I'm interested in helping companies large and small improve collaboration between design and development through the use of design systems. I have over 25 years experience making websites for individual entrepreneurs to large companies and everything in between. My background includes experience in computer science, design, journalism, public speaking, photography and video production, among other things. So while you might find a better designer or developer, you're unlikely to find someone who can apply all of those skills in a single role.
Here you'll find some detailed information on some of the work I've done throughout my career. If you're looking for the abridged version, you can find me on LinkedIn.
Turquoise Health
January 2023–Present
Principal Design Systems Engineer
Provi
July 2020–December 2022
Senior Design Systems Engineer
October 2011–July 2020
Senior User Interface Engineer
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)
December 2005–September 2011
Senior Staff Associate, Webmaster
Ensim
July 2000–July 2001
Webmaster
Side Projects
Current
Dogs of Dev (2021–present)
Inspired by the awesome pups of fellow web designers and developers, I created Dogs of Dev to serve as a sanctuary from all the doomscrolling, shit posting, and political discourse that sours our everyday Internet experience. Dogs of Dev is just a place to look at cute dogs.
11ty Recipes (2021–present)
11ty Recipes is the site I wish existed when I got started with the static site generator, Eleventy. There are lots of great starter sites out there, but they tend to include a lot of features that you may or may not want. 11ty Recipes offers step-by-step instructions on adding each individual feature to your Eleventy site.
Old Projects
Retro Modern (2020)
Retro Modern is a theme I did for Steph Eckles' Style Stage, an evolution of Dave Shea's CSS Zen Garden. I had a lot of fun making this, particularly the CRT effect, which is just a semi-transparent linear gradient overlaid on the body.
My Fake Season (2005)
During the NBA lockout of 2005 I played the Chicago Bulls season in NBA Live and documented it here, complete with stats and game recaps. The last project I did that blended my sports journalism background, the NBA, video games and web development.
The Raptors Den (2000)
I used to play in an online NBA Live league, back when you had to dial directly into your opponent's modem. I obsessively made a website for my team as I built on my PHP skills. It included recaps of each game as well as detailed stats. "Best viewed in IE v5 or greater!"
Comedy
At Second City I had the opportunity to write, perform and film a bunch of sketches. I was able to also apply those skills to several hackathon projects at Groupon.
Videos
Gift of Giving
Starring Charles Rasmussen, Jen Buhrow and Abby Stassen. Written by Mike Aparicio. Directed, shot and edited by Ray Hui.
Bite Shark
Starring Alejandro Reyes, Kim Turner, Andy Brayan, Jason Zufall, Abby Stassen, Mike Aparicio, Armando Reyes and Greg Szydlowski. Written by Team Goop Chute. Directed and edited by Greg Szydlowski. Shot by Mike Aparicio.
Crybaby
Starring Neil Jacobsen and Andy McCammon. Written by Mike Aparicio.
Michael
Starring Andy Kushnir and Andy McCammon. Written by Mike Aparicio.
Cash Confessional
Starring Mike Aparicio, Avery Lee and Theresa Teng. Written by Mike Aparicio.
Special Olympics
Starring Jack Famera and Mike Aparicio. Written by Mike Aparicio.
Laundry
Starring Nikki Raistrick, Avery Lee and Mike Aparicio. Written by Avery Lee.
Greenscreen
Starring Chris Powers and Mike Aparicio. Written, shot and edited by Mike Aparicio.
GonG
Starring Mike Aparicio, Jenny Ore, Laura Hamilton, Chris Powers, Tyler Jennings, Alan Spadoni and Todd Webb. Written, shot and edited by Mike Aparicio.
The Hit
Starring Eldridge Scales, Mike Aparicio and Clarissa DuBois. Written, shot and edited by Mike Aparicio.
Sketches
Some of my favorite sketches that I wrote at Second City.