Profile: jonny.gotham

Related Focuses: Design, Anthropology, New York, Life
Related Sites: Portfolio, Interview, Twitter

Hello.

My name is Jonathan Lu, and I am a designer currently living in Southern California. I usually work under the moniker of jonny gotham, an identity I created as a nod to my roots and the home that I was never officially a resident of, New York City. Someday, I’ll move back there…

I graduated from Cornell University, majoring in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, which is fancy-speak for business consulting and systems optimization, or just plain old making things work better. Halfway through my senior year though, I decided I couldn’t take any more formulas or live my life working on Wall Street, and thus started a focused study on design under Professor Jack Elliott. I owe that guy a lot, taking a chance on an engineer that wanted to do design, and I consider him a good friend/mentor/colleague to this day.

My design work is primarily related to the internet, creating websites and user experiences for various things. I use the broader term “Designer” as a title though, because it encompasses a lot more of my passion and abilities, having worked within the specialties of graphic design and print design. I hope to soon branch out even more, eventually doing things in fashion, industrial, and motion design.

I currently work independently as a specialist of sorts, typically working with corporate clients in efforts to fill gaps in their existing team’s skill set or to help streamline their operations to get a particular project completed. With my mishmash of experience, I can often be found writing code, designing with grids, coordinating teams, and liaising with vendors and managers throughout the day. Recently, my work with ditech.com led to its recognition as the second best mortgage lender website in the nation with special focus on usability (this was before the domino fall and the competition being wiped out!).

In my free time I like to watch dramatic movies and television shows, with House, M.D. being my favorite. I like to write, which led me to create this site so many years ago, but fell short of becoming a full time English Major my sophomore year because I feared bastardizing when the hobby became a job. I am currently trying to teach myself piano, read faster, and build an empire.

I hope you like the site and its contributors, the writings, and the content.

Previously Written