Qusai Akoud

Designer & Engineer

I’m a designer and engineer based in Boston, creating thoughtful digital experiences and brands. With a background in visual design and computer science, I’m always exploring new ways to bring ideas to life through design, technology, and experimentation.

Over the past decade, I’ve collaborated with notable clients like Harvard University, Waverley Street Foundation, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Beacon Capital Partners, Davidson College, Zildjian, and Sarah J. Maas.

My work has been featured on platforms like SiteInspire, Typewolf, and Brand New.

Got an interesting project or want to hear more? Get in touch.

Capabilities

  • Visual Design
  • Brand Design
  • Creative Direction
  • Front-End Development
  • CMS Integration
  • Creative Coding
  • Prototyping
  • Motion & Animation
  • User Research

Technologies

  • React
  • Next.js
  • Javascript
  • GSAP
  • P5.js
  • HTML
  • CSS/SCSS
  • Contentful
  • Prismic
  • Shopify
  • Craft CMS
  • Figma
  • After Effects
  • Premier Pro
  • Photoshop
  • InDesign
  • Illustrator
  • Spline
  • Blender3D

Work

  • Waverley Street Foundation
  • Emerson Collective
  • Climate Science Fair
  • The Suite
  • LAist
  • Phillips Exeter Academy
  • Davidson College
  • Riveted
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer
  • Solugen
  • Hum
  • Harvard Business School
  • Beacon Capital Partners
  • Hashed
  • NEO.LIFE
  • Zildjian

Waverley Street Foundation

At Upstatement, I led the comprehensive rebrand of Waverley Street Foundation, serving as both lead designer and developer. My work included crafting a new brand identity inspired by Rothko’s paintings, developing brand collateral, designing and building their website, creating video guidelines, and providing art direction. This unified approach strengthened the foundation’s visual presence and communication strategy.

Role

  • Leader designer
  • Lead front-end developer

What I did

  • Brand strategy & design
  • Website design & build
  • Art direction

Tools

  • Craft CMS
  • Twig
  • Javascript
  • Figma
  • After Effects
A photograph showing two people working in a lush agricultural field with green plants. An older man in white clothing with an orange scarf and a woman in traditional orange attire tend to crops. Large white text overlay reads 'Cultivating Health, Justice, and Joy.' Small text at bottom indicates 'Vol. 01 The Joy Edition Dec 2024' with Waverley Street Foundation branding.
Three brand cards from Waverley Street Foundation. Left card lists cities including Cape Town, Jakarta, Surat, Sacramento, and others in green text over a sepia bridge image. Middle card shows a partial close-up of a smiling person. Right card shows someone in protective beekeeping gear standing among tall reeds with text 'Community Report'.
A grid of six cards, each featuring a photo and a short title related to social or environmental action.
Laptop displaying a website with a warm yellow background showcasing a photo collage. The screen shows various images of women in colorful traditional clothing engaged in community activities, possibly related to water access projects. The page has '800' in the top corner and '4 more wells to be installed' at the bottom right, suggesting a development or charitable initiative tracking progress on water infrastructure projects.
Two business cards for Waverley Street Foundation displayed on a light wood shelf. The left card is cream-colored with green text reading 'Cultivating Health, Justice, and Joy' and features the foundation's logo. The right card is pink with green text identifying 'Jagadha Sivan, Chief Operating Officer' along with her email address and phone number.
Hands holding a smartphone displaying a bright green staff profile for Kai Carter, Head of Global Programs at Waverley Street Foundation, featuring a photo and brief professional biography highlighting environmental leadership experience.
A grid of 24 abstract paintings by Mark Rothko, featuring rectangular blocks of color.
Website page for Waverley Street Foundation with bright green background. Headline reads 'Supporting climate leadership at the community level.' Below is text explaining their mission to invest in community climate innovations for local to global action. The page displays four core values in a grid format: Imagination, Collaboration, Joy, and Inspiration, each with descriptive text about their approach to climate action.