Right now
My work is a blend of strategic insight, user-centric design, love for language from English literature studies, and taste by experience.
I navigate B2B, B2C, or enterprise waters. Solving challenges within contexts usually different than my own. Like crafting a landing page or a catchy slogan for a product I'd myself never need. Or knowing the finer details of how a store worker restocks shelfs, where do they get products and what is tedious and repetitive.
Why?
I run a small, one man job design shop
on the side.
I like helping out, being of service to something or someone. And I’m fulfilled when this job allows me to do just that. Like the name suggests, these are usually thoughtful, considered, with reflection and without rush projects. Driven with my experience and ways of working from bigger products or agencies. For smaller companies and non profits, anybody without a constant designer budget. It’s usually just me. But I tend to suggest my network of long-term past colleagues for anything I don’t hold a skill for.
A bit more (life) context
By some miracle I've had a Pentium 4 PC, Intel inside sticker and all. Second year of high school I decided Firefox was better than Chrome. Other than downloading pirated games I was able to find local web design forums, full of folks working on what I will come to enjoy. An illegal Photoshop copy — a match made in heaven. Forum signatures like this were my first creative output.
source: DeletedUser5973 on some Grepolis folder
With time I've learned typography, explored color theory and decided distributing elements on a blank canvas is a jam. From design principles i jumped to asking why clients wanted to pay for graphics at all, then websites then products. "Naturally" discovering that problem solving is what I liked.
Although browsing Pinterest for graphic design inspiration is fun, it always overwhelmed me a bit, knowing unlimited styles and creative outputs can exist for even a simple, single concept. My interests were in interfaces.
They offer structure, a defined set of options. Environments users move in, do work in, have fun in, are designed with purpose. It fulfills a need. If some tool doesn't, you find the one which does.
I work with a systems thinking approach — software should do some things, and it shouldn't do some other things. It's used in some contexts and not the others. Those who use it are impacted by it in some and not other ways, and they themselves impact the systems around them, in more than they know.
As a hire on your team
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Sefik. His skills and knowledge of design are second to none. He really gets to grips with your business and where you want to go and helps you get there. Sefik is very flexible, always available to provide new ideas, and very efficient. I would recommend him to anyone.”
F
Frank Tigani
Product at FinestClubs
“Here's the thing about Sefik: He gets it. While most designers get lost in the weeds, he zeros in on what customers actually need. And he does it fast. No endless meetings, no circular debates - just sharp thinking and great work. He's not afraid to say when something's wrong, and he's usually right. Sefik is the kind of designer who makes products better and teams smarter.”
Andrei Negrau
CEO at Siena Labs
Testimonials?
My colleagues about me
“He’s a brilliant product designer that really knows his craft. He deeply considers the user experience at every juncture and always brought this passion into team decisions regarding how to bring a product to new levels. Easy to work with, no fluff, gets stuff done, and is truly a pleasure to be around as a colleague...”
Josh Beatty
Customer Succes Manager at Shopify
“Positive attitude and team-first mindset made him a joy to work with. I can confidently say that his contributions have left a lasting impact on both, the projects we worked on and the team dynamic.”
Senad Metiljevic
Lead Developer at Motiff.co
“...Sefik’s biggest strength is managing the project from various different aspects. From conceptualizing, handling, and conveying the correct idea of the project, his ability to take matters into his own hands when the client hits a roadblock, is a crucial benefit that made every project we worked on a piece of cake. A leader designer.”
Samir Lacevic
Product at Ministry of Programming
“During the time we worked together, Sefik was always generous with his time and insights, asking thoughtful questions that encouraged me to think more critically and refine the way I approach things. He has a way of making you feel truly heard, even when you're still uncertain of your ideas. His feedback was thoughtful, constructive, and always focused on helping me grow.”
Meliha Musinovic
Product Designer at Motiff.co
"…While working together on PetMeds, he produced high quality designs on time, but was also a partner in shifting PetMeds' way of working and thinking towards more research-led, design-forward, user-first development. The trust and respect we earned through our discovery & design work laid the groundwork for us to enjoy a productive, multi-year partnership with the client. Sef is also just a delight to work with - never stressed, always confident we can get the job done, and done well."
Maddy Fleming
Product Strategy Lead at FIVE (Endava)