Head shot of Stuart Romanek

Stuart Romanek

Design & Code

Open to new projects, people, and ideas

sdr@romanek.us

Hey, I'm Stuart Romanek, a digital designer and developer focusing on intuitive user experiences, durable interfaces, and seamlessly blending strategy and aesthetics.

I aim to create expressive brands and software systems that are honest, resilient, and self-evident.

I am the founding designer for ApostropheCMS, an open source content management system that aims to marry an unopinionated, developer-first application framework with a rich in-context editing interface.
Think Rails + Squarespace in JavaScript.

Portrait of Stuart Romanek

Select Works

Apostrophe Technologies is an open source content management company building beautifully designed tools for managing websites at scale.

Apostrophe Technologies began at the Philadelphia agency P'unk Avenue, where ApostropheCMS was created to improve on traditional CMS platforms and embrace Node.js. I moved from my role as visual and UX designer at P’unk to become the founding product and brand designer at Apostrophe.

Role
Lead designer, engineering
Area
Web, product, brand
Period
2019+
Live
apostrophecms.com

An open source content management system with a beautiful editing experience.

Most content management systems fall into one of two categories: closed-source SaaS platforms with polished editing experiences, or open frameworks that prioritize developer flexibility at the expense of editor usability.

Apostrophe aims to balance both. The challenge is creating an in-context, intuitive editing experience while maintaining the flexibility of a developer-first framework. Every part of Apostrophe is designed to be overridable and configurable, giving developers and editors the tools they need to create sites that feel purpose-built.

In-context text and image editing. Apostrophe lets you put editable strings anywhere on the page. Configure them as stylable rich text containers or bake the styles in behind the scenes and let the editor rip.
Layout editing with keyboard shortcuts. Cut, copy, duplicate, and delete content with a tap.
Sort, filter, and search your content database. Configure logical content groupings, customize manager tables to include media or other specialized fields. Create custom form fields using simple Vue composables.
Intuitively manage media tagging. Extend tagging to any other content type.
Display the shortcut menu and watch it respond to your keystrokes.
Enhance fields with AI. Pick your service provider, provide base prompts, and let editors refine as they work.
Manage complex, nested content simply. Watch the page respond to your changes in real time. A constant feedback loop.
Wire any CSS properties to an in-context styler interface. Pull options from your site configuration, read and write CSS Variables, include media queries. Configure the stack navigation as makes sense.
Configure and understand user roles.

Other brand, web, and marketing work for Apostrophe Technologies

In addition to the design, UX, and engineering of ApostropheCMS the software I am also responsible for the design and maintenance of the Apostrophe Technologies brand family, marketing material, and other web presences. Here are a few snapshots.

apostrophecms-wordmark
apostrophecms-home-2
The homepage of apostrophecms.com
apostrophecms-tweet
apostrophecms-stickers
apostrophecms-opensource
apostrophecms-hat
apostrophecms-glitch-mock
apostrophecms-wake
apostrophecms-plantlife-mockup
apostrophecms-pricing

Miscellaneous design and development work

A few other projects.

BLK MTN is a LA-based production & talent company with a global network working across film, music and photography. I worked with team on their refreshed identity and first major web release.
BLK MTN's Director listing.
WRT is a team of planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects with offices in Philadelphia and San Francisco. A P'unk Avenue project.
The Center City District (CCD) and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation (CPDC) work to enhance the vitality of Center City Philadelphia as a thriving 24-hour downtown and a great place to work, live, and have fun. A P'unk Avenue project.

image.png

Select graphic experiments done in the margins. No context, no clients.

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Experience

CompanyTitleWorkplaceActive
Apostrophe TechnologiesFounding designer, engineeringOpen Source, SaaS2019 - Present
A headstone that reads RIPP'unk Avenue
Design lead, engineeringAgency2013 - 2019
A headstone that reads RIPGHI Design
Designer, engineeringStudio2011 - 2013
La Salle UniversityDesign, web, online learning platformsUniversity2010 - 2011