Hello, I am Pushkar.
A Lead Product & UX UI Designer with Design, Advertising and Teaching experience.


I specialize in Product and UX UI design for digital media, products, VR AR, games and experiences, aiming to create immersive, engaging, and intuitive user experiences.

In recent years, I've collaborated with leading Product, Design, and Game studios, contributing to projects such as Journey to Foundation and Doom 3: VR Edition, which was recognized as a finalist for VR Game of the Year at both the International VR Awards and Canadian Game Awards. With a Bachelor's degree in Design and a Masters in Digital Media, I've gained valuable experience in renowned design studios, game studios, and ad agencies.

I enjoy being hands-on and technically skilled, working with game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity, as well as digital creation and 3D software such as Blender, Figma, and Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, I excel in UX Design and research, leveraging collaboration and presentation tools like Miro, Mural, and the Google Suite.

As an educator, I teach UX Design at SFU's Masters Degree program and contribute to the VRAR & Digital Design program at VFS. I enjoy teaching and mentoring designers and leading complex design projects from scratch.

For an in-depth look at my journey, you can check out a recent interview here: https://www.toptal.com/designers/augmented-reality/vr-gaming


Work Experience:

︎STRAWBERRY FIELDS INTERACTIVE May 2023 - Present
Head of Design | Lead Product Designer


  • Head of Design responsible for all design on the current and future projects.
  • I am in-charge of product design, User Experience design, User Interface design and Visual design.
  • Working as part of the Product Triad with Product Manager & Head of Engineering.
    I am the Product Owner on the team.
  • Lead Product Designer creating a Platform and vr creation tools for for user generated 3D worlds for Roleplay Games and storytelling.
  • Lead UX UI Designer incharge of User experience and creating features. Responsible for UI Design, Interaction design and Information architecture.
  • Product Owner maintaining Backlog and setting Feature creation priority for team, based on User feedback and regular playtesting schedule with leading Content creators and Game masters in roleplay games.
  • Visual Designer in charge of UI for the application. Setting up design system in Figma inclusive of Color pallete, Typography, Iconography and other Design Patterns for the library.


︎ARCHIACT VR  | November 2018 - May 2023
Lead User Experience & User Interface Designer
    • I lead, design and develop the User Experience(UX) and implement User Interface(UI) and interaction for various Virtual reality(VR), Augmented Reality(AR) & projects for interactive media experiences and games.

      📍 Worked on a Doom3VR, released March 2021

      📍 Worked on an Journey to Foundation AAA VR game

      Some of my daily responsibilities are:
      • Prototyping interactions for gamified applications on VR, AR, Web & mobile.
      • Writing & Iterating on Feature Briefs for Game UX & UI features, for approval with my fellow leads. Once feature briefs are approved, create & break down tasks for the team to develop.
      • Collaborating with Art & Engineering in developing efficient UI systems.
      • Working with Game Design in developing user-friendly experiences.
      • Identifying opportunities/improvements in current designs and iterating on new solutions.
      • Coordinating User Research & Usability testing to create action plans for UX improvements.
      • Defining and pushing the visual style of the features while ensuring that they remain cohesive using cutting-edge User Interface solutions.
      • Lead, Mentor, Hire and direct Junior UX & UI Designers
      • Leading, Mentoring and setting up tasks for my reports. Managing 1:1s, performance reviews, tasks and priorities, etc.




︎SHAPE IMMERSIVE
- Spatial Data Marketplace | June 2018 - November 2018
Product design, UX/UI Design, and research. ︎



︎CHKOUT- Mixed Reality Shopping Experience | May 2018 - Ongoing
Product and User Experience Designer, Biz-Dev.


︎YUMEBAU - Location-based Augmented Reality Game for kids | Jan 2018 - June 2018 
UX/UI Design, and Product Owner. 



︎TORONTO NOW - Events module June 2018 
UX/UI Design, and research.


︎Associate Creative Director-BPG BATES Dubai(Part of WPP group)Jul 2011 – July2017
︎Senior Art Director - DDB Dubai
| Mar 2009-Jul 2011


︎Sr. Art Director - Impact BBDO
| Mar 2007 – Feb 2009


︎Art director - Leo Burnett Dubai
| Sep 2004 – Mar 2007
Bombay, INDIA

︎Art Director -
Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai


︎Art Director - Ambience Publicis


︎Art Director - Alok Nanda Company

Art Director - Grey World Wide 

︎Creative Department Intern -JWT 


Check out my work experience in detail on linkedIn. ︎








Specialties:

UX - User eXperience Design
UI - User Interface Design
360 ̊  Advertising Campaigns
Photography

Other Interests
Mixed Reality
Game Design
Augemented Reality
Inline skating



References

Available on request

Social Media

Email: pushkar.web(at)gmail.com
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/pushkar30





