly scannable for time-constrained recruiters.
- Quote: “Typography is like 90% of design. All of what we’re doing is rectangles and text. So if you’re going to get one thing right, get the typography right.” — Tommy [33:10]
6. Mindset and Advice for Aspiring Designers
Staying Curious
- Curiosity as a Superpower: Tommy credits his curiosity and hands-on exploration for rapid growth and recommends constant interaction with new products and tools.
- Quote: “Always stay curious and stay interested in what the sort of industry leaders are doing…every piece of design really is lent from somewhere else.” — Tommy [26:52]
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
- Learning from Others: Digesting and analyzing others’ work, rather than feeling intimidated, can seed one’s own design development.
Workflow & Tools
- Still Using Figma: While code is vital, Tommy still heavily leverages Figma for initial layouts and rapid iteration.
- Quote: “For me, figma’s always heavily involved in my process…It’s really essential in what I do and how I iterate quickly.” — Tommy [34:07]
7. Unique Signature: Custom Iconography
- Designing an Icon Set: Tommy’s custom icons provide a unifying, personal visual identity across all his work, boosting both confidence and project signature.
- Quote: “I loved having ownership of that. Like, this is my icon set. Like, I made this, only I use this.” — Tommy [37:32]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “If you can build these interactions and, you know, what makes them good and you know, what makes interacting with a product feel good, then you absolutely can be a design engineer. There’s nothing to stop you.” — Tommy [19:47]
- “AI does the things that I don’t want to have to think about so that I can spend time being creative, opening my mind and trying things out.” — Tommy [12:44]
- “Typography is like 90% of design. All of what we’re doing is rectangles and text. So if you’re going to get one thing right, get the typography right.” — Tommy [33:10]
- On side projects: “Put them front and center. If you’re proud of stuff, put it up and showcase it. Don’t bury it.” — Tommy [06:58]
Key Timestamps
- 00:06 — Why side projects matter more than client work
- 01:01 — Redesigning the portfolio: less is more
- 03:21 — The animated avatar and experimenting with Rive
- 06:44 — Structuring the portfolio to highlight Chrono
- 09:04 — What makes Chrono special: learning by building complexity
- 11:15 — Micro-interactions and the importance of feel in design
- 14:00 — Using AI to amplify creativity, not replace it
- 17:08 — Redefining the role from product designer to design engineer
- 22:02 — Favorite interactions: theme switcher, case study navigation
- 26:52 — Mindset and advice for early-career designers
- 33:10 — Visual hierarchy and skimmable typography
- 34:07 — Figma’s enduring role for rapid prototyping
- 37:27 — The impact of designing a personal iconography system
Conclusion
Tommy Smith’s journey demonstrates that a thoughtfully designed portfolio fueled by curiosity, care for micro-interactions, and a willingness to go deep on side projects is one of the most effective ways for a designer to stand out and land top opportunities today. Highlighting playfulness, technical range, and a uniquely personal touch (through custom icons and interactions) signals to teams not just competence but passion and commitment to the craft. For designers looking to level up—or break into—top-tier roles, Tommy’s advice is clear: stay curious, build what you wish existed, sweat the details, and showcase your side projects boldly.
For more key takeaways and resources, visit: Dive Club