The Present of a Past: Plays, Memories and Making
An artistic-research piece on memory, play and the act of making, published in JAR.
Designer, Consultant and Researcher
With over 17 years as a designer, educator, and researcher, my work spans professional practice, teaching, and scholarly inquiry. I maintain a diverse brand-design portfolio while contributing actively to design research, pedagogy, and academic leadership.
01 — About
Hello World!
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Design at COMSATS University Islamabad, where I teach undergraduate studio courses and supervise final-year projects. My research and practice explore the intersection of design, technology, and society. With degrees in Communication Design and Art Education, I bring over a decade of experience across professional practice and higher education. Previously, I served as a Lecturer in Visual Communication Design at FADFA, University of Gujrat.
My research spans design pedagogy, generative AI, visual communication, and cultural inquiry, with published work examining reflective practice, expressive typography, and the interplay of memory and making. As a practitioner, I am committed to problem-solving through design, and my expertise in brand identity is supported by a diverse portfolio of client work.
02 — Research
Writing & publications
My design and artistic research moves between memory, qualitative methodology, and pedagogy, usually anchored to one small, specific unit, such as an event, a place, or an act that carries a larger argument.
Critically Reflective Practice in Visual Communication Design Teaching for Higher Education
A study of how reflective practice can be built into undergraduate visual communication design teaching.
Urdu Expressive Lettering
On the nuqta and other marks of the Urdu writing system as a resource for expressive, pedagogically grounded typography.
The Catalyst of Disruption: Critical Incidents as Lived Inquiry in Design Teaching and Practice
Repositioning critical events as a form of lived inquiry, examining their role as generative sites of learning and unlearning in design education and practice. It employs Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology, drawing on the lived experiences of 24 design educators and practitioners.
Co-Creating with GenAI: Rethinking Poster Design Practice in Education for Sustainable Development
Exploring the potential and limitations of integrating GenAI into the design process while maintaining the human-centered nature of creative practice. The research aims to enhance design education for sustainability among undergraduate design students.
03 — Design Practice
Designs and Identities
A selection of identity and advertising work from client and consultancy projects. The full archive lives on Behance.
Grammora - Urdu AI Writing Assistant
Identity for an AI Urdu writing assistant, grounded in the nuqta as the foundational unit of Urdu calligraphy
CeLTS Identity
Identity design for the Centre for Language and Translation Studies, Allama Iqbal Open University
University of Narowal
Logo and corporate theme design for a public university
AG Component Identity
Brand identity system for an industrial components company
Caresse All Clear Premium
Packaging design for a premium skincare line
Cadbury Dairy Milk
Outdoor hoarding creative, Ogilvy & Mather
Bitcoin Wednesday
Event brand design
Adventures of Amir Hamza
Final year campaign design project, Mehran University — Silver Medal
04 — Recognition
Shows and Talks
- 2025 Exhibited in the VCD International Poster Exhibition, NCA Triennale, Lahore
- 2025 Nuqta 2025 Calligraphy Exhibition, COMSATS Art Gallery, Islamabad
- 2024 The Present of a Past, Art as Research. Methods for Synthetic Reasoning, Faculty of Creative Media (MMU), Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
- 2022 Guest speaker on reflective practice, Pedagogy for Change symposium, Department of Architecture, UET Lahore.
- 2022 Memory & Making, Spatial Childhood Activities in Skardu at the HOME Symposium, University of Gloucestershire, UK
- 2018 Poster Design finalist at the 2nd Nazareh Festival of Art & Culture, Tehran, Iran
Peer reviewer for Reflective Practice (Taylor & Francis), Cumulus Nantes 2025, LearnXDesign 2023, IASDR Congress 2023 and NODES 2023.
05 — Contact
Get in touch
Open to design consultation, research collaboration, speaking invitations, and peer review.