Cory Etzkorn
Hi, I’m Cory. I’m a designer and software engineer with 15+ years of experience building products and brands.
I joined Notion as one of its first 20 employees, helping shape its brand and marketing in the early years.
Today I work from my studio in NYC, where I build and run my own apps and help teams design and ship theirs.
Now
Previously
Consulting
Single project
Fixed scopeFlat feeMilestone-based
For founders and product teams with a product, feature, or website that needs to ship.
We agree on the scope, milestones, timeline, and fee up front. Then I design and build it end to end, checking in at key milestones and keeping the rest async.
Ongoing advising
One meeting each weekAsync Slack support
For teams that want senior product, design, and engineering help without adding a full-time role.
We agree on priorities each week. Then I use a focused day for review, direction, and targeted contributions, keeping the rest of the work async.
Writing
Building Soulmate with AI
From idea to app
Software should feel like magic
Software that adapts to you
You might not need a design system
Focus on building a good product
Hiring well
Build a better team by asking better questions
Moving to NYC
The origin story
Migrating Notion’s marketing site to Next.js
Sharing Notion’s migration journey at Next.js Conf 2021
Scaling marketing design at Notion
A YouTube interview with Charli Marie
Semi-online
Should humans be always-online?
Beautiful
Beauty is enough
Digital expectations, physical limitations
Can the physical world keep up?
Tools that work
A tool is just a tool
Learning to build
When you build something great, build something better



