Systems thinker. Visual storyteller. Brand builder.

Gabriel Leni
Senior Product & Visual Designer · London, UK

I turn complex briefs into clear brands, digital experiences and visual communication. From concept to delivery, I bring creative direction and hands-on design together.

About my practice

Creative range. Clear thinking.

10+ yearsAcross brands, digital products and visual communication.
Product & UX/UIDigital experiences, interfaces and design systems.
Ideas brought to lifeFrom bold graphics to motion and 3D, I create multimedia that grabs attention and makes ideas click.

I work across product design, UX/UI, branding and visual communication, helping teams build useful digital experiences and consistent design systems. My work spans education, engineering, wellbeing and technology, connecting clear interfaces and strong visual ideas with real business goals.

Portfolio

Selected work.

Brands, products and ideas, brought to life. Explore the projects for my role and finished work.

Mangahigh
UX/UI/Product

Education Technology, EdTech
London, UK

Led Mangahigh’s product, brand, games and marketing design,
cutting production time by 90% while driving adoption and engagement.

Buro Happold

Architecture, Engineering & Consulting
London, UK

Leading visual communication across international architecture, engineering and infrastructure projects,
creating information design, data visualisation, digital experiences, motion and 3D in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

Clean Cooling Network
University of Birmingham

Climate Change and Academia.
London, UK

Design consultancy for a cold-chain and climate-change organisation, supporting clear communication of complex subjects.

Dharma Wellbeing

Wellness, Edtech.
London, UK

Design systems for an education platform, with brand identity, print, presentations, brochures and experiential design.

ZondaX

FinTech, Blockchain
Switzerland

Design systems and UX/UI for websites and digital platforms.

Bons Psychology

Healthcare, Wellness
Malta

Brand identity across print, brochures, social media, motion graphics and video.

Argentum Online

Gaming
UK / Argentina

Design work, motion and sound design.

Traditional Media Artwork

Drawings in graphite, charcoal and coloured pencil.

Motion Graphics & Multimedia

Educational videos, music videos, 3D, and other multimedia.

Product Design / UX / UI

Design systems, design operations and UX/UI projects.

In their words

Nice things people have said.

Feedback from the people I’ve worked with. Hover or tap to pause and read.

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!

Cesar Gamio

Founder & CEODharma Centre for Workplace Wellbeing

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!

Toby Rowland

Founder & CEOKing / Candy Crush

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 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.

Mohit Midha

Founder & CEOMangahigh / Blue Duck Education / Hoogly

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!

Alex Cull

VP of MarketingMangahigh / Blue Duck Education

Of all the candidates we interviewed, Gabriel was the only one who could genuinely deliver everything he said he could.

Gabriel combines strong creative judgement with the ability to work independently, solve problems quickly and take ownership of complex projects from start to finish. He proved himself to be a highly capable and versatile senior designer who could be trusted to turn difficult briefs into finished work.

His breadth of skills, from visual design and complex reports to digital, motion and technical creative work, meant he could take on an unusually wide range of projects and deliver them to a high standard.

Linaka Greensword

Creative Director/Visual CommunicationBuro Happold

Let’s work together

Looking for a senior designer?

Bring me your brief, your team’s challenge or your next design opportunity.

[email protected]

Mangahigh

Product, brand and play. One connected experience.

At Mangahigh, I brought product design, brand strategy and creative production together to make maths learning clearer, more engaging and easier to deliver at scale.

My roleLead Designer / Lead Product Designer
ScopeUX/UI · Design systems · Branding · Educational games · Motion & sound

Branding Strategy & Brand Management

I evolved Mangahigh’s identity into a consistent brand system that could support products and campaigns across global markets.

  • A coherent identity: logo, colour system and brand architecture across the product family.
  • Faster creative delivery: streamlined workflows, reusable templates and designer mentoring reduced campaign production time by 90%.
  • One system, many formats: campaigns, print, events and digital assets shared a recognisable visual language.

Product Design & DesignOps

I led UX/UI across Mangahigh’s website and teacher and student experiences, working with designers, artists, developers and leadership to connect product goals with usability.

  • Understand the experience: analysed teacher and student journeys to identify friction and improve flows.
  • Design for distinct needs: created two design systems for teacher and student interfaces.
  • Deliver consistently: mentored the design team and developed clearer handover and design workflows.

Results shown in the comparison below: task success rose from 80% to 90%, time on task fell from 66.9 to 29 seconds, and the mis-click rate fell from 55% to 33%.

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

I helped turn maths concepts into games students wanted to play. Working with Toby Rowland, I developed Beavers Build It!, a multiplayer game about fractions and proportions.

