Hey, I’m Puka.
Your friendly neighborhood product designer, here to make the everyday products people rely on work a little better for them. I bring an intersectional lens to my work as a queer, non-binary person of color, and I believe good design should be equitable, accessible, and make life easier for everyone.
See the work
What I bring to a team.
Built from zero
Founding designer at Fleetworks and GlossGenius, first design hire at Brightflow. Comfortable with ambiguity.
End-to-end
Research through launch, in it with engineers all the way to ship. I reach for AI tools when they speed up prototyping or help get code out.
Systems thinker
Structure matters as much as the screens. Good systems keep teams fast and the product consistent.
Meets any team
Tiny startups or big orgs, I fit how I work to meet where a team actually is.
Selected work
About
A multi-displinary creative
Product Designer
Sound Designer
Type Designer
Photographer
Sign Painter
DJ
I’m a creative professional born and raised in San Francisco, California. In 2018, I graduated with a BA in Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts from San Francisco State University with a focus on sound design for film. That same year, i fell into the role of a product designer and haven't looked back since.
In my free time, I like to pursue other creative ventures such as film photography, signpainting, and DJing. I also recently completed a year-long course in type design. Most importantly, I enjoy hanging out with my two dogs, Poenui & Hilo, who you can follow on IG: @poenuithebully.
Open to product design roles and collaborations. If you care about craft and want design that centers users, let's chat.
© 2026 Ekekela Novero. All rights reserved.
Designed with care in San Francisco.