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Asem, your favourite designer

@assemkin

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Professor at @mgsarutgers, Digital Communication Designer at @culturecorps and a mother. My research interest: @unseenmultitasking

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It’s such a joy to discover new ways of representing your ideas.

One of the things I discovered at Mason Gross is that, as a visual designer, your work doesn’t have to be tied to a screen or a printed page. There is so much freedom to step outside familiar formats, work with your hands, experiment with materials, and let an idea take a completely different form.

For me, one of those discoveries was glass.

Working with glass is such a fascinating process: mixing, melting, making molds, experimenting, waiting, failing, trying again, and constantly thinking about what an idea can become through this material.

This summer, I exhibited this work at the Today and Tomorrow show. I made every glass letter by hand, and I love each one of them. Glass can be incredibly difficult to work with, but that makes it even more satisfying when everything finally works—when you open the furnace and find the piece whole. Not cracked. Beautiful. Fragile.

You have to hold it with care if you don’t want it to break. And once it is broken, it can hurt you badly.

There is something deeply feminine about glass to me. It can be transparent without being simple. Delicate without being weak. It can carry light, distort what we see, survive enormous heat, and still remain fragile enough to shatter in your hands.

Glass is a woman to me.

Beautiful, complex, resilient, unpredictable.

Handle with care.

Created in collaboration with @rutgers_engineering taken in Mason Gross Galleries by @assemkin

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20 days ago

Bodies of Flora and how we are trying to bring back what’s been lost.

Last Friday we reached the first milestone of our project Bodies of Flora. We started this work last summer, during our trips to the 100-year-old Chrysler Herbarium at Rutgers University, and visits to Rutgers Gardens—where they develop nut species used in products like Nutella, and created the famous Scarlet Fire®️ Dogwood.

We spoke with botanists extensively, and at times it felt like we were opening a Pandora’s box. We began talking about extinct plants and the ways they disappeared… and how some people claim to have seen these plants along the coast of New Jersey. What if that’s real? Ghosts? Or what if the longing to see them has become so strong that it turns into hallucination?

Last Friday, my professor Sue Huang performed a show reflecting on everything we have created since then. It felt like I was hearing it all for the first time. Sue is an incredible performer—she has a way of pulling you completely into the work.

Maybe it was Jersey City’s abandoned industrial landscape where Mana Contemporary is located, maybe it was the sound of freight trains passing by, but the performance felt deeply immersive. I found myself thinking about the bodies of dead plants all the way home.

I feel truly honoured to be a research assistant in this project and to work alongside such an amazing team. We didn’t imagine this piece would become this haunting—but Sue knows exactly how to hold an audience’s attention.

The work continues, but I really wanted to share some visuals from Sue’s performance.

Supported by the Rutgers–New Brunswick Laureate Award from the Office of the Provost. @rutgersnb

Concept, Writing, Direction
@studiosuehuang

Script Editing
@daniel.grushkin

Graduate Research Assistants
Asem Kiyalova - Research, Web Design, Type Design
Anukriti Kaushik @a.nukriti - Research, Fabrication, 3D Modeling
Kundan Reddy - Programming

Web Development
Ken Amarit @kenamarit

3D Model Textures and Environments
Pariah Interactive @pariahinteractive

📸 @sam_vladimirsky taken in Jersey City, New Jersey by @assemkin

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5 months ago

Held at Once, installation, 2026
Mason Gross Galleries, Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
MFA Thesis Exhibition
Was on view January 22 – February 5

I was honored to exhibit alongside @peychiang and @a.nukriti

This was the first time my work occupied two rooms in a gallery space, and the experience meant so much to me. I gained a deeper understanding of my own process through developing this installation, and through the thoughtful feedback I received from professors and peers.

Grateful to my design cohort and everyone who supported, challenged, and engaged with the work along the way. @mgsarutgers taken in Mason Gross Galleries by @assemkin

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6 months ago

Things to remember from San Francisco, and repeat next time!!!

