Hi. I’m Zein, the person behind the work.
Zein Abu Hijleh · UI/UX & Brand Designer
Barcelona based, Ramallah raised.
available immediatelythe short story.
I’m a UI/UX and brand designer from Ramallah, based in Barcelona. Master in UX from Elisava, on a graphic design foundation, with client work across Spain and Palestine. I obsess over the details most people never notice, and I design the product and the world around it.
across the rest of this page.
one hire. two designers.
the product and the world around it, from the same person.
interfaces people understand the first time.
- UX research
- user flows & information architecture
- wireframing & prototyping
- UI design
- design systems
- accessible & inclusive design
identities people actually remember.
- brand identity & logo systems
- colour & type systems
- illustration
- editorial & print
- mascots & brand worlds
how i work.
Every project follows the same four chapters, whether I’m building the full brand and product or just one part of it, solo or inside a team. It’s how every case study on this site is written.
01
the world.
Understanding before designing: the users, the brand, the constraints. Sometimes I build the world from zero, sometimes I step into one that already exists. Either way, I learn it before I touch it.
02
the product.
Research into flows, flows into wireframes, wireframes into interfaces people understand the first time. Inside the design system when there is one, aligned with the team when there is one.
03
the details.
The microcopy, the spacing, the empty states, the small errors nobody else notices. The part that’s easy to skip is the part I stay for.
04
what changed.
Feedback in, ego out. What worked, what real people said when it was tested, and what I would do differently next time.
the facts.
Everything from my CV, listed here. The real document is one click away.
SKILLS
- UX research
- user flows & IA
- wireframing & prototyping
- UI design
- design systems
- accessible & inclusive design
- brand identity
- illustration
- editorial & print
- typography
- art direction
- responsive design
- design handoff
- client communication
- project management
- team collaboration
and if something’s missing, i’ll probably learn it fast.
TOOLS
Figma · Illustrator · Photoshop · InDesign · WordPress · Notion · HTML & CSS · Claude · ChatGPT · Canva
ZEIN ABU HIJLEH. UI/UX & Brand Designer. Barcelona, est. Ramallah.
EDUCATION: Master in UX & Digital Services · Elisava, 2026. BA Graphic Design · ESDi, 2020–2025. IB Diploma · Ramallah Friends School, 2020.
EXPERIENCE: Zein Designs · Independent Designer, 2023–present. Adwa’ Design · Design Intern, 2024–2025. Publicis Zoom · Graphic Design Intern, 2019.
LANGUAGES: Arabic, Native. English, Native. Spanish, Professional. Catalan, Conversational.
TOTAL: WORTH IT. www.zeindesigns.studio
the team.
a team of one. plus support staff.
Zein Abu Hijleh
UI/UX & Brand Designer
design, all of it.
Zaza
quality control, drama
quality control, drama.
before you do.
The Laptop
has seen things
has seen things.
Claude
types fast, argues sometimes
types fast, argues sometimes.
Iced Coffee
chief fuel officer
chief fuel officer.
currently.
right now, specifically.
LISTENING TO
UP NEXT
DRINKING
iced coffee.
always.
water.
when i remember.
protein shake.
for balance.
OBSESSING OVER
zaza. she has a bible. i wrote it.
the active tab changes weekly. the intensity does not.
LEARNING
catalan.
poc a poc.
coding & everything websites.
the site is the homework.
motion design.
one animation at a time.
whatever’s new in the ai world.
it learns faster than me.
AVOIDING
hot coffee.
obviously.
my inbox.
it knows what it did.
the gym.
ask the protein shake.
silence.
airpods in, always.
all successfully avoided.
look closer.
the hobbies, the habits, and the small true things. this wall is for the people who scroll all the way.
my adhd rearranges them
weekly anyway.
in december too.
i owe you a coffee.
barcelona, lately.
barcelona, lately.
i owe you a coffee.
let's design something today!
a role, a project, a brief worth obsessing over? i'm in.
sunlight, and a good brief.
sunlight, and a good brief.