Born and raised in Pakistan, I was the only student in my high-school class to take art as a subject. It was a challenging and lonely endeavor with few peers to turn to and rely on. I nurtured my fascinations with music, movies and LEGOs, letting them breathe through my work and turn tedium into excitement. In those long stretches of solitude, I would dream, looking inward for answers I couldn’t find outside myself.
That experience helped me discover digging deep as a problem-solving tool. It also made me aware of my resilience in the face of hardships and set-backs. When there’s a wall in front of me, I know that with time, effort and a little bit of luck, there’s a way around it. Today, this perseverance helps me in my work as an art director to delve deeper and to keep on keeping on.
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Résumé
PDFEducation
09.2020–04.2022
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Masters of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
09.2013–06.2017
University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Bachelors of Arts in Art
Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy (with honors)
Graduated with University Honors
Graduated with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude)
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Masters of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
09.2013–06.2017
University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Bachelors of Arts in Art
Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy (with honors)
Graduated with University Honors
Graduated with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude)
Experience
01.2023–Present
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Part-Time Assistant Professor
Instructed and evaluated undergraduate students in design research methodologies and practices tailored for Entertainment Design
09.2021–12.2021
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Teaching Assistant
Moderated discussions and evaluated participation of 14 graduate students for Graduate Seminar 03 taught by Professor Michael Neal.
02.2019–08.2020
Freelance Graphic Design and Illustration
Lahore, Pakistan
Created digital illustrations to promote brands on social media. Illustrated a children’s storybook for a start-up’s public launch. Collaborated with fashion designer Saman Arif to create scarf patterns for an exhibition in the UK.
03.2018–02.2019
Patari
Lahore, Pakistan
Graphics Illustrator
Generated illustrations and animations for a Pakistani music streaming company with a team of 3 designers to promote the company’s social media. Cooperated with a 3-person marketing team to promote branded content on social media platforms. Assisted visual redesign of social media to retain existing audiences.
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Part-Time Assistant Professor
Instructed and evaluated undergraduate students in design research methodologies and practices tailored for Entertainment Design
09.2021–12.2021
ArtCenter College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Teaching Assistant
Moderated discussions and evaluated participation of 14 graduate students for Graduate Seminar 03 taught by Professor Michael Neal.
02.2019–08.2020
Freelance Graphic Design and Illustration
Lahore, Pakistan
Created digital illustrations to promote brands on social media. Illustrated a children’s storybook for a start-up’s public launch. Collaborated with fashion designer Saman Arif to create scarf patterns for an exhibition in the UK.
03.2018–02.2019
Patari
Lahore, Pakistan
Graphics Illustrator
Generated illustrations and animations for a Pakistani music streaming company with a team of 3 designers to promote the company’s social media. Cooperated with a 3-person marketing team to promote branded content on social media platforms. Assisted visual redesign of social media to retain existing audiences.
Digital Skills
Working knowledge of:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign,
After Effects, Premiere, Figma, Affinity Designer, Webflow, PowerPoint, Word
Familiar with:
SketchUp, Krita, inVision Studio, FontForge, Cinema 4D
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign,
After Effects, Premiere, Figma, Affinity Designer, Webflow, PowerPoint, Word
Familiar with:
SketchUp, Krita, inVision Studio, FontForge, Cinema 4D
Craft
Sketching, acrylic painting, illustration, letterpress, woodcut and linoleum printing, bookbinding, kinetic sculpture.
Awards and Recognition
02.2022
Graphic Design USA
“Students to Watch in 2022”
05.2021–04.2022
H.B Edwards Endowed Scholarship
2013–2017
UCSC Dean’s Honors List
Graphic Design USA
“Students to Watch in 2022”
05.2021–04.2022
H.B Edwards Endowed Scholarship
2013–2017
UCSC Dean’s Honors List
Exhibitions
01.2020
The Happieee Place (THP) Daak: Edition One
Series of postcards
Lahore, Pakistan
01.2020
ArtBook Depot Festival
Series of postcards
Jaipur, India
The Happieee Place (THP) Daak: Edition One
Series of postcards
Lahore, Pakistan
01.2020
ArtBook Depot Festival
Series of postcards
Jaipur, India
Languages
Fluent in English and conversational in Urdu