💦Feel the salty splashes on the ferry.
🌁Find the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
🍱 Stop by Japantown for rolls and donuts.
🔤Slow down and notice the beautiful typography on storefronts.
And dont forget 💖💖💖 it’s only a dream until you believe!!! taken in San Francisco, California by @assemkin

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3 months ago

My favorite university made it happen for me!!
Got the chance to go to the Figma conference and I’m still like… aaaaa 😭✨

Came back completely overwhelmed (in the best way), so full of inspiration after a week surrounded by 8,000 people who design and create.

Every detail hit me. The tote bags, 3D-printed arrow banners, blue pavement patterns, Figma plushies, branded nails, cotton candy, even the napkins… everything felt so thoughtful and intentional. As a designer I was just in love with it all.

And the energy?? Being around so many people from all over the world who love Figma like I do was unreal. Feeling sooooo inspired! taken in Moscone Center by @assemkin

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3 months ago

I’m trying to keep my Instagram strictly professional, but I can’t, those film photos from my Orlando trip are just too good!!! There’s something about film that captures a mood so clearly and holds onto it in a way digital just doesn’t. Sorry not sorry, can’t not post them 😝 🎞️🎞️🎞️ taken in Orlando, Florida - Usa by @assemkin

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4 months ago

I just graduated from Rutgers University–New Brunswick @mgsarutgers with a Master of Fine Arts in Design ❤️

This photo was taken by my daughter, Sara. That day she looked at me and said, “You are beautiful, and I want to be just like you.” I don’t think I will ever hear anything more meaningful than that.

I was also honored to receive the Tech Award for Outstanding Graduate Accomplishment in Design. But beyond any award, the greatest one is calling myself a Rutgers alumna, and being part of this community of brilliant, kind, and inspiring people.

Two years ago, I had several offers from universities, some with scholarships, but I chose Mason Gross School of the Arts. What stayed with me was the energy and attitude of the professors during the interview. I trusted that feeling, and I was right. From day one, I felt like I was part of a family.

These two years have been filled with support, growth, challenge, and care from my professors and cohort. I am endlessly grateful.

This photo also reflects my mood right now, I am so looking forward to what’s ahead. I started my internship right after graduation, walking straight from this journey into a beautiful new chapter. But that’s a story for another time.

Walking through the Rutgers gates and into a beautiful future. Thank you, my alma mater.

RU Rah Rah Rah! ❤️ taken in Rutgers University—New Brunswick by @assemkin

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4 months ago

My glass experiment has technically concluded, but I still can’t let it go. Over the past two months, I have been experimenting with glass alongside Dr. Lehman, exploring the material from a design and artistic perspective. Through his guidance, I was introduced to a range of techniques including flameworking, glass fusing, molding, and even mixing my own glass mixture, something usually reserved for engineers, thank you for the trust.

Occasionally, I’ve also been borrowing wooden letterforms from the letterpress workshop and making molds out of them. We tried different techniques, experimented with furnace temperatures, different glass behaviors, and even heated the mold itself once. I genuinely feel like we are developing a whole new technique for molding letterforms in glass.

Right now, I am developing a piece for the Mason Gross Galleries exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of MGSA. My work explores the fragility of maternal labor. Mothers believe deeply in what they do; they mend what is cracked, gather broken pieces, and reshape them into something whole and meaningful. Their labor is transparent, carried out with love, often invisible to society. Like glass, it is fragile, yet incredibly strong under the right conditions. There are so many metaphors hidden within this material that continue to reveal themselves to me throughout the process.

Recently, I’ve also been wondering: am I becoming a designer in residence? It has always been something I dreamed of becoming.

I am deeply grateful to Jackie Thaw for helping make this collaboration possible, and to Dr. Lehman for being so generous, welcoming, and dedicated throughout the entire process. taken in Busch Campus of Rutgers University by @assemkin

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5 months ago

My first semester at university was incredibly hard.

