Who Is Behind Designer Tools?

Hi, I’m Ronald, the creator of Designer Tools. If you’ve been wondering who’s behind the extension, here’s a bit about me. My interest in design and development started early, way back when I was 13 years old. I grew up in a small village in The Netherlands, and already back then I loved experimenting with code and design, and I’d spend hours trying to figure out how to make things work. Looking back, that’s where it all began.

That curiosity led me to study comunication and multimedia design in Amsterdam, where I could combine creativity and technology. I learned about front-end development, user interfaces, and graphic design, and it shaped the way I approach building things today. My career has always been about finding ways to make life easier for myself and others, whether it’s through intuitive interfaces, helpful tools, or even cleaner code.

Designer Tools started out of frustration. A proper way of seeing how big an element was, or how far apart two elements were from each other was missing. At the time I worked in a digital agency, working on a project for a client. I was trying to replicate a design in the browser, but it was all way harder than it needed to be. The tools out there either felt too complicated or just didn’t do the job. So I made something simple for myself. What surprised me was how many other people found it useful. Today, Designer Tools has over 80,000 users worldwide, which honestly still feels a bit surreal.

My journey hasn’t been straightforward. I’ve worked on all kinds of projects, from creative advertising to design systems for big organizations. I even took a sebbatical and traveled through Latin America; I spent my covid lockdown in the jungle of Guatemala. During this time I continuously worked on Designer Tools.

These days, I live in Oslo (Norway) with my family. I work at a startup, where I help build the Design System. When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me cycling, climbing, or hanging out with my partner and son. When I still have some time left, I try to work on Designer Tools. I’m always looking for ways to make it better, faster, and more useful to hopefully make your life just a tiny bit easier.

To everyone who’s used Designer Tools, shared it, or sent feedback: thank you. It’s been amazing to see something I started for myself grow into a tool that helps so many people. The journey’s not over yet, and I’m excited to keep building and improving it!