Thoughtful by design

Hello ♡
I’m Nayla, a Lebanese designer with a background in architecture, creating meaningful brand identities and intuitive digital experiences through visual storytelling and user-centered design.

A little about me

Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, I began my journey in architecture, where I developed an appreciation for structure, visual composition, and the way people experience spaces. Over time, my interests expanded toward branding, storytelling, and digital design, leading me to Milan to pursue a Master's degree in Communication Design at Politecnico di Milano.
Today, I bring my architectural perspective into brand identity, UX/UI, and web design, combining visual creativity with a user-centered approach to create thoughtful, functional, and engaging experiences.
Outside of design, you'll usually find me traveling, going on road trips, spending time with family and friends, or discovering inspiration in everyday things.
I speak Arabic, French, and English, and Italian at a B1 level.

Education

Sep 2021 - Dec 2023 | Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Master of Science in Communication Design
Graduated with a GPA of 108/110, exploring the intersection of design, technology, and storytelling to create meaningful communication experiences. The program deepened my understanding of UX/UI, interaction design, and transmedia storytelling, while allowing me to explore brand identity, multimedia publishing, and web and mobile design.
Through research-driven projects and collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds, I learned to approach complex challenges with curiosity and a user-centered mindset, transforming ideas into thoughtful, engaging design solutions.
Nov 2022 - Feb 2023 | Udemy.com - Online Course
Motion Design with Figma: Animations, UX/UI
Building interactions, animations and motion graphic for web and mobile app projects, using the latest practices in motion design, as well as user interface and user experience design (UI/UX).
Jan 2022 - May 2022 | Udemy.com - Online Course
Responsive Websites (HTML, CSS)
Planning, sketching, designing, building, testing, optimizing, and launching a responsive website using the fundamentals of modern and semantic HTML and CSS, and making it work on any device.
Sep 2013 - Jun 2018 | Lebanese American University
Bachelor of Architecture
Graduated with Distinction with a GPA of 3.52/4 from the School of Architecture & Design (accredited by NAAB). Gained knowledge and skills in the theoretical and professional aspects of architectural design, concept development, and architectural drawings, by being exposed to current issues, complemented by a number of activities such as international studios where I got to travel to several countries in Europe.
Sep 1998 - Jun 2013 | Collège Protestant Français
French Baccalaureate - Part 2
Graduated with Distinction with a Specialization in Mathematics.

Experience

Communication Design

Sep 2024 - Present | Beirut, Lebanon
UX/UI Designer | Dar Al-Handasah
Lead UX/UI design for corporate websites, enterprise dashboards, intranets, and internal applications in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
Gather requirements and engage with stakeholders and end users to identify pain points and translate business needs into design solutions.
Create information architecture, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity interfaces.
Redesign platforms and simplify workflows to improve usability, navigation, and information hierarchy.
Develop reusable UI components and apply design system principles to ensure consistency.
Collaborate with developers during handoff to ensure accurate design implementation.
Integrate AI-powered tools into the workflow to accelerate ideation and prototyping.
Jun 2024 - Jul 2024 | Beirut, Lebanon
Graphic Design Intern | The Wonderful Bureau
Logo and brand identity development, design of social media posts and reels, mood boards for photoshoots.
Jun 2023 - Present | Italy - Lebanon
Designer | Co-Founder of Perfect Pear Studio
Perfect Pear is a creative studio I co-founded with my friend Dalia, specializing in brand identity and web design. We transform client visions into cohesive brand experiences through strategy, visual storytelling, and user-centered design.
Brand Identity: Client consultation, requirements gathering, and competitor analysis, brand strategy, mood boards and visual direction, logo suites, color palettes, typography, illustrations and patterns, brand guidelines and cohesive visual systems.
Web Design: User flows, sitemaps and wireframes, interactive prototyping and responsive UI design, user-centered digital experiences aligned with business goals, webflow development and website launch.
Project Management: Client communication and feedback throughout the design process, coordination of project scope, deliverables and timelines.
Jun 2023 - Oct 2023 | Milan, Italy
Graphic Design Intern | Energy & Strategy
Graphic design and content creation. Support the communication team in the design of presentations and reports. Redesign of the company's website by conducting user research, study of personas, flow maps, define a new map, the visual identity with assets, and high-fidelity prototype.

Architecture

Mar 2021 - Sep 2021 | Virginia, USA
Freelance Architect | Renovation
House renovation, taking measures, documenting the existing through plans, sections, elevations 3D drawings and renders.
Sep 2019 - Feb 2021 | Beirut, Lebanon
Junior Architect | Spectrum Engineering Consultants
Concept development, execution (plans, sections, exterior and interior elevations) and 3D renderings of Hotels, Villas, Residential and Office buildings in Dakar (Senegal), Erbil (Iraq), Cyprus, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Abu Dhabi and Myenmar.
Apr 2019 - Aug 2019 | Beirut, Lebanon
Architect Intern | UN Habitat
Cultural Heritage Project, renovation of buildings in Saida and Tripoli by visiting the areas, collecting data, drawing the facades before and after rehabilitation. I was also part of the rebranding project of both cities, with concept development and logo design.
Oct 2018 - Mar 2019 | Beirut, Lebanon
Architect Intern | Badih & Kantar Architects
Execution drawings of commercial and residential buildings, and designing customized furniture for different projects.