Jig-me +
Animus Rex

From Public RFP to Trusted Creative Partner

I first encountered Animus Rex through a series of public RFPs posted on Craigslist. I submitted proposals for four projects and won three of them, competing against dozens of designers and agencies across New York City.

Those early wins quickly developed into an ongoing working relationship. Rather than being brought in for isolated assignments, I became the designer Todd called whenever Animus Rex or one of its clients needed product design, UX, visual identity, a marketing site, campaign support, or help shaping a new business idea.

The continuity mattered. Because we worked together repeatedly over many years, we developed a shared language and a high level of trust. That let us move quickly from loose requirements to polished, production-ready work without sacrificing quality.

Designing a Proprietary Enterprise CMS

One of the longest-running efforts was the evolution of Animus Rex's proprietary WebCMS platform. Across multiple generations, I designed the product interface, content workflows, editing patterns, visual language, and marketing presentation for a system used to manage complex websites.

The central challenge was making enterprise publishing approachable for non-technical users. The interface needed to support page management, media, structured content, workflow states, scheduled publishing, and reusable modules without exposing users to unnecessary technical complexity.

The screens shown here are from a later redesign concept and landing page that were planned just before COVID and ultimately never built. The central editing experience, however, was largely based on the previous version I had already designed and refined through real-world use.

Explaining the Product Through Visual Storytelling

In addition to the product interface, I designed the WebCMS marketing experience. The goal was to communicate the platform's value without relying on dense feature lists or technical language.

I organized the story around three core ideas: speed, security, and ease of use. The landing page paired product screenshots with a custom illustration showing the calm that comes from a well-organized publishing system. The contrast between the busy ecosystem of content channels and the centered user made the product benefit immediately understandable.

The site was designed and prepared for launch, but the initiative was paused when COVID disrupted the company's priorities.

A Self-Service Platform for Small Law Firms

Todd and I also partnered on Attorney Hub, an Animus Rex venture created to bring professional web design to solo attorneys and small law firms at a fraction of the cost and production time of a fully bespoke engagement.

We used the custom EsKort CMS as the foundation and built a repeatable delivery model around a curated set of templates. Attorneys selected a design, provided their content, and received light customization before launch. I designed the template system, the visual options, and the customer-facing experience.

The model allowed us to deliver polished sites quickly while preserving enough flexibility for each practice to feel distinct. We attended legal marketing conferences together and operated the product for several years, serving a small group of solo practitioners and boutique firms before the venture was eventually discontinued.

Design Support Across Brands, Products, and Channels

My work with Animus Rex extended across a wide range of enterprise and institutional clients. I contributed to the main Fortress Investments site and roughly half of its portfolio company websites, along with projects for Cahill Gordon, Wilentz, MetLife, Penn Mutual, the Museum of American Finance, Carnegie Council, Boies Schiller, and others.

In many cases, I continued working directly with the client after the primary website launched. That included internal IT dashboards, email newsletters, digital campaigns, banner ads, brochures, presentations, and other design needs outside the original web engagement.

Learning to Design Relationships, Not Just Screens

My years with Animus Rex shaped the way I approach design today. The work taught me how to move between product strategy, UX, visual design, business development, client communication, and production without treating those disciplines as separate activities.

It also reinforced the importance of designing systems that can evolve. Whether I was refining the CMS, creating reusable legal templates, extending a client brand, or supporting a long-term account, the strongest work came from understanding the broader operating model rather than focusing only on the immediate deliverable.

Most importantly, the partnership demonstrated the value of trust. I was repeatedly invited into new client relationships, product ideas, and business opportunities because the work was reliable, collaborative, and built to last.