I believe creative tools should expand what people can do without deciding what they should make.
- Based
- San Francisco / New York / Remote
- Status
- Open to roles
- Designing since
- 2008
Biography
I’m Orkhan Mammadov, a product designer in San Francisco with 18 years in digital products, creative tools and interactive work.
I started designing for the web in 2008, then moved through agencies and studios into art direction and product design, for brands like Nike, Adidas and Microsoft. More recently I was a contract product designer at Nous Research and ComfyUI, and founded Genie, an AI creative studio for artists.
Today I design how people create with AI, from node editors to agent workflows. I prototype early, so complex tools end up easy to understand and use.
I’m also a new media artist working with AI and generative systems, so I often use the same kind of tools I design.
Art practiceMy art has been shown at the Venice Biennale, Art Basel Miami and the Museum of the Future, and OpenAI licensed a work from my Visions series.
Practice
TWO DISCIPLINES, ONE PRACTICE
- 2000s
Browser as canvas
Taught myself web design as a kid with HTML, JavaScript and Flash. Designed UI and UX for agencies from 2008.
- 2012
Creative technology
Real-time visuals and interactive installations. Touchscreen, AR and VR work for Nike, Adidas and Microsoft.
- 2016
AI
DeepDream and GANs first, then custom models trained on my own datasets. That work went to the Venice Biennale in 2019.
- NOW
One practice
I design generative media tools and prototype them early: node editors, agent workflows, demos and installations.
Experience
Download CV- 2024 – PresentFounder & Lead Product DesignerGenieSan Francisco / New York
- 2016 – PresentNew Media Artist (Part-time)Independent
- 2008 – PresentProduct Designer (Freelance)Independent
- 2026Product Designer (Contractor)Nous ResearchRemote, USA
- 2025 – 2026Senior Product Designer (Contractor)ComfyUISan Francisco, CA
- 2022 – 2024Art DirectorArt in Space GalleryDubai, UAE
- 2018 – 2020Product & Design LeadAprilUVBaku, Azerbaijan
- 2015 – 2018Creative Technologist & DesignerLunchmeatPrague, Czechia
- 2013 – 2015Art DirectorLeo BurnettBaku, Azerbaijan
- 2012 – 2014Art DirectorStudio RecodeIstanbul, Türkiye
- 2010 – 2012Graphic & Web DesignerMcCann BakuBaku, Azerbaijan
Education
- Coursework in Entrepreneurship in InnovationGlobal School for EntrepreneurshipAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Coursework in Fine Arts & Experimental MediaPrague CollegePrague, Czechia
- Coursework in Visual Communication DesignIstanbul Bilgi UniversityIstanbul, Türkiye
- Coursework in Computer ScienceKhazar UniversityBaku, Azerbaijan
Principles
Complex tools can be easy to understand without losing depth. Give people a clear starting point, and more control as they need it.
With AI, the interface should help people say what they want, see what the system is doing and change the result. It should leave room to experiment.
I work on product direction, interaction design and visual systems, and I prototype to test how things behave. I stay involved through development, because what ships is what people use.
- 01
Make complexity readable
Expert tools can stay dense, as long as they are easy to read.
- 02
Design systems that match the product
Every component in Figma maps to a real component in the product.
- 03
Prototype first
When a mockup can’t answer a question, I make a working prototype in React.
- 04
Most useful early
When the problem is unclear and the interface doesn’t exist yet.
- 05
Raise the bar across teams
Shared patterns, design reviews and the edge cases that make AI products feel reliable.
TOOLKIT
- Product design
- Generative AI
- Real-time and 3D
- Worked with