Systems thinker. Visual storyteller. Brand builder.

I'm Gabriel Leni.
Integrated Product & Brand Designer.
London, UK.
10+ years leading teams across digital product, brand, and experience design.
Companies I have collaborated with
Services

Product Design

Brand Strategy

Multimedia Production

Creative Direction

Brand Strategy and Management

Project Management

Mentoring and Team Leadership

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Design
Midjourney, DALL·E, ChatGPT, Claude, Runway

Customer Experience (CX), User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI)

Design Systems and Component Libraries
Figma, Google Material 3, Dell DS, Storybook, Zeplin

Design Frameworks and Research Methods
Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking, Lean UX

User Testing & Prototyping
UserTesting, Maze, Typeform, Google Analytics A/B Testing

Front-End Development and Web Design

Accessibility and Inclusive Design
W3C standards, ISO standards, WCAG

Coding Languages
JavaScript, C#, HTML, CSS

Development Platforms: Unity

Visual Design and Art Direction

Digital and Print Design

Traditional Media and Illustration

Character Design and Concept Art

Animation and Motion Graphics

3D Design and Modeling

Sound Design and Audio Editing

Music Composition and Production

Creative Direction

Brand Strategy and Management

Project Management

Mentoring and Team Leadership

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Design
Midjourney, DALL·E, ChatGPT, Claude, Runway

Customer Experience (CX), User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI)

Design Systems and Component Libraries
Figma, Google Material 3, Dell DS, Storybook, Zeplin

Design Frameworks and Research Methods
Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking, Lean UX

User Testing & Prototyping
UserTesting, Maze, Typeform, Google Analytics A/B Testing

Front-End Development and Web Design

Accessibility and Inclusive Design
W3C standards, ISO standards, WCAG

Coding Languages
JavaScript, C#, HTML, CSS

Development Platforms: Unity

Visual Design and Art Direction

Digital and Print Design

Traditional Media and Illustration

Character Design and Concept Art

Animation and Motion Graphics

3D Design and Modeling

Sound Design and Audio Editing

Music Composition and Production

Project & Workflow Management
Monday.com, Asana, Jira, Hive, Trello

Coding & Development
JavaScript, C#, HTML, CSS, Unity

Product Design & UX/UI
Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, Maze, Lottie Animations, UserTesting.com, WordPress, Elementor

Design & Multimedia
Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Animate

3D & Motion Design
Blender, 3ds Max

Sound Design & Audio Production
Reaper, Cubase, FL Studio, Pro Tools, FMOD

AI Tools & Generative Design
ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL·E, Runway, Adobe Firefly, Spline AI, Adobe Sensei

Projects

Mangahigh

Education Technology.
London, UK

Managed Mangahigh’s products, brand, games and marketing, overseeing strategy and design while cutting production time by 90% and increasing adoption and engagement through all channels.

Handmade Illustrations

Graphite, Charcoal, Coloured Pencils & Others.

This series features hyperreal pencil portraits of icons like Dave Gahan, Grimes, Utada Hikaru, and Bruce Lee, blending technical skill with a unique take on celebrity and identity.

Music Bands ~ Branding and Multimedia

Music Bands.
UK

Branding, Video Production, Visuals, Merchandising for multiple international musical projects.

Clean Cooling Network ~
University of Birmingham

Climate Change and Academia.
London, UK

Design consultancy for Cold-chain and Climate Change organisation.

Dhalman

Games.
Japan

Game Art in collaboration with Street Fighter 2
legendary artist Satoru Yamashita.

Dharma Centre For Workplace Wellbeing

Wellness.
London, UK

Branding and Product design for Workplace Wellbeing company.

Argentum Online - Noland Studios

Games.
UK, Argentina

Legendary first MMORPG from Argentina.
Art and Sound Design

Bons Psychology

Wellness.
Malta

Branding and Product Design for Psychology and Wellbeing company.

Zondax

Fintech.
Switzerland

Design consultancy for Blockchain/Fintech company.

