About
Mission
Provide junior designers with well paid, real world projects during their first 2-3 years in the field.
Vision
Use our design skills to build generational wealth within minority & marginalized communities.
Values
Partner with like-minded organizations to craft sustainable, ethical, inclusive, accessible, people-over-profit designs.
Jason Ober
Founder
Jason grew up in Minnesota, playing soccer and the drums and becoming a certified very cool theatre kid. So cool, in fact, he decided to be a theatre major in college, where his first role was in Hamlet and included being a priest, a door, and a curtain all within 90 minutes.
His first job after graduation was as an actor traveling around the Midwest doing shows for elementary & middle school kids about things like bullying and self-esteem. He then moved to Chicago, appearing in a number of shows around the city while working as a barista to help pay the bills.
However, theatre takes a huge amount of time, so he paused the acting chapter of his life once baby #1 was born.
As he looked to transition away from acting & the service industry, his childhood friend Justin had a small design agency called No Coward and offered Jason his first freelance “User Experience (UX) Design” gig. Justin provided mentorship and support for multiple projects as Jason taught himself nights after working full-time at a place called, coincidentally, Jason’s Deli.
During his time with No Coward, Jason helped capture six new clients, boosting the company’s net profit by 20%. This eventually led to Jason getting his first full-time UX job which completely changed his professional path.
He’s always remembered that kindness and looks to “pay it forward” where he can, volunteering with organizations such as Erie Neighborhood House, Maydm, Miracle Messages, and Heart of LA, as well as participating as his kids’ school mascot and as a “Watch D.O.G.S.” volunteer.
Over the last 10+ years as a UX professional, Jason has worked with Fortune 500 companies, startups, solopreneurs, small businesses, non-profits, global biotechnology companies, restaurants, and more.
Jason’s approach to design focuses on being…
🌏 Sustainable
🧭 Ethical
🌈 Inclusive
🔓 Accessible
💜 People-over-profits
He started Next Generation Design as a way to fully embrace his ethos and “pay it forward” on a larger scale.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his 3 kids, practicing allyship, vegan food, playing the drums, yoga, meditation, video games, and trying to keep his plants alive. Oh and the Great British Baking Show. 😁