AI Can’t Replace Andre Magracia’s Quirky, Creative Product Designs
/Virtually humble, Google AI also listed professions that aren’t going to encounter the lobby guard with a cardboard box. Designers have high job security because their work demands creativity and critical thinking. Not about to suffer a moral crisis over a self-serving algorithm, AI won’t discourage creative and critical thinkers while it scrapes its way closer to sentient beinghood. AI may very well be absorbing content from product designers by the terabyte.
Andre Magracia
A Product Designer at Connecticut-based JUICE Creative Group, Andre Magracia, 26, has carved an unassailable niche in app and website design because his creativity and critical thinking are fueled by an unorthodox blend of data. For instance, AI systems have no logical reason to draw from the web’s automobile content when tasked to design a cannabis website, which was one of his assignments.
After Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed the Porsche 911 (briefly named the 901) in 1963, he introduced the principle that guided his technical drawings as “optimizing the function while uncompromisingly reducing the form to the essential.” In every successive iteration of the Porsche 9, fluid curves, oval headlamps, rear engine, and other famous traits cause palpitations even for a driver who would never spend $120,000-plus for a car. The Porsche 911 is perfect for its purpose.
“I really love Porsche because of how timeless their designs are. They don’t change their designs much. You can see the link from the 1960s to the 911 now,” confirms Magracia.
What luck for a German automobile enthusiast to have a German stepfather working for Mercedes-Benz. Magracia was on Cloud 9 when they visited the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. He channels this love for cars to dissimilar undertakings. “I remember seeing this one car that inspired me to make the interface of a game app. One thing AI cannot replace is the ‘human aspect’, like having random ideas that make products more fun to use.” Making irrational associations is a human flaw, turned career advantage in the race to sustain workplace relevance against AI.
Mercedes Museum
The award-winning designer grew up in Las Piñas, Philippines. Magracia is the maiden name of his mother, Mary Ann. His maternal Lolo comes from Romblon and Lola is from Masbate. He has a sister originally named Lily who goes by Lilai. She and their mother live in France. While in the Philippines, he received a bachelor’s degree from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. In New York, he earned his master’s in digital Product Design from Parsons School of Design.
Inspired by the Swinging Sixties
A scholar’s view of design permeates his preferences, but Magracia is more personally inspired by landmarks that revive another era. The TWA Hotel, preserved in Space Age glory at Terminal 5 of JFK Airport, is a quick cure for creativity block. Eating out, he feasts on Philippine décor and a Filipino menu of Tadhanà (temporarily closed). Magracia keeps the New York City Transit Museum Catalog within arm’s reach to pack his mind with railroadiana until there’s no room for ordinary objects. In addition to public museums with free admission for New York residents, Magracia curates his influences from New York City pop-ups and exhibits.
TWA Hotel in New York with Booger
Transit Museum in New York
He's constantly adding to his inventory of inspirations. The Pixar movie, Ratatouille, put him in a playful mood when he affixed a plush rat to a hat to wear in public. He imbibed in post-Spanish flu, pre-Black Tuesday fervor as the enviable theatergoer who saw Eva Noblezada play Daisy Buchanon before ending her Broadway appearances in Great Gatsby last January.
“I can find inspirations from very obscure places.” Asked what his coworkers think, he remarks, “They find it really funny how I can find inspirations from weird places.”
Judges found his adventurous attitude refreshing during 2024/2025 design awards season. He has A’ Design and MUSE Design Awards on his mantle. At JUICE Creative Group and in his personal projects, the artful designer supplies websites and phone apps with visual elements from an abundance of sources to give clients imagery customers can’t seem to ignore.
Uncovering the Familiar Peculiar for the Public to Ponder
He works with clients to determine their interior story. “I really love incorporating storytelling into my work,” he relates. “I put the story behind the product first and then I add whatever current design trends that support the story.”
Tech adds wit when he traces the historical arc of a brand. “Number one is storytelling, but there’s always this one quirky feature I like to add so that there’s a fun element to the app or website,” he says.
According to Google Analytics, after Magracia led the redesign of the TacoGuy website, online visits nearly tripled in comparison to the previous version. He recalls, “I designed a random drink generator to introduce people to the cocktail menu in a playful, unexpected way. Instead of static photos, visitors get a surprise drink reveal each time they click. It creates a moment of anticipation and grabs attention in a way traditional menus and photos seldom permit. It’s a simple interaction, but it increases engagement with the menu and makes the experience more memorable.”
Tacoguy Website
(I’m reminded of a lesson in consumer psychology from my penance as a retail analyst with Warner Bros. Studio Stores headquarters before the store chain folded. In the center of every store, the company installed TV screens that looped cartoons and movie trailers to engage customers. Data showed that shoppers who spent at least 40 minutes inside a store felt obligated to buy merchandise to justify their time and assuage guilt about the foot of floor space they occupied. A $5 resin Tweety Bird was the least they could do. Don’t say I didn’t warn you before your daughter takes six outfits into the Hollister fitting room.)
Magracia’s design team conquered the quandary Bar Bushido posed in communicating to American diners the Japanese Izakaya concept of a bar that serves drinks and tapas-like small plates.
At Bar Bushido, he says, “We really leaned into translating the restaurant’s atmosphere into the site. For starters, the twirling umbrella loading animation is not just decorative; it gives the rest of the site time to load while setting a tone like you’re being ushered into an experience.
“One thing AI cannot replace is the ‘human aspect’, like having random ideas that make products more fun to use.”
