I’m a Creative Designer based in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. My journey in design began with a degree in Advertising Design at MMU, Cyberjaya. In 2015, I published a book, Cerita Budak Design, where I wrote about anecdotes from my experiences as a creative. I sometimes write on social media, and I occasionally do videos on YouTube.
For more than 15 years, I’ve been immersed in but not limited to branding, campaigns, publications, audiovisual and marketing design. My guiding principle has always been the same: how can it be done differently? I’m not into chasing trends; I’m into what feels authentic. Often, I consider my work challenges norms & goes into the unconventional, risky but rewarding with a fresh new perspective.
I got my start in the theatre and entertainment industry where I worked in production such as Cuci The Musical 2, Lat Kg Boy Sebuah Muzikal and Supermokh The Musical. Then I made a significant pivot in 2013 to work in politics with Rafizi Ramli, then an Opposition MP, who later became the Minister of Economy. In 2016, he founded INVOKE, where I was made the Head of Creative.
In 2025, I took a leap of faith to focus on my studio.
Work Experience
Creative Founder
2024 ⎯ Current | Studio HDJ
The studio started way back in 2011 when I started it as a front for all of my freelance gigs. It then went into limbo from 2013 to 2024, before I decided to make a leap of faith and focus on the studio in early 2025. The studio offers creative and design services, mainly focusing on branding from strategy up to visual.
Chief Creative Officer
2016 ⎯ 2025 | INVOKE Solutions Sdn Bhd
Started as a social enterprise in 2016 and pivoted into a commercial entity as a big data agency startup in 2018, where I was made the Chief Creative Officer. My work mainly focuses on building the Creative team from the ground up and all the creative side of things for the company, from its branding, the product & services branding, design, marketing collaterals and office design. I was also responsible for hiring a cumulative of 30 creative individuals from various backgrounds (plus non-creative related); architecture, culinary and law.
Senior Creative Designer
2015 ⎯ 2016 | SACC Convention Centre
My work at SACC Convention Centre started as a consultant for 8 months when they outsourced a chunk of their internal projects to contractors, before I was offered a fulltime position for another 5 months. I worked a lot on their internal marketing collaterals that also covers some production works (photography and video).
Creative Designer
2013 ⎯ 2015 | NOW Malaysia
An NGO that focuses on championing oversight and whistleblowing was founded by Rafizi Ramli and Akmal Nasir. I was the creative for the organization where I worked a lot on their social media marketing collaterals inclusive of both static and video and some publication work.
Freelance, Creative
2013 ⎯ 2014 | Various Clients, Events & Projects
Worked on various freelance design jobs before scoring with a big musical theatre project in Istana Budaya, Supermokh Sebuah Muzikal.
Social Media Executive
2012 ⎯ 2013 | Brotherhood Arts
A local design studio that started as an apparel company that focused on promoting Islamic universal messaging. As the company grew, it offered creative services to clients. During my time, I worked on a couple of design projects for their clients and their merchandising designs. I also produced a couple of web series for Ramadan (TAGIH) and Maal Hijrah (Hijrah Saya).
Co-Founder & Art Director
2011 ⎯ 2012 | H+A Studio
After a year of graduating with a degree, I decided to co-found a design studio with three friends from my MMU days. H+A Studio positioned itself as a young and vibrant creative studio that comes with fresh and somewhat daring, non-conventional ideas. Among the projects that we did was Dikir Zikir for TV Al-Hijrah, an event branding design for MMU Convocation and projects in collaboration with Shue Ellis Communications.
Jr. Art Director
2010 ⎯ 2011 | K+LAB Studio
Started as an intern for an industrial internship in my last trimester at MMU and was later offered a fulltime position. During my internship, the studio was involved in a big TV program for RTM called Aura Muzika and Rena Melodi, a mini-concert featuring local artists. The company allowed us to learn about production and was given the responsibility to produce the SCP section for the program, where we interviewed bands such as Raihan, Spider and SOFAZ.
Education
Bachelors of Multimedia
2007 ⎯ 2010 | MMU, Cyberjaya
Majoring in Media Innovation (Advertising Design).
Foundation Year
2006 ⎯ 2007 | MMU, Cyberjaya
Foundation in Creative Multimedia.
Science Stream, SPM
2004 ⎯ 2005 | Sekolah Menengah Islam Hira'
Jeram, Kuala Selangor.
Publication
Cerita Budak Design
2005 | Kopi Press
Anecdotes of my first three-year experience as a creative designer.
Zine Kechik Gila, Series
2018 ⎯ Present | Self-Published
It started as a mini project in mid-2018 after the General Election. The first 4 series was a photobook of my travels to South Korea, the tour with the Bina Semula Negara campaign, a lecture series that I did and a notebook. The zine is called Kechik Gila (Small Ass) because of the tiny size of about 50X50mm. In 2024, the series expanded to include photo travels of my team at Studio HDJ (Switzerland and Japan).
Others
Industrial Advisor
2020 ⎯ 2022 | International Islamic College, KL
Appointed as the graphic design course industrial advisor.
Design Talk Series
2013 ⎯ Present | Various
Rekajiwa, Series (for Creative Team, INVOKE) Start with Type (for Commercial Team) Design for People (for KEIP Batch 8) Designing Politics 101 (for KEIP Batch 6) WTF is Design? (for Mahasiswa Keadilan)
