Résumé
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saaliqmaqbool@gmail.com · Srinagar

Raised in Srinagar. Designing for the US and Europe.

I design brands, then the products they live in.

I’m Saaliq. I lead a team of five designers at iQuasar, building brand systems and product UI for clients in the US and Europe. On the side: album art for Sony Music India, and a live film past 20M views.

In their words

What the team wrote down.

…The designs not only met but exceeded our expectations.

I am writing to express our sincere appreciation for the exceptional graphics that Saaliq recently produced for us. We were thoroughly impressed by the professionalism, creativity, and overall excellence of the work. The designs not only met but exceeded our expectations, adding great value to our project. Given the quality and impact of Saaliq’s work, we would like to ensure his involvement in future graphic design needs for [our company]. His talent and attention to detail are exactly what we require to maintain the high standards we aim for in our visual presentations. Thank you for fostering such a talented individual within your team. We look forward to continued collaboration and hope to work closely with Saaliq moving forward.

An iQuasar clientAppreciation email · name withheld
…a quiet but powerful force behind our customer retention success.

The Graphics Team has played a pivotal role in retaining key PD and PSD customers through their consistent delivery of high-impact web design and visual content. Their work reflects iQuasar’s values of excellence, collaboration, and customer focus. Their contributions have been a quiet but powerful force behind our customer retention success.

iQuasar company recognitionOn the Graphics Team: Saaliq, Mariya, Ifat, Nabeela and Tahir
…a worthy recipient of the Resilient Quasar of the Year Award.

Through unwavering dedication and exceptional resilience, Saaliq has consistently delivered outstanding results in 2024. From taking ownership of the Graphics Point of Contact role to spearheading key initiatives like the software website redesign and branding updates, Saaliq has exceeded expectations while maintaining a positive attitude. His adaptability, commitment, and ability to inspire those around him make him a worthy recipient of the Resilient Quasar of the Year Award.

iQuasar award citationResilient Quasar of the Year, 2024
…The designs not only met but exceeded our expectations.

I am writing to express our sincere appreciation for the exceptional graphics that Saaliq recently produced for us. We were thoroughly impressed by the professionalism, creativity, and overall excellence of the work. The designs not only met but exceeded our expectations, adding great value to our project. Given the quality and impact of Saaliq’s work, we would like to ensure his involvement in future graphic design needs for [our company]. His talent and attention to detail are exactly what we require to maintain the high standards we aim for in our visual presentations. Thank you for fostering such a talented individual within your team. We look forward to continued collaboration and hope to work closely with Saaliq moving forward.

An iQuasar clientAppreciation email · name withheld
…a quiet but powerful force behind our customer retention success.

The Graphics Team has played a pivotal role in retaining key PD and PSD customers through their consistent delivery of high-impact web design and visual content. Their work reflects iQuasar’s values of excellence, collaboration, and customer focus. Their contributions have been a quiet but powerful force behind our customer retention success.

iQuasar company recognitionOn the Graphics Team: Saaliq, Mariya, Ifat, Nabeela and Tahir
…a worthy recipient of the Resilient Quasar of the Year Award.

Through unwavering dedication and exceptional resilience, Saaliq has consistently delivered outstanding results in 2024. From taking ownership of the Graphics Point of Contact role to spearheading key initiatives like the software website redesign and branding updates, Saaliq has exceeded expectations while maintaining a positive attitude. His adaptability, commitment, and ability to inspire those around him make him a worthy recipient of the Resilient Quasar of the Year Award.

iQuasar award citationResilient Quasar of the Year, 2024

3 notes · hover to pause · press read for the full text

Selected work

Selected work, research to release.

Eighteen projects, each told from the first sketch to the final file. A few are self-initiated, and they say so.

All work
01 / 10UX/UI · B2B SaaS · Concept

EcoTrack

Carbon reporting, rebuilt like a bank account.

Elena answers for her company’s carbon, and the part she can’t see is 26 times bigger than the part she reports.