Client list


FMCG
Lipton - Yellow Label
Lipton - Clear Green
Lipton - Chai latte
Pepsico - Pepsi
Pepsico - Mountain Dew
Pepsico - Mirinda
Pepsico - 7up
Al Rawabi - Juices
Al Rawabi - Milk
Tetley Tea
Masterfoods - Snickers
Himani
Dabur
ITC Foods
Saffola Sunflower Oil

MUSIC
Easy Buy Music



AUTOMOTIVE
General Motors - Envoy
General Motors - Yukon
General Motors - Suburban
Chevrolet - Optra
Chevrolet - Epica
Chrysler

SERVICES
Showtime - CableTV network
RTA - Road Transport Authority Dubai
RTA - Dubai - Metro
RTA - Dubai - Tram
RTA - Dubai - Bus
FNC - Federal National Council
BPCL - Bharat Petroleum

FINANCE
HSBC Bank
HDFC Bank
FGB - First Gulf Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Sharekhan.com
Dubai Mercantile Exchange



RETAIL
Grohe
Citizen Watches
Sharjah Megamall
360 mall
Global Village

FASHION
Arrow Shirts
Wrangler
Babyshop
Park Avenue

TELCOM
BPL Mobile

REAL ESTATE
Dubai Properties
Business Bay

HOSPITALITY
Barista Coffee Company
Taj Group of Hotels
Travelport



Skills & tools

Sketch
Adobe XD
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Indesign
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere
Invision
Invision Studio
Cinema 4d
Unreal Engine
Unity 3d
Persona
Prototyping
Wireframing
Sketching
Doodling
Agile
Scrum
Photography
Video Editing






Bombay

INDIA

Dubai

UAE

Vancouver

CANADA


︎REFERENCES

Take a look at some of the references I have recieved from my colleagues.




︎ARTHUR SEBERT

Founder at Reactiv
Pushkar led the design of a VR game prototype for a startup project, and did an excellent job. He was able to provide a great framework to design the game, but was open to adapting it for the needs of a startup. He is creative and well versed in UX for VR. His communication was very clear and frequent, and he was proactive to own the work and move it forward quickly. I would be very glad to work with him again.


︎MICHAEL WIDMER

Software Engineer at This Game Studio
Pushkar is an experienced UX Designer with a well-rounded background, giving him a uniquely broad perspective. He's an extremely friendly person, and he's always willing to talk about interesting topics if you give him a chance.


︎NAYAAB RAIS

Creative Director at McCann
It’s easy for me to recommend Pushkar since I have worked as his Copy partner for quite a while at Brandcom and DDB. He always had a 100 ideas every minute and was an absolute treat to work with. Best of all was his calm demeanour that made our working experience not only productive and great, but also enjoyable.


︎RUCHDI RARAGIGroup Account Director at DDB 

 

Some say that he has 1000 vintage cameras and that he sleeps with one each night while the other 999 watch. Some say that his cool and chilled demeanor is caused by his unparalleled hate towards brand logos, as he has to take 10 Xanax pills before putting one on his layouts and 10 after being asked to enlarge it.  Despite the "rumors" above, I had a great time working with Pushkar. What stood out to me the most was that his creative ideas were always fresh, relevant and up to date with what's happening in the market and globally.  He was definitely a great asset and a main part of the engine in Lipton's creative engine.  Wish you all the best buddy wherever you go - keep on rocking : )



︎LESLIE MENDOCA
Director at CA Communications

Pushkar is a great guy to work with! We were a good team at ideating, often knocking heads when it came to the final communication, but all in all, he helped me create some of the most memorable communication. All said and done, Pushkar was a great asset to the team with exceptional thinking and ideation that deserves kudos to his work. He is a dedicated and meticulous art director who can truly make a difference to the team.



︎MELISSA ANDREWS
Writer (Cape Town/Dubai)
I have worked with Pushkar at both Brandcom and DDB. He is an extremely talented Art Director for whom ideas come very easily and is a pleasure to work with. He's also a good team player and has strong leadership capabilities. I highly recommend him.



︎TANYA THEODORY

Regional brand Manager at Kellogs 

Pushkar is a good creative person. He does very well at conceptualizing great ideas and then executing them, taking into account all the details.



︎ABHINAV SHARMA
Head of Strategy at Dentsu One - Kuala Lumpur

Pushkar was meticulous, creative and jovial. He was one of those creative people you actually enjoyed briefing and interacting with. He would ask the right questions, signalling his desire to learn more about the job at hand. You always felt he was a genuine team player. His work was always par excellence and clients appreciated it.



︎SANJAY SIPAHIMALANI
Executive Creative Director at Bates 141

I found Pushkar to be diligent and serious about his work, as well as possessing the talent to come up with effective and award-winning ideas time and again. From the start, it was clear that he was an advertising professional to watch, and I have no doubt that, before long, he will go even further in his career.








Bombay

INDIA

Dubai

UAE


Vancouver

CANADA

My Story


Pushkar & Oreo


Hi, I am Pushkar. This is story of my life.