“We also used subtle hover effects and motion to make the site feel lively and immersive. On the About page, we designed a storytelling section around the chef’s journey to Japan. Using thoughtful layout and pacing mirrored their sense of travel and personal discovery.”
Names are withheld for some clients in compliance with nondisclosure agreements. For an unnamed crypto gaming platform, he says, “I designed animated reward sequences (bouncing coins, playful loading states) to make claiming rewards feel satisfying, more like opening a gift box than checking a box.”
Sneakpeak
Given his predilection for the wacky, it’s appropriate that a sneaker drop app would make Magracia the toast of Brooklyn designers and a New York Product Design Award winner.
Sneakpeak App
“Sneakpeak is a passion project I’ve been developing independently,” he says. “The idea first came to me during grad school, and I’ve been building it into something that’s been growing ever since.”
While formulating the concept behind Sneakpeak, he found, “Information about limited sneaker releases is often scattered across forums, websites, and social media. We aim to bring it all together in one place, with release calendars, drop alerts, and details about each sneaker’s history and value.”
He grasps sneakerhead mentality like the afficionado he is. “After drops, it’s common for people to flood social media with reactions, sharing frustrations over missed chances, celebrating wins, or debating resale value. Sneakpeak offers a dedicated space for each release, making it easy to find and join the conversation without having to look for random Instagram posts or Reddit threads.”
Court and blacktop shoe connoisseurs appreciate the time savings Sneakpeak provides. “Nike has their own app, but it’s only for Nike and Jordan shoes,” relates Magracia. “Lots of people want to follow different brands. It’s my goal to be a centralized hub so that you can track releases across different companies or platforms.”
About Sneakpeak, Lensey Etcubañas of DesignRush observes, “The app successfully turns product tracking into something cultural, community-driven, and design-forward.”
Sneakpeak evolved from Magracia’s idea for a basketball app. He notes, “It began because I wanted to create an app for basketball training. But then every time I asked people how was your basketball training, the conversation would shift to sneakers.”
He relived his aha moment: “Wait a minute! What if I designed an app for sneakers? Everything changed once it became a sneaker trading app.”
Watch the story unfold at the Sneakpeak website and download the app so that you’re never closed out from the next shoe drop.
Compassionate Commerce
When I embark on an article, I usually lead with an idea that makes the story relatable to a wide audience. This profile on Andre Magracia had the immediate intent of introducing readers to a product designer who offers a roadmap for people whose livelihoods are threatened by AI. I hope the design insights of Magracia are useful, but what impressed me most is his advocacy for disadvantaged users.
Magracia’s humble origins in the Philippines as the son of a single mother fostered his empathy for people with economic and physical limitations. “Because I was always given the smallest hand-me-down phone in the family, now in my design practice I pay close attention to how things work on smaller or lower-end devices.” He emphasizes, “I know what it’s like not to have the newest or biggest screen. So, I make sure my designs are responsive, and I’ve learned to be creative within constraints even when space or performance is limited.”
Deprivation altered his ego. He elaborates, “I design with an awareness that there’s going to be this one person who’s going to have a difficult time. I don’t want them to have a limited experience because I designed something that’s exclusively for the luxury class.”
He was profoundly affected by the disabled mother of his partner. “She talks to her mom every day. A disability cost her use of her right hand. She has trouble with apps that require her to swipe left or right. This is the reason why I insert double tapping into my apps as an alternative to swiping.”
The beneficiaries aren’t only disabled users. “It could help when you’re carrying a baby or some other unwieldy object, so you have only one hand free. You can drop your phone when you on your screen.” Although he didn’t invent double taps, he acknowledges, “The technique saves everyone from cracked screens.
It might shock the entrepreneurial minded that Magracia insists, “Empathy is important in my field because whether you’re deciding on gestures, fonts, or button placement, it’s not all about aesthetics and functionality; it’s also important to make sure the experience works for people who don’t think, look, or interact the same way you do.”
I’d like to see him succeed with Sneakpeak as an app that bridges wallets with materialistic pleasure. If the utility a consumer receives from a pair of shoes exceeds the price the seller will accept, the difference is happiness on both sides of the transaction with Magracia, someday soon, smiling in between.
Liit Uses Figma to Build a Design Community
Liit is pronounced lee-it and means little in Filipino. Under the auspices of Magracia and partner Dusha, Liit is creating a community united by their interest in the Figma design app. Members learn the app in the Le Figma Bakery workshop and participate in social and educational events in the Brooklyn area. All nationalities are welcome to upcoming meetings to be announced on the Liit website.
Liit workshop in Brooklyn, NY
Magracia calls, “Le Figma Bakery a workshop with a Twist! It’s currently best to join in-person, but we’re working on design events that will be online and hopefully include people from everywhere in the world, including the Philippines.”
Liit gatherings offer opportunities to ask Magracia about the techniques that are showcased in the luggage maker RIMOWA’s SEIT 1898 exhibit. RIMOWA principles have foundational importance in his design philosophy.
Where Filipinos Have Text
So that readers, who can’t yet enjoy hands-on participation in Liit, don’t leave empty-handed, Magracia is pleased to steer folks to the archipelago-spirited typefaces of Jad Maza.
Waxing nostalgic, Magracia describes Maza’s Maragsâ font as “one of my earliest and most clear memories of coming across Filipino graphic design. It’s a beautiful font for personal and commercial use.”
Download Maragsâ font for free at Bëhance. If you like lumpia, you’ll love this font.
Anthony Maddela is a Positively Filipino staff correspondent. He lives with his family in Los Angeles.
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