Hi, I’m Phil Zelnar. I’ve been designing and building things (usually websites) for almost twenty years.


My Backstory

Put simply: I’ve been around the block! My design days started out at 50,000feet in Chicago, where I worked on branding and print projects for clients like BMW, IntercontinentalExchange, and Target. And because I’m a design nerd, I also moonlighted at Loveleaf Press, learning the ins and outs of letterpress and bookmaking. After a few years of agency life, I moved to Washington, D.C. to tackle interactive design at Oceana — a non-profit close to my heart.

With agency and NPO experience under my belt, I opened a boutique design firm called Poccuo with writer Chris Maier and designers Mason Kessinger and Kim Zingale. Our squad of four (along with some really talented freelancers) focused on “doing good work for good people,” like The Atlantic, The Gates Foundation, PEW, and the Washington Post. As founder I did a little bit of everything — design, dev, project management, business admin, and janitorial. After five years, we wound down to pursue other interests (and locations), and I taught design at American University for a bit.

In 2016 I moved to Denver, where I continue to partner with clients big and small, usually on UI/UX projects, and sometimes on print and branding. I’m also a “business coach” — helping other creatives with the financial side of things. And the rest of the time I’m probably in the mountains running or biking.

I’ve Worked With

  • The Atlantic
  • BMW/MINI
  • Brookings
  • CHANGE
  • The Catalyst Schools
  • Food & Water Watch
  • The Gates Foundation
  • The Immokalee Foundation
  • IntercontinentalExchange
  • The Newberry Library
  • Oceana
  • PEW
  • Target
  • Thirst Design
  • University of Illinois
  • The Washington Post

I’ve Been Flattered By

  • AIGA
  • Awwwards
  • CommArts
  • Creativity Awards
  • Edward R. Murrow Awards
  • Online News Association
  • Princeton Architectural Press
  • Print Magazine
  • Rockport Publishing
  • Society of Publication Design
  • SxSW
  • Webby’s

I Like To Use

  • Figma
  • Adobe CS
  • Craft CMS
  • HTML/CSS (SASS)
  • Git
  • jQuery
  • MAMP
  • MJML
  • Sketch
  • Twig

Don’t Be a Stranger

Want to see more work or chat about a project? phil@andphil.com