Systems engineering and visual art sound like divergent paths. But not for David Sherwin, who is Senior Art Director, UX Strategy at Worktank.

User experience design is a critical component of any successful online endeavor, especially in today’s increasingly complex marketing landscape. At Worktank, David focuses on interactive projects—the more complex the better—helping clients tell their stories and reach key audiences through highly experiential websites.

“Well over a decade ago, I’d studied systems engineering, but I was always the guy in the back of the room with my nose in Raygun Magazine or Paul Rand’s A Designer’s Art,” David said of his foundation in interaction design.

“I inevitably chose design over engineering. But over the years, working as a designer and art director at various creative agencies, I’d been quietly practicing UX until the discipline began to mature more fully. But it wasn’t until I came to Worktank and worked with the talented people here that everything clicked.”

David’s role includes conducting user research, helping to define the overall user experience for interactive engagements, leading the conceptualization of website and web application visual designs, and helping to oversee Worktank’s talented team members as they deliver superior results to clients.

“The atmosphere leads to spirited work—work that has heart,” he says. “We’ve discovered that what we design really connects with our clients and their customers; it really hits home.” And the company culture helps the team “move from good to great very quickly,” due to the agency’s collaborative culture and the insightful thinking that it fosters. “Our strategy is to listen and observe first, then focus on how to provide the most meaningful result. And we make it fun.”

Among his favorite projects, David mentions “AskTheBrain.net,” a website created for Microsoft’s 2008 Professional Developers Conference, and the Right Mobile Fit campaign for AT&T.

In addition to his duties at Worktank, David enjoys yoga, rock climbing, and writing about design for a variety of publications. His most recent article was “The Elegance of Imperfection,” an essay about the intersection between Zen Buddhist art and user interface design, for A List Apart Magazine. He is also working on a book for HOW Design Press on creative concepting.

David even has some time to contribute the occasional blog post for Worktank—be sure to check out what’s on his mind.