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Work

Don’t take my
word for it.

Open any of it. Each case is labeled for what it is.

Perception-First Design™ consulting for branding, brand development and marketing strategy. Five cases below, each with its receipt.

01Reference builda paid engagement’s build

Mehrwerk

B2B2C platform · 700+ people across Europe and the Americas

Information and messaging architecture a whole leadership team supports.

“The work you’ve done has been super valuable in shaping our thinking.”
Mehrwerk, May 2026
Engagement
Paid engagement: a homepage concept, a reference build and a public design rationale.
Result
Their web vendor is now implementing it on the architecture I defined.

Published with Mehrwerk’s permission.

02Demo rebuildthe homepage I wanted to build while I was there

Simply Smart Home

Smart digital frames and lighting automation

The lifestyle photographs in the demo were generated from their own product images.

Their homepage, rebuilt on their own style guide so the page frames each photograph the way their frames do.

Engagement
A working demo of their homepage, designed and directed solo.
Result
Under five hours of work in total. With context engineering on my work folder for the brand, one prompt built the first version in about three hours; the polish, spread over two days, took the rest.

Published with Simply Smart Home’s permission.

The lifestyle photographs in the demo were generated from their own product images.

03Staginga paid client site, ahead of its launch

Matthew Frederick

San Francisco oil painter · forty years of work in oil

A painter’s site that became his catalog: 61 paintings, each with its own page and a way to ask about it.

Engagement
Paid engagement, signed after he saw the first build.
Result
Built on staging, set to replace his current site once he settles his prices and terms.

Published with Matthew Frederick’s permission.

04Prototypea redesign I proposed

Vacuum Sealers Unlimited

Online store for vacuum sealers, bags and processing equipment

The scene photos in the proposal are generated stand-ins; the product photos are the store’s own.

A specialist store I rebuilt in 2019 and still run. The redesign keeps everything that works and is built so the first thirty seconds show it.

Engagement
Store rebuilt 2019 and run since · redesign proposed June 2026
Result
Online as a working prototype: one theme in the store’s own colors and type, two new directions.
Earlier result
Since my 2019 rebuild, the store has grown, quadrupling revenue to $5M+ annually.

Published with Vacuum Sealers Unlimited’s permission.

Prototype style

The scene photos in the proposal are generated stand-ins; the product photos are the store’s own.

05Own productdesigned and directed solo

Cognograph

Spatial AI canvas · web app and desktop builds · source on GitHub under AGPL-3.0

Context engineering for people who think visually. Instead of writing it into files and commands, you arrange it on a canvas: what you connect, and how, is what the AI reads.

Engagement
My own product · designed and directed solo · January 2026 to now
Result
The free web demo is live, no account needed.

What you can hire

Perception-First Design™ consulting

For branding, brand development and marketing strategy.

Some of these results are older than the name. I practiced the method for years before I named it.

Stefan Kovalik   San Francisco

Send me your site.

I’ll tell you what I’d change. No pitch, just an honest read. If it makes sense to work together, we will.

Weekday response within 48 hours.

I have room right now.