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I still make things

National champion in industrial design. Ranked 1st of 1,002 on Iran's national exam. In 2026, five designs went from a Los Angeles sketchbook to three international juries and came back with eight awards. This page grows as the work ships.

5

designs entered from Los Angeles, 2026

8

awards from three international juries

5

at Gold or Top Design level

1st

of 1,002, national design exam

Selected work · 2026

Lighting, mostly. One robot.

Lighting because it is the most honest product category I know: the object has to look right off and on, hide its electronics, cool itself, and survive a cleaner. The robot because healthcare is where I think design is needed most.

A note on design and AI

Anything on a screen can be generated in seconds. A floor lamp cannot.

Physical objects still have to be held, lit, wired, cooled, shipped and repaired, and every one of those is a decision a jury can see. I use AI the way I use a bandsaw: a tool with opinions. The judgment of what to make, for whom, and what to leave out stays human. That judgment is the part I practice here.

Hands sketching in a notebook

The sketchbook. Still open.

Shan Askarian (Shahab Askarian), industrial designer and marketing strategist
About the designer

Shahab (Shan) Askarian

Industrial designer and marketing strategist in Los Angeles. MBA candidate at UCLA Anderson. National champion in industrial design; eight international design awards in 2026. Former Director of Marketing Communications at Snapp (50M+ users).

Based in Los Angeles. Coffee is a great idea.

MBA at UCLA Anderson through 2027. Always curious how things look from your side of healthcare, design, or both. First coffee's on me.