A designer and developer—helping people shape digital products and visual systems.

I’m a Montreal-based designer specializing in interrelating humans and technology through reductive design and code. Over the last decade, I’ve had the pleasure of helping people build companies, develop brands, and digital products with a focus on simplicity, usability, and scalability.

Currently shaping the future of open photography as the Head of Design at Unsplash (acquired by Getty Images in 2021).

Previously, I helped Crew build a marketplace of highly-vetted freelancers and securing a $7MM funding round to establish a new economy around photography. We then built the world’s most beautiful co-working space and café before getting acquired by Dribbble (2017).

Find me elsewhere on the web: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or e-mail me at info@kirillz.com.

That’s me!
Outside of my day-to-day, I enjoy traveling, wine, house music and taking photos with my pocket camera-phone.

Select Work

I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a wide range of projects that have shaped Unsplash to where it is today: from conceptualization and research to strategic planning, visual design, and implementation. Here are some of my favorites.

Unsplash for Figma ↗ (2019)

Unsplash for Figma brings quick access to Unsplash from within Figma. One of the most installed plugins with over 2.2 million installs.

In collaboration with Liam Martens
Unsplash for iOS ↗ (2019)

Official Unsplash app for iOS.

In collaboration with Olivier Collet, Charles Deluvio
Unsplash Wallpapers for macOS ↗ (2019)

Unsplash Wallpapers for macOS makes it easy to find and preview breathtaking wallpapers, right from your menu bar.

In collaboration with Olivier Collet, Charles Deluvio
Unsplash Instant for Google Chrome ↗ (2015)

With over 100,000 installs, Unsplash Instant is a Google Chrome extension that shows a random beautiful photo from Unsplash every time you open a new tab.

In collaboration with Luke Chesser, Charles Lalonde
Unsplash Awards ↗ (2017)

A yearly celebration created to recognize the powerful impact Unsplash contributors have made through their generosity and artistry.

In collaboration with Charles Deluvio, Unsplash
Unsplash for Developers ↗ (2018)

The Unsplash API is used in over 24,000 third-party applications, including Facebook, Google, BuzzFeed, Medium, Zoom, Mailchimp, Trello, Adobe, Typeform and Product Hunt.

In collaboration with Charles Deluvio, Unsplash

Special Projects & Collaborations

I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the smartest people in the industry, making the following projects especially memorable.

A new logo for Unsplash ↗ (2018)

We’ve teamed up with Mackey Saturday to figure out a new, distinctive identity for Unsplash.

In collaboration with Mackey Saturday, Charles Deluvio, Unsplash
Urban Explorer Sweatshirt ↗ (2017)

A garment that embodies the spirit of exploration, brought to you by Tobias van Schneider and Unsplash.

A collaboration between Tobias van Schneider and Unsplash
The Unsplash Book ↗ (2016)

Kickstarter: The world’s first entirely crowdsourced book featuring 250 pages of photos, essays and artistic creations. Featuring Lawrence Lessig, Jeffrey Zeldman, Kirby Ferguson and Tobias Van Schneider.

Crowdsourced by Unsplash, designed by DeuxHuitHuit

Features

A selection of features, interviews and talks.

Lovers Magazine ↗ (2017)

Interview

Product Design Journey of Unsplash ↗ (2017)

Talk

One Page Love ↗ (2017)

Feature

Minimal Gallery ↗ (2021)

Feature

MaxiBestOf ↗ (2021)

Feature

Killer Portfolio ↗ (2024)

Feature

Pafolios ↗ (2024)

Feature