About Us
Aten Design Group is a web strategy, design, and development company based in Denver, Colorado. We're passionate about delivering meaningful user experiences, creating beautiful designs, and solving complex technical problems.
About our Name
Aten is prounced ăt'-ten, and rhymes with Manhattan. The name comes from Egyptian history and mythology.
Learn more about the backstoryPeople First
After more than 10 years of creating expansive websites, we're still committed to keeping people at the center of everything we do.
Building solid, energetic relationships with our clients is a fundamental part of our approach. We develop effective partnerships by genuinely sharing in our clients' vision, inspiring their trust, and working with them as a team to realize goals.
While designing, we ask what best serves the user—not just the
stakeholder, and not the designer. We champion user experience in
each stage of design and development, and address project requirements
with a consistent focus on promoting meaningful interaction.
Learn more about our process.
In the office, we're committed to a strong team dynamic that
recognizes the invaluable contribution each person brings to the
process. We foster a genuine appreciation for every individual's
unique skills, and invest time in developing together as a team—
whether that's code reviews, design critiques, conferences,
Frisbee, or ripping it sick on the slopes.
Learn more about working at Aten.
Our Team
Justin Toupin
CEO, Creative DirectorJustin founded Aten Design Group in early 2000 while still in college. His focus on clear, effective design solutions and his determination to achieve project goals drive the design process at Aten. Justin has a passion for working with cultural/social organizations – particularly with museums and humanitarian agencies.
Justin’s roles include providing overall creative direction and producing actual visual designs for projects. Additionally, Justin is a capable front-end and backend developer with eight years of experience programming for the web using a variety of technologies.
Also, Justin runs (and owns) the business.
Jon Clark
Business Development DirectorJon was a co-founder of the company. Since 2000, he has contributed to all stages of design projects – from conception to production. He leads the company’s new business development efforts, while managing projects and ongoing client relationships. Jon’s experience and understanding of the design process, combined with clear and effective communication, make him an ideal point of contact for Aten’s clients. He continues to play an important role in concept development and the rest of the creative process.
Ken Woodworth
Art Director- Ken's Blog Posts
- Follow Ken on Twitter
- Ken's Shots on Dribbble
- Ken's Drupal.org Profile
- Ken's Personal Site
Ken is a proficient illustrator and designer with a gift for creating beautiful, intuitive design systems for even the most complex requirements. Ken’s work has been linked from a wide range of CSS design galleries and praised by prominent designers and authors in the web standards movement. Ken’s design capabilities are matched by a thorough understanding and ability in multiple production techniques, including (X)HTML/CSS and Flash, which makes his designs not only beautiful, but highly functional.
In addition to design, Ken has extensive experience developing interactive applications and online games, and has served as lead developer in Flash projects for Colonial Williamsburg, Habitat for Humanity, the National Portrait Gallery, and more.
Scott Reynen
Lead DeveloperScott has been working on the web for about 15 years, working in a variety of languages and platforms before finally settling on the LAMP stack. He is passionate about web standards, reusable code, and building community on the web. Scott deals primarily with the implementation phase of Aten's process, mostly focusing on server-side code, though he also enjoys JavaScript and is obsessed with semantic markup.
Joel Steidl
Senior Designer- Joel's Blog Posts
- Follow Joel on Twitter
- Joel's Shots on Dribbble
- Joel's Drupal.org Profile
- Joel's Personal Site
Joel came to Aten in 2009 from Nashville, TN, where he spent four years at a leading interactive agency in the area. During his time there, he served as senior designer, associate creative director, and most recently director of development. Joel excels at making complicated design problems simple through good interface design. Through the years, Joel has become proficient in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and various content management systems. Whether designing or coding, Joel has a passion for doing things right.
When he’s not creating awesome things on the web, you can find him exploring new trails, hanging out with his wife, or traveling the world.
Jason Yee
DeveloperJason joined the Aten team in early 2010 and has a long history of development in a variety of languages and technologies. Most recently, he's developed an affinity for Drupal development. Along with his passion for crafting great code, Jason is obsessed with all aspects of food and food science.
Brandon Geiger
Interaction DeveloperBrandon is a seasoned veteran in interactive and marketing initiatives, having won several national and international awards while working in three different national ad agencies. He's worked with an impressive list of former clients, including American Airlines, HP, IBM, Motorola, Nationwide Insurance, and Verizon. He has over ten years of experience delivering high-end interactive solutions and team management. Here at Aten Brandon's main focus is interactive solutions and usability. Brandon also likes cupcakes.
Noah Smith
Digital ArtistNoah has been working with Aten to bring creative concepts to life since mid-2000. Noah is proficient in 2-D and 3-D animation, illustration, motion graphics, and character design, and delivers powerful illustrations and animations across a diverse range of styles. In addition to his work with Aten, Noah has worked on projects for clients including ABC Family, Toon Disney, ESPN, CBS and Amnesty International.