I am a Senior Designer who has worked on Doom3VR and other award-winning digital media, games, and experiences. I work with and lead design teams that build cutting-edge games, experiences, and innovative business solutions using AR & VR, mobile, Realtime 3D and other emerging technology.

I moved to Vancouver to pursue my Master's Degree in Digital Media (MDM) at the Centre for Digital Media(SFU) in Canada. I am a problem solver at heart and passionate about real-time 3D, mixed reality, and digital design. I believe that with the right combination of design and tech, we can solve most of our world's problems.

I was born in one of the craziest and most inspirational cities, Bombay, India. I studied Design & Communication to receive a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) at JJ Institute of Applied Arts. After working in Bombay for a few years, I moved to Dubai for a few years.

I have been lucky enough to have traveled to over 91 cities around the world. My most prized possessions are the souvenir T-shirts I pick up at every new city I visit. I am an avid photographer and a film camera collector; I have 19 film cameras in my collection so far. I am a self-proclaimed Sci-fi, Anime, and foreign film junkie, a new media geek, a certified PADI Advanced Scuba Diver, and an Inline Skater.

I also teach design at SFU & VFS.

A recent Interview took an in-depth look at My journey ︎︎︎


Other Interests

Mixed Reality
Game Design
Augemented Reality
Inline skating
Photography

My film camera collection




Cities visited

Map of cities i have travelled so far




Mumbai

INDIA

High School

Bachelors Degree -BFA 
Advertising
Design

Dubai

UAE

Advertising

Digital Design
Travel, Scuba Diving
Rollerblading



Vancouver

CANADA

Masters Degree -MDM
Game UX UI Design
Teaching Design
Doom 3 VR
Adventure Continues...


Awards



I have won a few awards in my career


VR Game of the Year - Doom3 VR (Nominated)
Issued by International VR Awards
AIXR - The Academy of International Extended Reality
https://vrawards.aixr.org/finalists-2021/

Jul 2021


Best VR AR Game - Doom3 VR (Nominated)
Issued by Canadian Game awards
https://cgameawards.ca/2022-cga-nominations/
Apr 2022


Protohack Hackathon - 3rd Place My team won the 3rd place in the Protohack Hackathon in Vancouver for our product uNXT. The theme given was "Education". Three of us met and formed a team, came up with an Idea, created a prototype and presented the product all within 12 hours.
My role was that of User Experience Designer and Product Owner. I also created User Interface for the hackathon.
It was an exciting to practice working with a brand new team and rapid iterations with a severe time constraint of 12 hours. https://protohack.com/
Mar 2018

Dubai Lynx - 3 Bronze Awards Sennheiser - PXC 550 Headphones Campaign
Mar 2017 

Dubai Lynx - 2 Finalists
Ranches Primary School - Radio Activation
Feb 2017


MENA Crystal Awards - 3 Bronze Awards Eyezone - Guess Who Outdoor campaign
Jan 2015 

Crystal international Festival  - 3 Bronze Awards Eyezone - Guess Who Outdoor campaign
Dec 2014 

Epica Awards Shortlist Eyezone - Guess Who Outdoor campaign
Nov 2014 


Communication Arts - Award of excellence Eyezone - Guess Who campaign
May 2014 - Featured in Design Annual

Dubai Lynx awards  - 3 Silver Awards Eyezone - Guess Who Outdoor campaign
Mar 2014 


EFFIES Shortlist First Gulf Bank - Brand Campaign
2014


MENA Crystal awards Outdoor Crystal General Motors - Road Safety
2007 


Volunteer Experience 

I love to volunteer at tech, art and educational events.


  • TEDx Vancouver - November 2017
    Cash Register and AfterParty VolunteeringHelped with the Signage at the after party venue. Managed cash desk. and helped to direct delegates and volunteers to the after party venue. 


  • VR/MR/XR Event by French Consulate - November 2017
    Event Setup assistantAssisted the event manager at the event and tear down after the event. Helped to disassemble the technical equipment & furniture after the event.



  • Global Game Jam - January 2018
    Event Volunteer
    Global game jam is an international event where teams create a game in 48 hours. I helped to manage the food and any other help the participants needed with the Vancouver chapter of the event. 





Bombay

INDIA

Dubai

UAE


Vancouver

CANADA

INTERESTS

I find inspiration everywhere. 
I wish to experience everything at least once.





PHOTOGRAPHY



I am an avid photgrapher and a film camera collector, I have 19 film cameras in my collection so far.
My work has been featured on prominent blogs and in a few magazines.

My film camera collection










3D SCULPTING



I am a 3D modeling enthusiast. I have recently been experimenting with 3D Scuplting using Blender 3D.










DOODLES & ILLUSTRATIONS


I don’t consider myself a profesional illustrator but I can draw and doodle quite well; enough to explain my ideas. I love drawing with on my iPad with Apple pencil, it’s a lot of fun.