Mais Tazagulov — Head of Design, Art Director and Brand Design Lead. 12+ years shaping brands. Remote worldwide. Available for senior design leadership roles.

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Hello

Hello

Territory. Brand Systems Art Direction Identity Type & Motion Web Design
Applied to. Fintech SaaS · Tech E-commerce Healthcare Web3 · NFT

I'm Mais.

I work at the intersection of AI, branding and visual perception — exploring how machine intelligence reshapes creative thinking and brand systems. Twelve years leading design across Fintech, SaaS, Healthcare and Web3. Currently Head of Design at Halo Lab and founder of RefnAI — an AI-powered creative assistant for visual direction.

Deliverables Brand Systems Art Direction Identity Web Design Motion
Available Lead / Head Roles Worldwide Remote Based Odesa, UA
Since 2013 Profiles LinkedIn ↗ Dribbble ↗
Recognition
Halo Lab — Head of DesignBrand & Product2019 — Now
50+ Brand IdentitiesBranding2020 — 2024
Web3 & Fintech LeadershipDirection2022 — 2024
Generative Brand ToolingSystems2024
Behance / Dribbble ShowcaseDesign2018 — Now
YouTube Speaker / EducatorMedia2022 — Now
Senior Roles — AgenciesCareer2013 — 2019
Core Ideas

The pillars.

Four pillars of how I think about brands, perception and creative systems in the AI era.

Approach Systems-first Editorial taste Direct feedback AI-augmented
Output Brand identities Design systems Creative direction AI tools & automation
What I do
01
AI × Human Perception

How machine intelligence is reshaping the way we see, feel and decode visual information. Synthetic creativity, emotional design and the cognitive layer of branding.

Strongest territory
02
Creative Systems

Scalable aesthetics, design leadership and the operating models behind strong brands. Systems thinking applied to creative decision-making at scale.

Authority
03
Brand Psychology

Perception mechanics, the architecture of trust, premium feeling and emotional hierarchy. Why some brands compound value and others fade.

Differentiator
04
Future of Creative Work

New roles, new leverage and new responsibilities for the AI-era designer. The post-tool creative economy and the founder mindset for creatives.

Thought leadership
Background

The work.

From freelance brand designer to Head of Design — the path so far, and the work that paid for it.

Currently Halo Lab Head of Design 2019 — Now
Past Senior Brand Designer Brand Designer 2013 — 2019
Roles
01 Head of Design · Halo Lab 2019 — Now
02 Senior Brand Designer · Studio 2016 — 2019
03 Brand Designer · Freelance 2013 — 2016
AI & Workflow

The system.

How I operate at the intersection of AI and creative work. I think with AI, then ship through it. The system below is how I keep taste while moving at machine speed.

Stack Cursor AI Claude / GPT Midjourney ComfyUI Python + JS
Applied To Brand agencies Design studios Startup teams Solo founders
What I automate & build
01
Vibe-coding

Build functional tools, prototypes, and internal apps with AI — Cursor AI + Claude as the engine, design thinking as the driver. Ship products without a dev team.

Development
02
Vibe-designing

Use GenAI for rapid concept exploration, moodboard generation, and visual research — collapsing days of manual work into minutes. AI as creative partner, not replacement.

Design
03
Agency automation

Optimize studio and agency workflows — automate brief intake, asset generation, client reporting, design QA. Cut overhead so designers spend time designing, not administrating.

Operations
04
AI product design

Design and build AI-native products from zero — RefnAI is the proof. From problem framing and UX to MVP and pitch deck, using AI at every step of the process.

Product
05
Custom design tools

Build bespoke generative tools for brand work — pattern generators, line systems, identity engines. Code + design merged into reusable creative infrastructure.

Tooling
Along the Way

The trajectory.

A short, honest timeline — the milestones that mattered, professional and personal.

Started 2013 Halo Lab 2019
Personal Son · 2025 Now --:--:--
Milestones
Started as a brand designer

Joined the industry as a mid-level brand & UI designer. Learned what it means to care about craft from the ground up.

2013
First senior role

Moved into a senior designer position. Started leading projects end-to-end, owning creative decisions rather than just executing them.

2016
Joined Halo Lab as Head of Design

Took on full creative leadership. Built the team, defined the process, and set the standard — from day one, fully remote.

2019
50+ brands delivered

Crossed the milestone of fifty brand identities shipped across five industry verticals. Every one a lesson in taste, precision, and trust.

2020
Expanded into Web3 & Fintech

Led creative direction for a new wave of blockchain and financial clients. A new visual vocabulary — made premium, not hype.

2022
Built generative brand tooling

Started building internal design tools — generative brand systems, automated workflows. Design and code, working together the way they should.

2024
My son was born

The best creative brief I've ever received, with no deadline and infinite revisions. Everything else can wait.

2025
You're here --:--:--

Looking for the next chapter. If you're reading this, maybe that's you.

Now
Things I'm Proud Of

Public output.

Public manifestations of my thinking — products, techniques, frameworks. Each one a way of saying something about where creative work is going.

Format Products Techniques Education
Reach Designers worldwide Used in production
Selected work
01
RefnAI — visual brief AI

AI-powered creative intelligence system for visual direction. A manifestation of my worldview: AI as a thinking partner, not a tool. Founded, designed, and shipped solo — pre-seed in motion.

Product · 2025
02
Holographic Effect in Figma

Authored the technique for native holographic / iridescent surfaces in Figma — no plugins, just clever use of blends and gradients. The method spread across the design community and is now a standard reference.

Technique · 2022
03
50+ brand identities shipped

As Head of Design at Halo Lab, oversaw and crafted more than fifty full brand systems across Fintech, SaaS, E-commerce, Healthcare and Web3 — each one a real company, in market.

Body of Work
04
YouTube channel · education

Built an audience teaching brand design, process and AI tools — open educational content for designers in two languages. Tutorials referenced and reposted across communities.

Education · 40K+ views
05
Generative brand tooling

Vibe-coded generative design tools using Canvas/JS + AI — pattern generators, parametric line systems, identity engines. Turned hours of manual brand production into seconds of computed output.

R&D · 2024
06
Dribbble presence

Long-running showcase of brand and product work. A consistent, high-signal feed that's been a calling card for years and a source of inbound for studios and clients.

Showcase ↗
Portfolio

By Request

Most client work is under NDA. Full case studies — with the thinking behind them, not just the screens — shared privately on request. Usually within a day.

What you'll see 10–15 case studies Process & outcomes Real company names Live, unreleased work
How it works 1. Drop me a line 2. Quick intro call (optional) 3. Portfolio shared within 24h
Speaking · Media

On YouTube.

I share the craft on YouTube — brand design, process, references and AI tools for designers building real work.

Stats 8 talks 40K+ views 2 languages
Topics Brand design Process AI tools References
Talks

Let's talk.

Open to Lead and Head of Design roles, worldwide remote. Drop a line.

Available Worldwide Remote Lead / Head Roles
Based Odesa, UA Timezone UTC+3
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About
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Work
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Experience
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AI & Workflow
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Timeline
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Proud Of
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Portfolio
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Media
Contact