Tom Garcy

Tom Garcy, with a 15-year tenure in design, branding, UX, and product design, began his career as an art director at an advertising agency. His transition to the digital space marked a key phase, where he honed his skills in functional and engaging designs. Later, as the head of design at a venture building company, he focused on empathetic, user-centric design and team leadership.
In 2019, seeking new challenges, Tom founded his own design studio, prioritizing a blend of creativity and practical client solutions. His portfolio showcases diverse projects, reflecting his adaptability and commitment to understanding each project’s unique requirements.
In 2023, Tom expanded his career into entrepreneurship with his startup, Kyugo, combining his design expertise with business acumen.
Today, he works with clients across Europe, the MENA region, and the U.S., offering tailored design solutions and bringing a nuanced understanding of different markets.
His modest nature is always seeking fresh challenges to further showcase his creative prowess.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

My day begins early, around 5-6 AM, with time dedicated to my children until 8 AM, when my workday starts. I structure my day into two main blocks: morning and afternoon, allocating specific time for each task. Kyugo assists me in managing this schedule. My work sessions are focused sprints, free from notifications and interruptions. I wrap up my workday at 4 PM to spend quality time with my family. If necessary, I take calls from 7 PM until around 9 PM. Prioritizing health and nutrition is crucial for me, so I make sure to get to bed early to maintain my energy and well-being.

How do you bring ideas to life?

My creative process begins on my ‘thinking sofa,’ armed only with a pen and paper. This is where I jot down notes and craft mind maps to grasp the essence of the product, highlighting the most promising ideas for functionality or enhancement. Following this conceptual phase, I transition to sketching. Again, using pen and paper, I start with broad, high-level concepts before progressing to more detailed, high-fidelity layouts and annotations. Only after these steps do I move to the computer. Here, my focus shifts to seeking design inspiration, assembling mood boards, and ultimately developing wireframes and preliminary designs.

What’s one trend that excites you?

AI-driven single input dashboards are poised to revolutionize user interaction. The complexity of multi-item menus and intricate controls is becoming a thing of the past. Imagine a streamlined interface where you can simply write, paste images, or speak. This single point of interaction will intuitively display the information you need or execute actions instantly, simplifying and enhancing user experience significantly.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Begin your day at a fixed time and dive straight into work, avoiding the initial distraction of emails, messages, or responses to the previous day’s communications. Prioritize your tasks, starting with the most important projects. Tackle these significant tasks first, making sure they contribute to your progress, personal growth, or business development. Once these are completed, shift your focus to smaller or less critical tasks. Always maintain a single-task focus, ensuring you give your full attention to one thing at a time for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Discover the world of business and begin investing in experiences early on. Remember, even when you feel in control, life often unfolds unpredictably. Your career and personal journey are shaped by how you respond to these moments. Never limit yourself with the thought that you can’t achieve something. It’s always possible to learn new things, regardless of the stage you’re at in life. Remember, you have one life, which can encompass many paths and experiences that others might see as distinct lives. Work just needs doing. And don’t drink for god sake.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.

In my field of product design and UX, the functionality is paramount. However, aesthetics also play a crucial role. Sometimes, the appearance of a product can be as important, if not more so, than its functionality. A product must be visually appealing, as this can be a deciding factor in its usage and success. Of course, design doesn’t stop at looks; functionality is essential. However, dismissing design in favor of strong features alone is a naive approach. Both elements are integral to the success of a product.
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That you have to give a fuck about everything, and everything happening around you. Does it influence your life? Can you do something about it? If not, don’t give a fuck. Your fucks are limited and you spend them on things that matter to you or need to be solved to make your life better. Happiness comes from solving problems; everything is just your problem because you made it a problem. So choose your problems wisely and then solve them 100%.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

I work. Repeatedly. I won’t quit. I don’t expect fast outcomes. I play the long game. The infinite game. I stay with it even if I don’t see the result because I know the results will come. It’s the same in your career and in fitness, which is a huge part of my success in energy, perseverance, and performance.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

I slow down or hit a pause. Overwhelming often comes from a lack of control. What helps me to stay in control is to slow down and make a list of everything that needs to be done, or a list of problems. Set priorities for them and take just the bite I can swallow. Even when unfocused, I start with the first one and try to finish at least this, or at least make some progress. I often find out that after half an hour of struggle, you get the momentum and eventually can’t stop.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

It’s hard to come up with one. But I’d say: Always do something extra. Always surpass the expectations. Even if it’s not in the brief, but you feel it should be there, or this one extra screen which can make the difference, do it. If you should prepare presentation slides with static screens, do a video instead. Go the extra mile. If you did your reps, do one more.

What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

I lost clients in the past because of my ego. I was trying to “sell” my work as the best solution, and I was not listening. I felt offended for not being received positively. The project is a dialogue, not a sales presentation. Don’t talk too much, listen more.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Single prompt/input banking app for all your accounts and buying crypto. Just tell it what you want and it will do it, all things finance.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

Kyugo app. I set fixed time blocks for everything I do, from work, to rest to family time. I don’t have to worry about my schedule since it automatically finds the available time. And the Remarkable paper tablet.

What is the best $100 you recently spent?

A 24kg kettlebell. Since I can work out my whole body with it while being in the office.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?

I read a lot, the best books from recent times for me were: Outlive by Peter Attia, Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, and Breath by James Nestor. I listen to the Huberman lab podcast and The Game by Alex Hormozi a lot.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

The Silo, because it’s so well made, great production and dialogues. And the finale of Billions for sure, I love the blend of business and life in it.

Key learnings:

• Prioritizing tasks and structuring the day into focused work blocks enhances productivity.
• Creative processes benefit from starting with basic pen and paper before advancing to detailed digital designs.
• In product design, visual appeal is as crucial as functionality for user adoption and success.
• Concentrate efforts on impactful areas of personal and professional life for better well-being and problem-solving.
• Perseverance and going beyond what’s required can lead to greater long-term success and personal growth.