← Back to portfolio

Denzel Grootboom

UX/UI Designer & Developer · Johannesburg, South Africa

dgrootboom@gmail.com
083 581 2101
denzelgrootboom.co.za
LinkedIn

Profile

UX/UI Designer and Developer with 15+ years of experience designing and building digital products — from research and wireframes to live production systems. Proficient in Figma, HTML/CSS/JS, and Supabase. I bridge the gap between design intent and technical reality, having conceived, designed, and shipped three live products independently. BCom in IT Management (85% average, 20 distinctions) complements deep design craft with systems thinking. Based in Johannesburg; remote-friendly.

Experience

May 2026 – Present

Founder & Designer

Grdbase · Self-employed · Johannesburg

Productised web-systems agency for South African commerce. Built a reusable template engine on the Artifacts Coffee architecture targeting local payment (PayFast) and shipping (TCG) integrations. Three fixed tiers, transparent pricing, live in 2 weeks.

Mar 2026 – Present

Founder & Roasting Technician

Artifacts Coffee Roastery · Self-employed · Johannesburg

Founded and operates a specialty micro-roastery. Designed and built the full e-commerce platform end-to-end: PayFast payments, TCG courier integration, custom loyalty programme (The Brew Circle), Supabase backend — live in two weeks.

Feb 2014 – Present
Acting Asst. Director
Nov – Dec 2025

Graphic Designer

Gauteng Provincial Treasury · Full-time · Johannesburg

Lead end-to-end design planning and execution for high-impact provincial publications and communication material. Collaborate with Budget Management and Communications teams to ensure accuracy, brand compliance, and on-time delivery across digital, print, and stakeholder-facing outputs.

Acting Assistant Director (Nov–Dec 2025) — Provided operational continuity during a critical provincial reporting cycle. Led design execution for the MTBPS and Adjusted Estimates of Provincial Revenue and Expenditure; oversaw intern production of the Adjusted Estimates of Capital Expenditure.

12 Years · Acting Asst. Director
Feb 2025 – Apr 2025

UI Designer

Design Circle · IT Recruitment Agency, Johannesburg

Created low-fidelity wireframes and user flows in Figma aligned with business objectives. Developed high-fidelity prototypes ensuring brand consistency — resulting in a design currently under review aimed at increasing stakeholder engagement.

Jan 2020 – Nov 2020

UI Designer · Property Management Application

Design Circle (NDA Project)

Developed wireframes and user flows in Sketch, created high-fidelity prototypes, and facilitated developer handoff via Zeplin. Evolved UI libraries with reusable components adhering to accessibility guidelines.

Jan 2010 – Feb 2014

Graphic Designer

Freelance · Multiple Clients

Delivered print and digital design solutions — PVC banners, corporate identity, packaging, editorial design for leading publications. Informal user testing to refine design effectiveness.

Selected Projects

Artifacts Coffee

Full-stack specialty coffee e-commerce — PayFast payments, TCG courier, loyalty programme, Supabase backend. Conceived, designed, and shipped solo in two weeks.

artifactscoffee.co.za

Grdbase

Web-systems agency productising the Artifacts architecture as a reusable template engine for SA businesses. Brand identity, product design, and full-stack build.

grdbase.co.za

Index748

SA vehicle price intelligence platform. Tracks used car and motorcycle prices across AutoTrader, WeBuyCars, Cars.co.za, and Gumtree — giving buyers live deal scores via a SaaS dashboard and Chrome extension.

index748.co.za

Education

2017

UI/UX Design for Digital Media

AAA School of Advertising

2009 – 2010

Higher National Diploma: Graphic Design

Damelin · NQF Level 6

In Progress

Google UX/UI Design Certificate

Coursera · + Figma Advanced (Udemy)

Skills

Design

Figma Adobe XD Sketch Zeplin User Research Wireframing Prototyping Usability Testing

Development

HTML / CSS / JS Supabase Netlify PayFast TCG API

Methods

Agile Systems Analysis Stakeholder Management Data Analysis