Miguelina - Un Recuerdo Pixelado

Pixel Art Children Book.
Argentina

“Miguelina, un recuerdo pixelado” is a short story by Guillermina Casero that blends nostalgia with quiet intimacy. Fully illustrated and designed using Pixel Art.

About

I’m a British-Italian-Argentinian senior designer based in London, with over 10 years of experience delivering premium, innovative design solutions to global brands.

Blending a solid background in computer science with a flair for graphic design, I create standout work in product design, branding, and multimedia: from pixel art and 3D to hand-drawn illustrations. I’ve successfully led diverse creative teams and built strong client partnerships, always pushing the boundaries of design to exceed expectations.

Testimonials

Toby Rowland

Founder & CEO, King - Candy Crush

Gabriel did a fantastic job on urgent game design projects!

He was communicative, responsive to feedback, and thoughtful in how he translated ideas into strong, user-centered design concepts.

His background in designing educational games and working on the UX of MangaHigh’s products was clearly evident— he brought both creativity and usability to the table.


And the best part? It worked. We saw record engagement, and schools still talk about it years later.

Overall, Gabriel was a pleasure to work with!

Mohit Midha

Founder and CEO, Mangahigh / Blue Duck Education / Hoogly

Back at Mangahigh, we were brainstorming how to boost student engagement— While the rest of us were still figuring out how it might work, Gabriel Leni quietly sketched out the entire framework:

Landing pages designed to convert.
Leaderboards that kept schools coming back daily.
Trophies and digital medals that made kids feel like heroes.

It wasn’t just design. It was systems thinking, gamification, and emotionally intelligent storytelling, all wrapped into one cohesive experience.

If you’re lucky enough to have Gabriel Leni on your team—hold on tight! He is incredible.

Alex Cull

VP of Marketing, Mangahigh

Gabriel was a brilliant asset to the team and someone I wish I could take with me throughout my own career!

His skills helped define and evolve the brand strategy whilst supporting peers in all areas of the business to ensure a consistency and quality throughout.

Alongside his exceptional design skills, Gabriel was a brilliant mentor to junior designers while tackling large projects on his own for the marketing team.

I highly appreciated his teamwork, expertise and natural creative drive which make him a brilliant person for anyone who works with him!

Cesar Gamio

Founder & CEO, Dharma Centre for Workplace Wellbeing

Gabriel has excelled on every project with exceptional design skills and a thoughtful and meticulous approach that has blown me away every time.

He is exceptionally talented in visualising and bringing your brand goals to life, and approaches each project with that overall vision
in mind.

If you want a reliable, consistent, and beautiful brand design that connects with your audience then you’re in safe hands with Gabriel. 11/10!

Product Design - UX/UI

As a Lead Product Designer, I’ve improved the user experience of multiple digital products, leading cross-functional teamsand mentoring junior designers.

  • Lead the UX improvement of multiple digital products, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams.

  • Mentored junior designers, fostering growth and maintaining high design standards across projects.

  • Specialized in building and scaling design systems for complex platforms with a focus on usability and consistency.

  • Used a data-driven, iterative process, validating ideas through rapid testing and real user feedback.

  • Leveraged behavioral insights and KPIs to design solutions that address real user pain points throughout the entire journey.

  • Brought a development background to the table, ensuring smooth collaboration with engineering from concept to deployment.

Branding Strategy & Brand Management

With experience in-house as Lead Designer, in design studios, freelancing, and consultancy, I deliver end-to-end brand systems across digital and print.

  • Led branding strategy for global organisations across edtech, fintech, wellbeing, fashion, luxury, and gaming.

  • Collaborated with companies in the UK, US, Japan, Switzerland, Spain, Malta, and other international markets.

  • Managed projects from concept to execution, working directly with stakeholders to define creative direction.

  • Ensured brand initiatives aligned with business KPIs.

  • Applied a data-driven approach to increase brand awareness and reduce production costs across channels.

