Availability for 1 new client in Q4
The design partner for engineering-led startups.
Keep moving fast without your product falling apart. I embed with early-stage teams across Europe to build the patterns and judgment calls that keep it coherent as you ship.
I'm Craig, founder of Fluke Design.
I've been designing complex products from the ground up for over 10 years, most often in the earliest stages of a company's life. When priorities are still shifting and you're learning who your customers are every day.
I work as a partner to founders and founding teams, blending real product thinking with high quality hands-on design execution. Utilizing the tools of the day to maximize speed and efficiency.
When we work together, you're working directly with me, not a team or account manager. I ramp up fast, get invested in your success, and aim to contribute as a full member of the team.
Who I partner best with
Good fit if…
- +You're an engineering-led team: strong technical execution, no one in-house owns product design
- +You're still early, but product progress is lagging behind the business
- +Your product is young, but it's functional, and you know the UX is not up to your standards
- +You don't have a senior designer owning the system yet. Or, you're looking, but feel how hard it is to hire for this role.
- +Your product is starting to get into your users' hands, and you want to give them confidence in your solution
- +Your engineers are shipping with AI tooling, but the product is drifting with every push. Inconsistent patterns, decisions nobody owns, things reused in the wrong place
Not a fit if…
- ×A visual uplift is your primary motivation. I'm not a branding or graphic design shop
- ×You're still at the idea stage, no product, no team building it yet
- ×You prefer a design agency that works with big brands or later-stage companies
- ×Your product value is solely in the engine, not the experience
Ways we can work together
Prices ex. VATPrincipal Designer
I embed with your team to build the core product experience, supporting your engineers and agents.
- Two to three days a week, embedded
- Focus on your most impactful projects
- Foundations of your design system
- Shipping alongside your engineers
- Setting up current/future designers for success
Strategic Advisor
Ongoing design leadership, either supporting your in-house designer or through working sessions with your team.
- Design direction and UX feedback
- Async access, reply within a working day
- Scope and roadmap pressure-testing
- Weekly working session with you and your team
Product Diagnostic
A fast, expert read on the state of your product, and your most strategic design interventions.
- Product deep dive and founder interviews
- Audit of core flows, IA and UX patterns
- Prioritised findings you can act on
- Live readout with your team
- Proposal of high impact projects
Questions founders usually ask.
How is this different from hiring a full-time designer?+
Hiring the right full-time product designer is hard: most candidates haven't worked in the chaos of an early-stage startup, and a bad hire costs months. I bring startup-tested judgment and start quickly. When you do hire, they walk into a working design system, clear patterns, and product decisions they can build on, so they're effective from their first week.
What's the difference between the three offerings?+
Diagnostic is a one-time expert assessment. Strategic Advisor is ongoing support, either alongside your in-house designer or through regular working sessions with your team. Embedded is a full hands-on design partnership, working as part of your team.
Do you do visual or branding design?+
No. I focus on product usability, interaction design, and the underlying system, not visual identity or brand design.
Do you work with companies outside Europe?+
I'm focused on working with European founders and supporting the ecosystem where I live, which also means I can kick off engagements on-site with your team. However I'm always happy to connect with founders building compelling products from anywhere in the world.
Do you only work with technical founders?+
No, I also work well with domain-expert founders: people who deeply understand the problem or industry but not the UX/product layer.
What if we already have a designer?+
That's fine, I'm happy to support them as part of the engagement. I have years of experience managing design teams — product designers, content designers, researchers, PMs, even engineers — and enjoy contributing through coaching, mentorship, and design/product direction, not just hands-on execution.
How fast can you start?+
That depends on current availability, which changes often. Best way to find out is to book a call: we can talk timing alongside what you're looking for.
Why don't you over-invest in research cycles or heavy process?+
I believe in a ship-to-learn mentality. Design systems and foundational patterns matter, and I invest in them early, but I don't believe in over-researching before you've shipped and learned from real usage. A few deliberate foundational decisions save months of rework later; endless research cycles just delay learning what actually works.
Let's talk about
what you're building.
Where you're at today, where you want it to go, and how I can help you reach your next major milestone. I'll get back to you within one working day.