Marco de la Cruz
Welcome

You can call me MX. I’m a designer who enjoys crafting highly polished experiences that have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Engineers

I love to find the sweet spot between providing clear specs and letting you have fun with my designs. I have some background in front-end, which helps me to ship product that’s creative yet realistic.

Product Managers

I bridge the gap between business and design. I make use of any visual expression to tell stories. I’m a multidisciplinary crafter and visionary.

Product Designers

I’ll always try to find ways to make collaboration easier. Within my teams, I consistently prioritize their needs and goals; I like to create an environment for creative growth. I’m a manager who guides, trusts and coaches.

Design Directors

A job title doesn’t mean anything to me; I’ll always look for ways to improve everything I touch. Mentoring and coaching designers and creators of all levels has always been a passion for me.

Recruiters

I’m a designer with more than 15 years of experience, including SaaS, B2C, B2B, brand, product, UX, operations and more. I’m not actively looking for a new job.

Unity (Parsec) 2021–2024

Principal Product Designer

  • Remote

Unity is a powerful game engine that was first launched in 2005 as a Mac OS X game engine, and has since evolved to support desktop, mobile, console and VR devices. Unity is used to develop games in various genres, such as action, adventure, puzzle and simulation. Unity went into a wave of acquisitions in 2021, including Weta Digital, SyncSketch and Parsec.

After Parsec’s acquisition, Unity’s resources allowed for the expansion and investment of the Parsec proprietary technology. I entered as a manager and moved into an IC position which allowed me to get my hands dirty more often. My achievements include putting in place a set of new processes to scale our cross-team collaboration, leading the team for faster interactions and fewer meetings, increasing clarity and communication. Built, defined and documented the design system for our enterprise product, which allowed the team to increase feature design and production speed of 150%. I also single handedly conducted and product managed the redesign of the Parsec app, from defining product needs and UX research, to talking to paying costumers directly to identify priorities and assumptions, while also designing the new app simultaneously with its design system.

A photo of me and my Unity coworkers
Parsec 2019–2021

Director of Designer

  • New York
  • Remote

Parsec is the leader remote desktop app that allows people to connect to one another or directly to their devices through video streaming–it’s the main driver in transforming remote work and distributed teams. Parsec was acquired by Unity 3D in September 2021.

I was initially brought in to lead all the design needs of the company and brand. From marketing assets, to website design, events and booths design, one pagers, digital documentation, to collaborations with external creative vendors as an art director, product design of the desktop and mobile applications and design systems. I was wearing many hats as part of the original 10 employees and first designer. Eventually I scaled the design team and design the enterprise product from zero, which helped establish Parsec’s brand and products into the best remote desktop tool, steering it into profitability.

A photo of me and my Parsec coworkers
INTURN 2015–2019

Lead Product Designer

  • New York

INTURN is an off-price technology solution that empowers brands and retailers with automated workflow tools, a powerful pricing optimization engine and data intelligence to gain visibility into their businesses. It was acquired by Mad Streen Den in November 2022. Now called Vue.ai.

I was brought in early to lead and solo execute all the design needs for the company. I developed an updated branding identity, INTURN’s core product from zero, design systems, multi-team processes, user flows and journeys, prototyping and more. With time, I was lucky to lead a bigger team of 5 people spanning across UI, UX and UX research. We built a deeply curated and stylized product that redefined the core experience of hundreds of brands, allowing them to move, sell and get rid of millions of dollars of dead inventory–while successfully changing the industry for the better.

A photo of me and my Inturn coworkers
Timehop 2014–2015

Senior Product Designer

  • New York

Timehop is a digital memory archive, providing users with a nostalgic look back at their past social media activity. Timehop was acquired by Sincere in 2023.

I joined Timehop as their only designer and second ever, on a team of 8 people. I was in charge of solidifying the brand foundation with a design system, feature design for their iOS and Android apps, QA, user research and more.

A photo of me and my Timehop coworkers
Livestream 2012–2014

Product Designer

  • New York

Livestream's mission is enable organizations to share experiences through live video, unlocking a world where every event is available live online. Livestream was acquired by Vimeo in 2017.

I joined Livestream initially as an interaction web designer and developer working directly with brands that had the need to create Facebook apps powered by Livestream for their live-streaming events and needs. I then joined the team of 3 designers where I was working directly on the brand and products. I was then promoted to design Livestream’s mobile apps and features including iOS, Android, Xbox amd Google Glass.

A photo of me and my Livestream coworkers
And More 2006–2012

Designer, Developer, Freelancer

  • Domincan Rep.
  • New York
  • Remote

I have been hired, tasked and commissioned to work in a large mix of projects of multiple sizes and industries. Including layout/spreads for magazines, print, custom websites (for small and big businesses and clients, design and development), event photography, animation, 3d modeling, layout design, illustration, consulting, and more.

Useful, Usable, Delightful

About

I have been a designer for my entire career, even went to college for it.

