My story

Me

Hi! I am Hrant Arsenian, 39 years old Dutch designer with an Armenian origin.

Education

I have a master’s degree in Design for Interaction and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design Engineering, both from the Delft University of Technology.

Philosophy

Good design should make the users smile and fill their hearts with joy. How? With playful and well-thought-out interactions.

Strategy

Without much prior experience as a chess player in elementary school, I became a champion of school chess in the Zaanstad region. By playing chess, I developed a strategic mindset: thinking through before action, planning, and anticipating multiple possibilities.

Winning

During my high school period, I played at a snooker club. I was the youngest player in the club, and within one year of regular practice, I was able to defeat players of many years of experience and became club champion.

Serenity

During my first internship at Lightwell, I got promoted to project manager after a year of working as a junior designer. My boss gave me a Buddha statue as a present because he said: “You radiate peace.”

Leadership

In 2020, I started an internship at PowerUp Universe, where I first developed three physical puzzle toy concepts. The internship term was over when I decided to stick around and make a brand new website for them. Shortly they put me in a mid-level position. We were developing a mobile game with me as a lead game designer. After working for one year, the company made me a senior-level employee!

Stress proof

I practice Aikido for seven years now. Aikido is a Japanese art of self-defense that teaches how to deal with misguided energies. Besides keeping me healthy, it helps to cope with stress by relaxing the mind and body. Furthermore, it gives me confidence, directness, and discipline.

Inspiring

For me, music has always been important. Quincy Jones once said: “Humans need two things to survive, water and music.” In my free time, I make hip-hop-inspired beats as a hobby. I get feedback from my friends that it inspires them to make music or be creative in one way or the other.