Farhan Mian

Farhan Mian is a product designer specializing in design systems, currently working as a Design Systems Leader at Microsoft.2 His career journey has been quite interesting and transformative:

Background and Education

Farhan graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), initially focusing on architecture.1 During his time at RISD, he accidentally took a graphic design class that sparked his interest in design, though he initially pursued architecture after graduation.1

Career Transition

After working as an architect for several years, including projects like the One Vanderbilt skyscraper and offices for Google New York, Farhan faced a turning point during the global pandemic.1 He lost his job at Gensler and decided to teach himself user interface design through YouTube, blending graphic design and user experience design.1

Entry into Product Design

Despite facing 250 job application rejections, Farhan eventually broke into the tech industry as a design system product designer at BlockFi, a cryptocurrency startup.1 During his time at BlockFi from 2021 to 2022, he experienced rapid growth:

• Started as a Product Designer focused on Design Systems
• Was promoted three times in a year and a half
• Became the Founding Product Designer for Vega, BlockFi's Design System3

Current Role and Expertise

Farhan now leads a team of product designers building a design system at Microsoft.1 He is known for his expertise in:

• Design systems
• User interface design
• Product design
• Artificial intelligence advocacy2

Farhan's unique background in architecture, combined with his self-taught skills in user interface design, has shaped his approach to product design and design systems. He credits his architectural training at RISD for giving him discipline, precision, and obsession, which he applies to his current work in user interface leadership.1