I struggled with philosophical readings I could barely understand, with American English I had never encountered before, and with the constant fear of not knowing how to respond when people spoke to me. Sometimes I understood only half of what was being said, but I was too anxious to ask people to repeat themselves.

At the same time, I was raising my daughters, building a new life in a foreign country, studying, working, cleaning, caregiving, surviving — all the invisible labor that quietly holds life together while nobody really sees it happening.

And maybe that is exactly why my thesis became about invisible care labor.

Because I know what it feels like to carry ten different responsibilities at once while still trying to appear composed. I know what it means to keep going when exhaustion becomes part of your personality. I know how much unseen labor women — especially mothers — perform every single day just to keep the world functioning.

What kept me going were people.

I have never met so many patient, generous, and kind people in one place. People who listened carefully to my accented English, who gave me time, who encouraged me instead of making me feel small.

So when they invited me to speak about my thesis at the Rutgers Global Gala, I was shocked. And terrified. And happy at the same time — maybe overwhelmed is the right word.

But I said yes.

Because every time I speak about invisible labor, I feel like I make it visible for one more moment. One more conversation. One more person thinking differently about care, motherhood, exhaustion, and the silent work happening around us every day.

And I don’t think I will ever stop talking about it. taken in Rutgers University—New Brunswick by @assemkin

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5 months ago

This Monday, I got a proposal from Rutgers University: “Will you be my graduate?”
And I said yes. ❤️

I am so proud to call this institution my alma mater now. Alma mater in Latin translates to “nourishing mother,” and I truly felt nourished and loved throughout my whole time here. My alma mater never said “no” to me — it always said, “We can solve it.” It always allowed me to experiment, discover, and grow, sometimes gently holding my hand and walking me through the processes I was learning for the first time.

And even now, it is helping me with my first steps beyond graduation. This fall, I will continue teaching, and it feels like my alma mater is still holding my hand while I take my first steps into the job market. I promise to do my best and carry your love in my heart always. I am so proud to be part of your family. taken in Rutgers University—New Brunswick by @assemkin

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5 months ago

Yesterday was Bring Your Kids to Work Day, and my kids were so excited to come to my studio. Even though they already come at least once a week to hang out with me, drawing together, designing, printing, installing work, or joining me at receptions, they still felt that this day was special.

My studio, and the gallery located in the same building where I study, teach, and work, is already very familiar to them. But yesterday had a different energy. I saw so many kids in the streets with their parents, all those happy faces going to work together, and I couldn’t help but wish this happened more often. Kids are one of the most important parts of our lives, and it feels unfortunate how much time is often spent apart.

In my case, though, it’s different. I bring my kids with me everywhere, despite the occasional glances I notice. I actually feel free when I can take my kids wherever I want. I’m very grateful that MGSA, and the people who recognize how important it is to support that kind of freedom, make this a place where they are always welcome.

Because of this, they are used to studio spaces, institutions, and buildings, and they know how to behave and engage in these environments. Right now I feel like I’m talking about my puppies :)

Sometimes I have to bring them simply because I have no other place for them to be, and the truth is, kids love spending time with their parents. That’s how they learn how to live.

Workspaces should be more open to children, period. taken in New Brunswick, New Jersey by @assemkin

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6 months ago

Excited to share work from my students in Form & Meaning class, Design 1B ✨

This exhibition brings together two projects:
Project 1 explores free-form design through zines, where students experimented with structure and storytelling.
Project 2 is a poster series, each reflecting a unique visual language and approach.

To bring these diverse posters together, exhibition curator Pam developed a concept inspired by layered city walls, posters overlapping, colliding, and coexisting. We translated this idea into a digital format for the website and projected it onto the wall, turning the space into a dynamic, living surface of student work.

So proud of the creativity, risk-taking, and thoughtfulness in this class 💫 by @assemkin

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6 months ago