26×Scope 3 is that much bigger than what gets reportedRead the case study
EcoTrack: Carbon accounting SaaS
02 / 10UX research · IA · iOS

mPay Delight+

A bank app for one thumb, in daylight.

People across Jammu and Kashmir pay shopkeepers and send money home on this app, often one-handed and outdoors. Paying a friend took eight steps.

8 → 3steps to pay a friendRead the case study
mPay Delight+: Designing for one thumb
03 / 10UX research · Mobile app · AI features

Lapse

Subscriptions that show their health.

Heavy subscribers pay for eleven tools and use seven. Lapse draws every subscription as a shape that shrinks as you stop using it, so you cancel before the next charge.

9tracker products audited, none linked spend to actual useRead the case study
Lapse: A subscription tracker that notices what you stopped using
04 / 10UX research · Mobile app · Design system

TruBuy

Trust you can see before you buy.

In Srinagar you choose a vendor from WhatsApp forwards and favours. TruBuy had to make trust visible.

16screens, two apps, one design languageRead the case study
TruBuy: Trust for a local marketplace
05 / 10UX research · Mobile app · UI design

Evento

One app for the people who find the venue, run it, and run the event.

Three people are needed to make one event happen, and none of them were talking to each other.

8 / 10surveyed users wanted booking without the hassleRead the case study
Evento: Event and venue booking app
06 / 10Album art · Merch · Live film

Ishq

One quiet street. Thirty layers.

One quiet street in Kashmir, drawn once, that carried a song to 640 million streams.

640Mstreams on Spotify, plus 20M views on the live filmRead the case study
Ishq: Album art, merch and live films · LostFound
07 / 10Album art · Campaign · Sony Music India

Karvaan EP

One record, one face.

A four-song EP about people moving together, and a campaign that made the credits worth reading.

4songs, one face for the whole releaseRead the case study
Karvaan EP: Album art and campaign for Sony Music India
08 / 10Brand identity · Design system · Guidelines

Red Feather

The studio’s first client was itself.

Before our studio could sell identity work, it had to prove it on itself.

1 red#FE214F, from favicon to billboardRead the case study
Red Feather: Studio identity and brand guidelines
09 / 10Brand identity · Signage · Motion

Bootcamp

We didn’t build this for everyone.

Srinagar had loud, cramped arcades. Bootcamp had to feel like the opposite, for people who actually play.

5 lettersfive characters, one wordmarkRead the case study
Bootcamp: Gaming cafe brand identity
10 / 10Packaging · Illustration · Pattern system

Mushke Adfar

We just got out of the heritage’s way.

In old Srinagar nobody bought spice ready-made. The pouch had to carry that kitchen onto a modern shelf.

250 gzip pouch, two products, one systemRead the case study
Mushke Adfar: Kashmiri spice packaging
That was 10 of 18

View all
projects

8 more case studies, plus album art, packaging and print. Filter by what you are hiring for.

Open the archive
LearnBox: Learning management system, UX case studyJavidaan: Jewellery brand identityDead: Mixed-media movie posterDigital Zine: Top 5 designers, analog collage meets digitalThe Elephant Catchers: Analog book cover designKoffie: Coffee packaging, tested in augmented realityKehwa-Kash: Kashmiri kahwa packagingSide work: Logos and 3D studies

The journey

Six places that shaped how I work.

Scroll to walk the route, or pick a building

01 / 06

    What I do

    Six disciplines, one timeline.

    Drag the playhead or let it run. Each cut is something I get brought in for, and the project that shows it.

    Open project
    Cut 01 / 06

    Research before pixels

    Interviews, audits and journey maps first. EcoTrack and mPay Delight+ both started with the evidence.

    See it in EcoTrack
    V1V2V3A1

    All 56 projects

    Get in touch

    Got a role in mind? Let’s talk.

    Open to product design, UI/UX and senior visual design roles, on teams that treat brand and product as one craft. Remote, or relocation for the right team.

    LinkedInContact page