Summary
James Shakespeare is a contract web developer and product engineer with over a decade of experience building accessible, design-system-driven front ends for newsrooms, nonprofits, and consumer products. Based in London, he’s shipped React and TypeScript apps, led accessibility initiatives at Quartz, and contributed bespoke editorial and membership features for high-profile publishers. He frequently works as a contractor for mission-driven teams—recent engagements include Automattic Special Projects, Plentiful, and Taptap Send—bringing both hands-on implementation and product-level advice. Skilled across the stack, he pairs front-end craftsmanship with pragmatic backend work (Django/Python) and has a track record of turning greenfield ideas into production-ready tooling and processes. Notably, he combines long-form design sensibilities from a multimedia design background with practical engineering leadership cultivated in agency and newsroom settings.
13 years of coding experience
14 years of employment as a software developer
BSc Multimedia Design and Technology, BSc Multimedia Design and Technology at Brunel University of London
Foundation in Graphic Design Graphic Design, Foundation in Graphic Design Graphic Design at University of the Arts London
Sutton Grammar School