About

Designer turned
engineer.

I started in Photoshop, then Illustrator, then InDesign at a print newspaper. I moved into UI/UX, then frontend styling, then full product development. Seventeen years of picking up the next tool and refusing to stop until I owned it.

Mandelson Fleurival

I spent years on the visual side. Graphic design, marketing campaigns, ad graphics, WordPress sites, print layouts. I worked at agencies, at the World Bank, at a GIS consulting firm. I managed design systems, reviewed UI for internal teams, and shipped web products and mapping applications. All of it gave me a front-row seat to how software gets built.

When AI arrived, I saw the leverage. I had spent years working alongside developers at agencies and consulting firms. I understood architecture, data flow, and product thinking. I just didn't write the code myself. AI changed that equation. I made it my development team and became the architect, orchestrator, and coordinator. Now I build the whole thing: frontend, backend, database, deployment, 3D renders, video, brand identity.

I'm based in Washington, D.C.. I work in React, TypeScript, Python, and Rust. I build AI agent systems, web platforms, iOS apps, and desktop tools. I went from Blender's default cube to photorealistic product renders in under a year. The thread through all of it: I like building real tools that help people get things done faster.

The path here

2008

Started in graphic design

Learned Photoshop, then Illustrator. Took a job at a print newspaper, picked up InDesign on the job. Print layouts, logos, brand collateral.

2012

Freelance in New York

Print layouts for a magazine. Graphic design, marketing, ad campaign graphics. Managing WordPress sites and designing content for them.

2015

World Bank & agency work

UI designer at the World Bank, reviewing internal designs for their teams. Then contracting at GMMB, a creative agency, sharpening UI/UX output.

2018

Lead designer at a GIS firm

Five years as lead designer. Web products, internal apps, and mapping applications. Working alongside developers daily, absorbing architecture and product thinking.

2023

AI changed the equation

Started as a frontend designer styling websites. Leveraged years of architecture and workflow understanding alongside AI to become a full code engineer. Picked up Blender, went from default cube to photorealistic renders in under a year.

2025

Launched products

Published Fitted AI on the App Store. Shipped Printer AI as a web platform. Built full backends with FastAPI, PostgreSQL, and Redis.

2026

AI orchestrator & design engineer

Launched Backdraft AI in March. Building AI agent work groups, desktop tools, and multi-device orchestration systems. 10+ active projects across web, iOS, AI, 3D, and video.

Tools & Technologies

Frontend

React / TypeScript SwiftUI Tauri v2 / Electron GSAP / Three.js Tailwind CSS

Backend & AI

Python / FastAPI Node.js PostgreSQL / Supabase LLM Agents / LM Studio Rust

Design & Media

Figma Blender / 3D Rendering After Effects Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign Premiere Pro / FFmpeg

Education & Recognition

Education

Business Marketing

Morgan State University, 2007 - 2012

Certification

Design Thinking

Stanford University School of Business, 2021

Awards

1st Place, Documentary

Pennsylvania Media Association, 2025
"A Flight Along the Delaware River" - Delaware Currents

Gold, AVA Digital Awards

Social Campaign, 2018
Defeat DD Campaign - GMMB

Want to work together?

I'm open to full-time roles, contract work, and interesting collaborations.

Get in Touch