Multimedia Design

My creative work spans a broad range: Digital and Print for companies, and a wide arrange of artistic skills varying from hyperreal pencil portraits and high-detailpixel art to 3D design, motion graphics, animation and sound design.

I’ve produced visual and audio content for games, music bands, instructional media, and branded campaigns, delivering full-spectrum storytelling across platforms.

From concept to final cut, I combine artistic versatility with technical skill to craft immersive, high-impact content.

Mangahigh

Mangahigh, a global EdTech company, underwent a major brand evolution under my direction and direct involvement, improving consistency, efficiency, and market positioning.

Branding Strategy & Brand Management

As Lead Designer at Mangahigh, I led the brand evolution, cut production time and costs, and built a visual system for fast global rollouts and stronger brand recognition.

Key contributions:

  • Cut campaign production time by 90% by streamlining workflows and mentoring designers

  • Created Mangahigh’s full visual identity, from logo to color system

  • Built unified brand architecture across all products

  • Delivered global campaigns that boosted user growth and engagement

  • Built reusable design systems to cut costs and maintain brand consistency

  • Boosted brand awareness, validated by testing and internal metrics

Product Design & DesignOps

As Lead Product Designer at Mangahigh, I was responsible for the UX and UI of the company’s core products—including the main website and the full Teacher and Student Experience. I led a multidisciplinary design team and worked closely with developers, stakeholders, and the C-suite to redefine the product vision and improve usability across the board.

Key contributions:

  • Led and mentored a team of UX/UI designers and artists to deliver high-impact, user-focused solutions

  • Collaborated cross-functionally with developers and executives to align design direction with product goals

  • Conducted in-depth analysis of student and teacher user journeys to identify pain points and optimize flows

  • Created two custom Design Systems tailored to the distinct needs of teacher and student interfaces

  • Redesigned core product experiences to enhance usability, accessibility, and visual coherence

  • Achieved 70–90% increases in conversion and task success rates after implementation

KPIs Test A: Current Platform Test B: Implementing New Features
Task Success Rate
80%
90%
Time on Task
66.9s
29s
Mis-click Rate
55%
33%

Game Design

As Lead Product Designer at Mangahigh, I helped shape the company’s most engaging educational games by blending strong visual design with pedagogical intent. My collaboration with Toby Rowland (Founder and former CEO of King, creators of Candy Crush) led to Beavers Build It!, Mangahigh’s most played multiplayer game, focused on fractions and proportions.

Key contributions:

  • Led the full development of Beavers Build It! from concept and GDD to final design, including all characters, animations, and UI assets

  • Created original music and sound effects to enhance gameplay and student immersion

  • Worked on multiple other titles such as Jetstream Riders, RoboOps, Bubble Function, and Little Rain Cloud

  • Designed game assets, contributed music, supported game design, and participated in hands-on testing across all titles

  • Helped drive student engagement through games that made abstract math concepts fun and accessible

  • Demonstrated creative leadership and full production ownership, which led to my promotion to Lead Designer at Mangahigh

Multimedia and Marketing

As Lead Designer at Mangahigh, I managed and executed the production of digital and print assets that significantly reduced costs and turnaround times while boosting engagement with students and teachers. From concept to delivery, I ensured every asset served a strategic purpose—supporting marketing goals, streamlining operations, and strengthening global brand recognition.

Key contributions:

  • Designed scalable templates and communication materials that reduced design time and agency spend

  • Produced engaging instructional videos and merchandising that increased classroom participation

  • Created event stands, trophies, and medals that elevated the brand’s presence at global education events

  • Delivered dozens of end-to-end marketing campaigns with faster launch cycles and measurable engagement gains

  • Composed and produced the company’s jingle to reinforce brand identity in a memorable, student-friendly way

  • Helped establish Mangahigh as a global edtech leader while improving educator buy-in through consistent, high-impact visuals

Hand-Drawn Illustrations

This series features hyperreal pencil portraits of figures like Dave Gahan, Grimes, Utada Hikaru, and Bruce Lee, along with vibrant coloured pencil works. Each piece is crafted with precision, capturing not just likeness but the essence of these cultural icons. Having participated in multiple exhibitions, this project blends technical expertise with a fresh artistic take on celebrity and identity.

