Derrik Engel
Web/UI Designer &
Front-End Developer
Web/UI Designer &
I became interested in developing websites at the age of 13 when my father set up a Geocities account for me to start fiddling with my own site. By the time I was 16, I was starting to do small freelance projects for local businesses, family, and friends. After graduating high school, I attended The Illinois Institute of Art - Schaumburg, where I received my BFA in Interactive Media Design.
In 2005, during my final quarter at ILIA, office supply retailer, Quill, hired me as a design intern to work with their e-commerce team. During my time with Quill, I collaborated with the marketing team to design and develop promotional landing pages, banners, and product advertisements.
At the end of my internship in 2005, I was hired full-time by web development company, Americaneagle.com, as a Front-end Developer in the Sports Department. AE quickly saw my skills in other areas as I offered my help in design, Flash development, and media. My role evolved to include full site designs, large Flash projects, A/V editing and encoding, account management, and project management. After three years in the Sports Department, I was asked if I would like to move to the Graphics Department and shift my focus entirely to design. In 2008 I became a Graphic Artist at AE and spent the next three years designing over 150 different websites for a variety of corporate, sports and entertainment, e-commerce, schools, government, and association clients. I also became heavily involved in mobile website and app design, creating standards for many of the mobile pages developed at Americaneagle.com.
I spend my free time with my wife and two children, following hockey and Formula 1, and writing music.