About Ethan.

Hi, I’m Ethan Marcotte. Over the last two decades, my design practice has focused on designing and building beautiful, accessible web experiences, and on helping organizations create more effective design systems. I’ve been fortunate enough to work for clients like New York Magazine, the Sundance Film Festival, and Google. In 2010, I coined the term “responsive design,” and things haven’t been quite the same since.

I also write and speak about digital design, technology, and justice. (The most recent entry in my journal is “Two books, no longer apart.”)

My books

I’ve written two popular design books: one on responsive design, and another on patterns and principles for responsive design.

My most recent book is You Deserve a Tech Union.

• You Deserve a Tech Union Published 2023
  
• Responsive Design: Patterns & Principles Published 2015
  
• Responsive Web Design Published 2011
  

Selected conferences

I’ve been fortunate to be a featured speaker at design conferences across the globe. Some selected talks follow below.

1. New Adventures 2019
2. Clarity 2019
3. Adobe MAX 2016
4. Webstock 2016
5. Build 2012
6. Webstock 2012
7. An Event Apart 2010

Selected articles

1. The OpenAI workers’ open letter, and what it means for tech labor WBUR, 2023
2. Why the Hollywood strikes matter to all of us WBUR, 2023
3. Drop caps & design systems Vox Media Product, 2019
4. Frameworks A List Apart, 2015
5. Fluid Images A List Apart, 2011
6. Responsive Web Design A List Apart, 2010
7. Fluid Grids A List Apart, 2009

Selected press, interviews, & mentions

1. Labor Notes 2024
2. Shop Talk Show 2023
3. TEN7 Podcast 2021
4. Rosenfeld Media 2014
5. net Magazine 2014
6. Fast Company 2014
7. The Atlantic 2014
8. Northwestern University Knight Lab 2013
9. Garcia Media 2011