A little about me…
I am British-Pakistani, born in a small town in England but lived mostly in the Middle East and the US. I’m curious and a risk taker. I like to learn and push boundaries (within reason). I love to travel and experience new cultures. I enjoy painting and anything art and design. I’m a doer and a thinker but my superpower is listening.
Professionally, I have worked in the design field for over 10 years. I am an expert in product design, service design and brand development. I have worked for agencies and in-house teams for many clients across different industries (Technology, Education, healthcare, consumer goods, and entertainment).
Most recently, I was a senior design lead at HP, a designer in residence at UCSD Design Lab, an active member of ScaleSD (Smart City Accelerator), on the board of Design Forward Alliance, and an advisor to San Diego Design Week 2021 and have been teaching design at the New School of Architecture and Design in San Diego.
Some clients
Education
Yale University - Masters of fine arts (2010)
American University of Sharjah - Bachelors of science in multimedia design (2007)
Services
Product design - UX / UI
Service design
Design thinking & Innovation strategy
Branding and brand strategy
Graphic design, Art direction, and creative marketing
Design operations and team development
Teaching experience
New school of Architecture and Design — Lecturer (2021- 2022 San Diego, CA)
Zayed University — Adjunct assoc. professor of graphic design (2010 - 2017 Dubai, UAE)
Yale University — Graduate Teaching (2008 - 2010 New Haven, CT)
Speaking events and exhibits
Hexcon Speaker 2021
Design for America Speaker 2020
San Diego design week Speaker 2020
UC San Diego Speaker 2020
UCSD basement, Talk + workshop on design thinking 2020
Zayed university Speaker 2014
Sounds of the City, held a workshop as part of the International Symposium of Electronic Arts at Sikka art fair, Dubai 2014
Art of sound, International Symposium of Electronic Arts at Sikka art fair, Dubai 2014
Tools of Expression, a workshop as part of the International Symposium of Electronic Arts at Sikka art fair, Dubai 2013
XVA Gallery, exhibition for Expo2020. Dubai 2013
Desert Pop, collaborative exhibition at Al Fanoon gallery, Abu Dhabi 2013
MemTalk Speaker 2013
TedX Speaker 2013
Off the Wall, group show at Yale, Green Hall, New Haven, USA 2010
Present Continuous, group show at Yale Art Gallery, New Haven, USA 2010
AIGA Best of New England Show, Boston, USA 2009
Meem Gallery, Group show, Dubai, UAE 2007
Expose exhibit, International Design Forum, Madinat Jumeirah, UAE 2007
Publications
ISEA2014 signage published in Wayfinding System in Public Environment by Andrew Hodson 2015
Art of Sound published in ISEA2014 Catalog 2014
Tools of Expression published in Emerge iii, Zayed University 2013
Off the Wall featured in Walker’s Graphic Design: Now in Production catalog 2012
Site Project published in design school confidential: extraordinary class projects from the international design schools by Steven Heller 2009
Awards
Urban innovation (Scale SD), winner 2020
Lynx award, 2013
Adobe design achievement awards, semifinal 2009
AIGA Best of New England award, winner 2009