Music Bands

As a designer and visual artist, I translate a band’s sound, energy, and story into bold, cohesive visuals that amplify their identity and connect with their audience. From gritty underground acts to globally touring bands, I craft design systems that bring their music to life across every touchpoint.

  • Developed full visual identities for international rock bands, aligning design with genre, tone, and audience

  • Created logos that reflect each band’s unique sound and evolution

  • Designed album artwork that captures the mood and narrative of the music

  • Directed and produced music videos and animated content to support single and album releases

  • Designed stage visuals and motion graphics for live shows and touring campaigns

  • Delivered artwork across digital, print, and merch, ensuring visual consistency and impact

Clean Cooling Network ~ Design Consultancy

The Clean Cooling Network (CCN) is a global initiative led by the University of Birmingham and international partners, aiming to advance sustainable cooling and cold-chain solutions. It focuses on improving food security, health, and rural livelihoods in developing regions through climate-friendly technologies and knowledge-sharing platforms.

CCN actively participates in international events to promote sustainable cooling solutions, featuring workshops, demonstrations, and policy discussions on sustainable cooling practices. Additionally, CCN contributed to discussions on clean cooling at COP28, held in Dubai.

Summary

  • Provided consultancy and design support for communications and outreach materials

  • Collaborated with researchers and policy experts to distill complex climate and engineering data

  • Created impactful visual content for global stakeholders in sustainability and development

Key Achievements

  • Designed presentations, infographics, and brochures used at major international events, including COP and forums in the UK, Dubai, and Rwanda

  • Helped communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences, from policymakers to grassroots organizations

  • Contributed to the visibility and accessibility of climate-friendly cooling solutions through clear, audience-tailored design

 

 

Dharma Centre For Workplace Wellbeing

The Dharma Centre for Workplace Wellbeing is a UK-based consultancy that helps organizations improve mental health, wellbeing, and safety at work. They specialize in aligning businesses with international standards like ISO 45003 for psychological health and safety.

  • Workplace wellbeing consulting

  • Leadership and mental health training

  • ISO 45003 compliance support

  • Online learning via the Dharma Academy

Founded by César Gamio, they focus on helping companies reduce risk, boost engagement, and meet legal obligations around employee wellbeing.

Branding Strategy & Product Design

Summary & Achievements

  • Developed the full branding strategy for Dharma and Dharma Academy, including visual identity and brand guidelines

  • Designed logos, brochures, presentations, and event stands to ensure consistent brand presence across all touchpoints

  • Created and implemented design assets for the Dharma Academy educational platform built on Kajabi

  • Built a cohesive design system to support all of Dharma’s communications, digital products, and learning materials

Bons Psychology

Bons Psychology is a Malta-born mental health initiative dedicated to making affordable, accessible, and emotionally grounded psychological resources available to all. Founded by someone deeply inspired by the rich cultural and personal stories of the island, Bons Psychology is built on a deep curiosity about human behavior, personal growth, and emotional healing.

Branding Strategy & Brand Management

Summary & Achievements

  • Crafted the complete branding strategy for Bons Psychology, from concept to execution

  • Designed a distinctive visual identity including logo, color palette, and signature brand elements

  • Developed cohesive brand guidelines and kits to ensure consistent application across all platforms

Miguelina - Un Recuerdo Pixelado

“Miguelina, un recuerdo pixelado” is a short story by Guillermina Casero that blends nostalgia with quiet intimacy.

Set in the early 1990s in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, it captures the unexpected friendship between Guillermina and Miguelina, a Ukrainian woman whose warmth and wisdom leave a lasting mark. What begins as a chance encounter becomes a deep and enduring connection that Guillermina still carries with her today.