I built AM Digital Designs from the ground up
A Bodeguero Legacy
Hi, I'm Ana, the founder of AM Digital Designs. Growing up, I watched my father, Juan Faustino Cardenes, run Cardenes Market in Lawrence, MA for 30 years. Seeing him build a business that served an entire community is the reason I do this work. As an adult, I stepped up as manager and discovered my passion for scaling businesses.
I believe in creating digital spaces that are bilingual, intuitive, and empowering across cultures carrying his legacy forward, one interface at a time.
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Design Meets Engineering
I am both the designer and the engineer on every project I ship. From Figma to production, brand to database: I bridge the entire stack.
That means clients don't hand off design files that get lost in technical translation. They get a single partner who thinks in intuitive interfaces and engineers scalable systems.
Bilingual, Bicultural & In the Field
I speak English and Spanish fluently and have spent time in communities everywhere from Alaska to Indonesia, South Korea to Mexico connecting directly with local businesses across the U.S.
Each place has sharpened how I think about digital products: accessible, inclusive, and tuned to how real people from diverse backgrounds actually behave not just how a wireframe assumes they will.
In My Spare Time
I'm spending time with my family, hanging out with my cat, or exploring a new country.
Otherwise, I'm nerding out about how digital systems and human culture continuously reshape each other.
Thank you!
Meet the Designer
A designer with a computer science foundation: coding sites since day one, building brands for real clients since undergrad. This is the arc from a family bodega in Lawrence to a global cross-cultural research platform.
Marketing Manager, Cardenes Market
Five years running the full brand and marketing presence for a family-owned bodega in Lawrence, MA. Real client, real accountability. My first design classroom.
Graphic Design & CS at Salem State
Started my B.A. in Graphic Design with a Computer Science minor. Learned the foundations of Java, Python, and assembly through coursework.
Design Intern, The People's Forum
First exposure to design as a tool for community impact and grassroots engagement, not just brand aesthetics.
Bachelor's + Started AM Digital Client Work
Graduated with honors, Tri-Alpha Honor Society, and a Graphic Design Award. Started taking on freelance client work under the AM Digital name—the foundation that would become the studio.
Freelance UX/UI Designer & Developer
Small businesses got both a designer and an engineer in one engagement: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, UX Research, Branding, Figma, PHP, and MySQL.
Master's in Digital Media, Northeastern
Focused on interactive design and usability. Capstone: Loyva—a B2B SaaS delivered to a real Texas startup founding team.
Launched AM Digital + Building AMD Global Insights
Officially launched AM Digital Designs as a formal studio. Building AMD Global Insights alongside it—full-stack solo build: PHP, MySQL, custom i18n across six languages, TOTP 2FA, PayPal subscriptions, and Aries, an AI research agent.
Conferences & Community Discussions
Connecting with global communities, attending panels, and sharing insights on cross-cultural systems.