I have more than 15 years of experience crafting and shipping dozens of products to a large range of clients, employers, and industries. I have helped several early-stage companies go from zero to successful market adoption milestones.

As a generalist, I make use of any visual expression to tell stories. I’m a multidisciplinary crafter and visionary.

Personal Philosophy

KAIZEN Method (n.) the philosophy of constant improvement.

For me, every day is an opportunity to improve, even if it is only by 1%. It’s not about being invincible. It’s about being unstoppable.

Independent

I’m highly self-motivated. I’ve grown to be comfortable working alone and making decisions without the input of others. It has given me a lot of positive outcomes like working at my own pace and making creative choices without worrying about outside influences. Working alone has its limitations though, so being part of a team has been key to refining my execution, strategy and influence.

I have been forged under pressure. Despite the fact that I value trial by fire, I also understand that virtuosity is shaped on a spectrum of different environments and experiences. People have different preferences on how to overcome challenges, so I like encouraging them to find out which they favor.

Strengths

Self-analyzing, self-observing, self-examining. Introspection is single handedly the strongest tool I have to navigate this world. I possess a deep infatuation with systems.

Even though I think a lot of overhead is a net negative, I love identifying all the moving parts and assuming control of the big picture.

I’m in a constant quest to improve and expand my knowledge in every aspect of my personal, emotional and professional life. This means I’m obsessed with discovering the things I don’t know. Finding out what those things are is the hard part (but exciting).

Values and Culture

Respect
I value respect a lot. It speaks directly to believing in equal opportunities. It also speaks about empathy, it helps me to listen to and try to understand the perspective of others.
Respect is about trust, it allows me to value their feelings and opinions. Furthermore, respect helps me with conflict resolution because it helps me navigate disagreements in a constructive way.
Respect is the most fundamental value I operate with.
Psychological safety
I don’t believe in having a personality type that fits a company or industry, I know everyone is different, and even more so when people come from different environments. Not having to force a smile goes a long way on my daily mental health. I want people to be themselves and to not be afraid of speaking their mind.
Direct communication
Just talk to me! In my career there have been countless times where miscomms, confusions and awkwardness are just solved by talking to each other. I don’t like beating around the bush or walking on eggshells, and you shouldn’t either.
Cooperation
I believe in our relationship being a partnership, a two way street. We are both in charge of making it work and grow. This, for me, is the key of letting our voices be heard without the fear of retaliation or judgment. I’m interested in your desires, what you want to pursue, who you are. I always want to find ways to deepen that bond.
Action
I expect some sort of acknowledgement or follow-through when I leave people with questions, concerns or assignments. It is important to me that you took note, figured out an answer and brought it back to me. I like to see that the conversation didn’t get lost, and people took measures.
Others should expect that back from me as well. 
Creativity
I’m especially motivated when coming up with and designing features that are new and experimental. I know my job relies on some sort of conventionally designed stuff, but I love getting out of that box and pushing for innovation.

Marco's design talents and meticulous attention to detail distinguish him in crafting visually striking and cohesive software applications. He commits to the overarching vision of a product and is an exceptional team player. I've worked with Marco at multiple companies previously, and he is always an absolute pleasure to work with.

Josiah SavaryFounder of Turbo

MX's creativity is mind-boggling. I still remember my jaw dropping when he made a whole custom Gameboy game of the old Parsec office in New York as an interactive About Us for the team.

Callum WatsonSoftware Engineer

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Marco at multiple companies over the better part of a decade and watched him tackle a variety of different products and solutions. Over the years it’s become abundantly clear he nurtures an impressive drive for growth and self-improvement. Marco is clearly passionate about product design and his keen eye has provided me with essential feedback and at times much needed direction as my team lead. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to elevate any team he collaborates with and look forward to seeing where his drive takes him.

Fernando MartinezSenior Product Designer

I had the privilege of working with Marco throughout my time at Parsec, first as a peer, and eventually becoming his manager. His dedication, meticulous attention to detail, and collaborative approach were evident in his work, particularly in the development of the Parsec design system. Furthermore, Marco demonstrated outstanding leadership within the team, showcasing a collaborative management style.

Todd ValentineSenior Manager of Technical Product Management

MX is a great mentor, manager and advocate of design. He leads with empathy, prioritizing both individual growth and team goals.

Binh HoangSenior Graphic Designer

Marco's attention to detail and focus on craft is one of the best I've ever seen. He's an incredibly creative visionary and thoughtful leader whose work truly transforms brands and products.

Deep ShahProduct & Design Leader

Marco’s approach to design is people-driven at its core. This means not only that his work is engaging and considers the user’s experience—it means those he works with love to be in his presence. His design team was always passionate and willing to discuss other’s needs or questions. He often stepped outside of his own responsibilities to help others succeed, and I always felt he cared about me genuinely, as a coworker and as a person. Much of my own growth and success at Unity has direct threads back to his support and camaraderie. I hope I’m fortunate enough to work with him again in the future.

I recently joined
.

I’m no longer exploring new positions.