Front&Back is a digital design studio with 25 years experience in webdesign, branding and creative design for print or screen.

Front&Back is an Auckland-based graphic design and web development company, founded by Steve Leggat.

Photo of Front and Back founder, Steve Leggat while co-working in Taipei City, Taiwan in 2016.

Steve Leggat, livin’ the dream at Rolling In Life co-working space, Taipei 2016.

As the name Front&Back implies, not only do I work on the frontend; the customer-facing side of your business, but also the backend; the side customers don’t see. Think of the frontend as your branding, website design, signage and print, and the backend as the systems like your e-commerce software, content management, databases and the coding that ties it all together.

You’re in luck — I take care of it all.

View some recent design projects.

An Abbreviated Timeline

1990 I studied Graphic Design, Textile Printing, and Computer Programming at Auckland University of Technology.

1994 Before becoming a web developer (in fact, before that was even a thing), I led the computer departments of two animation studios making cartoons for Disney, Warner Bros, and local television.

1996 Discovered the internet and made a webpage offering my design services. It wasn’t pretty but it was enough for me to land the Lead Designer role in one of New Zealand’s top webdesign companies, working with clients like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tourism New Zealand, and former Prime Ministers of New Zealand, Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark.

2000 Co-founded Styrofirm a digital design agency, working on highly creative campaigns and projects for Maybelline NY, Pizza Hut, Johnson & Johnson, NZI, Vodafone, and McCann Worldgroup.

2001 After seeing the potential in email marketing, our team designed and developed BornKicking (think MailChimp or CampaignMonitor), and along with it, an agency to create and manage effective email marketing campaigns.

2005 On a whim, I moved to Taiwan, studied Mandarin Chinese at the National Taiwan Normal University, and began freelancing again as Steve Leggat Design.

2008 Created GigGuide.tw, a multi-language platform on Taiwan’s music scene with interviews, reviews, event listings, and live photos. I organised concerts, bringing New Zealand bands So So Modern, Die! Die! Die! and Wax Chattels through Taiwan, and putting on shows for local bands. At its peak, GigGuide.tw had a team of 30+ contributors. Check out the GigGuide.tw Photo Archive.

2014 Married Phoebe (yay!).

2015 Co-founded a social network for startups and collaborators looking for side-projects. The first prototype was called BLNKK, that later became Doers. I oversaw the design, UI/UX, onboarding, community management, and promotion (#1 on ProductHunt, oh yeah!).

2017 My daughter Tui is born (she’s now 6 years + 215 days old).

2019 After 14 years living in Taipei, Taiwan, I made the big decision to move the family back to Auckland, New Zealand.

2021 Rebrand! Steve Leggat Design becomes Front&Back, and I move out of my home office and into a swanky digital design studio in Ponsonby. Come visit!

Interviews and Press:

Featured In:

Clients:

Past Work:

  • Asics
  • Auckland Drum Fest
  • Bulletproof FTP
  • Doers
  • GigGuide.tw
  • Ignition Development
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Maybelline NY
  • McCann Worldgroup
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Mt Ruapehu
  • National Taiwan University
  • NZ Stand Up Paddling
  • NZI Insurance
  • Pizza Hut
  • Porsche
  • Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • The Face Place
  • Tourism New Zealand
  • Vodafone
  • Waiata Anthems
  • XEN Skateboards

Let’s talk about your project.