To the Gradient team,
My name is Shahir, and I’m a NYC based designer with a background in architecture. The work that's always been the most meaningful to me, however, has been my community arts projects. Each one had me working with illustrators, writers, and musicians from around the world. All of them had a central goal: to celebrate some culture/media. Our job was to take something people had a deep emotional connection to, and give them a new way to experience it, one that can draw out even stronger emotions.
I see a core challenge in experiential design that mirrors this, to distill ideas then translate them to a physical interaction. To me, it's a perfect blend of what I found fulfilling in my personal work and in architecture.
I'm also part of a generation that craves more real-world connections and new ways to interact with the things we love. I want to be part of the new wave of designers shaping what those experiences will look like. Especially now, with how quickly the technologies and methods for creating them are evolving. I never shy away from trying new tools and methods in my work, everything from "recommended for beginners" to "probably overkill for my needs."
Thanks for taking the time to learn about me! I really enjoyed tackling the design for this site. It takes inspiration from so many things that inspire me as a designer, and I hope the respect I have for them is reflected here. I would love to bring that same energy into a career in experiential design.
- Shahir Wasi
My name is Shahir, and I’m a NYC based designer with a background in architecture. The work that's always been the most meaningful to me, however, has been my community arts projects. Each one had me working with illustrators, writers, and musicians from around the world. All of them had a central goal: to celebrate some culture/media. Our job was to take something people had a deep emotional connection to, and give them a new way to experience it, one that can draw out even stronger emotions.
I see a core challenge in experiential design that mirrors this, to distill ideas then translate them to a physical interaction. To me, it's a perfect blend of what I found fulfilling in my personal work and in architecture.
I'm also part of a generation that craves more real-world connections and new ways to interact with the things we love. I want to be part of the new wave of designers shaping what those experiences will look like. Especially now, with how quickly the technologies and methods for creating them are evolving. I never shy away from trying new tools and methods in my work, everything from "recommended for beginners" to "probably overkill for my needs."
Thanks for taking the time to learn about me! I really enjoyed tackling the design for this site. It takes inspiration from so many things that inspire me as a designer, and I hope the respect I have for them is reflected here. I would love to bring that same energy into a career in experiential design.
- Shahir Wasi
shahirwasi03@gmail.com 914-349-1921