  • From idea to screen: game concept and design documentation, characters, animation and UI assets.
  • A complete sensory experience: original music and sound effects to bring the game to life.
  • Across the game library: assets, music, design contributions and hands-on testing for Jetstream Riders, RoboOps, Bubble Function and Little Rain Cloud.

Multimedia and Marketing

From campaigns and instructional videos to event stands and sound, I created multimedia that made the brand feel consistent wherever students and teachers encountered it.

  • Creative production at scale: reusable templates, communication materials and campaigns across digital and print.
  • Learning brought to life: instructional videos, classroom materials and merchandising.
  • Beyond the screen: event stands, trophies and medals for global education events.
  • A recognisable sound: an original company jingle to reinforce the brand.

Buro Happold

Making complex ideas clear.

At Buro Happold, I translate technical information into engaging visual communication for international architecture, engineering and infrastructure projects.

My roleSenior Visual Communications Designer
ScopeInformation design · Data visualisation · Digital experiences · Motion & 3D · Team mentoring

Visual Communication & Information Design

I work alongside multidisciplinary teams to make complex projects easier to understand, for both technical and non-technical audiences.

  • Clarity at every scale: visual systems, information design, data visualisations and presentations.
  • Ideas in motion: interactive, motion and 3D content using After Effects, Cinema 4D and Unreal Engine.
  • Creative leadership: line management, mentoring, design reviews and guidance for junior designers.
A note on the work

Selected project work is confidential and cannot be displayed publicly.

Clean Cooling Network

Clear design for a cooler, more sustainable world.

I helped the Clean Cooling Network communicate complex climate and engineering ideas through accessible, audience-focused design.

My roleDesign consultant
ContextUniversity of Birmingham & international partners · Sustainable cooling & cold chains

From technical detail to a clear story

Working with researchers and policy experts, I developed communication and outreach materials for global stakeholders in sustainability and development.

  • Make the information useful: translate complex climate and engineering data into clear visual content.
  • Design across formats: presentations, infographics and brochures for international events and outreach.
  • Connect with different audiences: tailor communication for policymakers, researchers and grassroots organisations.

Dharma Wellbeing

A wellbeing brand, built to connect.

I brought Dharma’s consultancy and learning academy together through a coherent identity, digital learning experience and a flexible design system.

My roleBrand & digital designer
ScopeBrand strategy · Visual identity · Design systems · Digital learning · Print & events

Branding Strategy & Product Design

I developed the branding strategy and visual identity for Dharma and Dharma Academy, then carried the system across the learning platform and everyday communications.

  • One connected identity: logos, visual language and brand guidelines for the consultancy and academy.
  • Learning online: design assets for the Dharma Academy education platform, built on Kajabi.
  • Consistency across touchpoints: brochures, presentations, event stands and learning materials supported by a cohesive design system.

Bons Psychology

An approachable identity for mental wellbeing.

I developed Bons Psychology’s identity from concept to execution, creating a clear and consistent visual language for the Malta-based mental health initiative.

My roleBrand designer
ScopeBrand strategy · Visual identity · Brand guidelines · Brand toolkit

Branding Strategy & Brand Management

I built the foundations of a recognisable brand and a practical toolkit for applying it consistently.

  • A distinctive identity: logo, colour palette and signature brand elements.
  • A coherent system: brand guidelines and kits to support consistent application across platforms.
  • From concept to execution: a complete branding strategy brought together in the brand document below.

Explore the brand document using the page controls below.

Hand-Drawn Illustrations

Colour, texture and a closer look.

A selection of portraits and drawings in graphite, charcoal and coloured pencil, exploring likeness, light and detail.

MediumGraphite · Charcoal · Coloured pencil
FocusPortraits · Likeness · Light & texture

Browse with the gallery arrows, or select a drawing to view it at full size.

Motion & Multimedia

Images in motion. Stories with sound.

I create motion graphics, animation, 3D and sound for games, music, instructional media and branded campaigns, bringing ideas from concept to final cut.

PracticeMotion · Animation · 3D · Sound
Selected workMusic visuals · Pixel art · Game animation · Instructional media

Choose a film below to play. Sound and playback are in your control.

Product Design & UX/UI

Clear interfaces. Better digital experiences.

As a Lead Product Designer, I improve digital products through UX, UI and design systems, working with cross-functional teams and mentoring junior designers.

FocusProduct design · UX/UI · Design systems
ApproachRapid testing · User feedback · Close collaboration with engineering

Explore two walkthroughs of my product design work at Mangahigh below.

Design that works as a system.

I lead UX improvements across digital products, collaborating with cross-functional teams to make complex platforms more usable and consistent.

I build and scale design systems, and mentor junior designers to maintain high standards across projects.

Test, learn, improve.

I validate ideas through rapid testing and real user feedback, using behavioural insights and KPIs to address pain points across the user journey.

My development background helps me work closely with engineering, from the first concept through to implementation.