Contact




Design Certifications: 
UI Design Immersion, CareerFoundry (Online)
Issued Mar 2022
Coding Workshop, SheCodes (Online)
Issued Jan 2021
Design Intensive Workshop, Open Set (Rotterdam)
Issued Aug 2016
Selwa Abd is a New York–based communication designer and social media strategist.
Since 2016, she has created brand identities, campaign graphics, template systems, and web design for advocacy organizations, music venues, record labels, and cultural platforms.

Her clients and projects include the Music Workers Alliance, where she designed the logo, visual identity, and social media templates for the Economic Justice in the Digital Domain campaign, which was entered into the federal record at a Senate subcommittee hearing. She also managed the social media identity and website for NYC music venue h0l0 and designed for various clients.


She is the founder of Pick Up The Flow,
a resource platform for NYC artists, where she leads all design, from the wordmark and merch to the listings templates and WordPress and Substack sites.

She holds a BFA in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design.




   
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Music Workers Alliance, 2020
Visual Identity, Social Media Management


Music Workers Alliance’s official logo, 2020









In 2020, Selwa joined the Music Workers Alliance, an organization created by, for, and in support of independent music workers.

The MWA works to initiate, organize, and sustain collective action that empowers those working independently in the music industry.

Her role focused on strengthening the organization’s social media presence by posting daily graphics for ongoing campaigns, organizing musicians in her community, and designing the logo along with various social media assets.

Between 2020 and 2021, she worked on two major campaigns:
1) The Unemployment Campaign, which highlighted daily Pandemic Unemployment Stories from music workers who had lost all income since March 2020 and were unable to return to work due to the shutdown of live performances. Because so many depended on enhanced unemployment benefits, the MWA advocated for the extension of this critical support.
She designed all campaign assets and shared them daily on Instagram.

2) A petition calling for Economic Justice in the Digital Domain, which garnered more than 5,000 signatures from musicians across genres, including renowned artists such as Ahmad Jamal, David Lynch, Wayne Shorter, Elvis Costello and Norah Jones. The campaign was entered into the federal record at a Senate subcommittee hearing.



2020-2021 Campaigns



Social media graphic template for MWA’s campaign, 2020
Social media graphic template for MWA’s campaign, 2020
Social media graphic for MWA’s event, 2020







Pick Up The Flow, 2017-Now,
Visual Identity, Project Development, Social Media Management


Official Logo (2020-Now)



From 2017 to now, Selwa led the development of Pick Up The Flow (PUTF), a platform that delivers daily grant and job opportunities via Instagram. 
She created the entire visual identity and branding system. 
In 2024, she introduced a video interview series featuring creatives from the PUTF community and conducted interviews at Dripping Festival and New Inc 2025 (New Museum).



Context: Pick Up The Flow (PUTF) is a platform and community dedicated to expanding equitable access to opportunities within the arts, culture, and creative industries. Our mission is to make information transparent, accessible, and actionable for artists, cultural workers, academics, and organizations worldwide.

Organizational Background: Founded in 2017, PUTF began as a private, invitation-only Facebook group connecting musicians and creatives in NYC. The platform emphasized trust, peer-to-peer exchange, and community accountability, allowing members to share professional opportunities, resources, housing, and technical knowledge.
PUTF has since evolved into a public-facing platform responding to ongoing shifts in the cultural sector, including labor conditions, funding access, and visibility within creative industries.

Programs and Activities: In addition to digital publishing, PUTF organizes public programs such as workshops, radio broadcasts, artist talks, community markets, and swap events. Partners include MoMA PS1, The Lot Radio, H0l0, PTP x LQQK Studio, Bossa Nova Civic Club, Mood Ring, among others.

Current Platform:
Instagram: 60K+ followers, daily posts
Newsletter: Weekly Substack edition, 6K+ subscribers (~50% open rate)
Website: Public opportunity listings updated daily (20K+/monthly visitors)
Private FB group (Marketplace): 2100+ members (less active)
Discord: 400+ members (less active)

Community & Audience:
Global audience of artists, cultural workers, academics, nonprofits, and institutions.

Selected Partners & Supporters: Queens Council on the Arts, Times Square Arts, The Joyce Foundation, PepsiCo, Printed Matter, Inc., e-flux, The Laundromat Project, Park Avenue Armory, Institute for Public Architecture, Institute for Studies on Latin American Art, Staten Island Arts, Mexican Summer, Apexart, Alfred University, Danspace Project, Woodward Residency, Abrons Arts Center, Fractured Atlas, MIT Lab Poetic Justice, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Studio Museum in Harlem, Storefront for Art and Architecture, Pratt Institute.


 
Art direction and design for PUTF's listings index.




Social media identity for Pick Up The Flow, 2026



Weekly Newsletter’s Visual Identity, 2025


Substack Visual Identity, 2025


Listing Card, Template Design, 2025.
Instagram Visual Identity, 2025.
Weekly Newsletter Announcement Card, Template Design, 2025.

Social media design for PUTF's interview series, 2024.


Alternate logo used for PUTF’s first merch, 2024



TYGAPAW wearing the PUTF’s merch, 2024


















Freelance Design Work, 2019-2024
Digital & Printed Media 


Work spanning branding, creative direction, product design and digital artworks. Selected Works:



For client Amani Olu (curator), Selwa rebranded the Scott Avery music project and designed the vinyl release. She also managed vinyl production logistics and used her music-industry network to support DSP distribution.


Performance curator Sanna Almajedi commissioned Selwa to design the logo for her new project, babel. Selwa developed custom lettering influenced by the irregular forms and textures of stamped typography.



Artworks commissioned by curator Sanna Almajedi and non-profit AdalahNY, 2024.
Artwork commissioned by label RFT, 2024.


Art direction and design for Bergsonist's music release, 2021.
Art direction and design for Bergsonist's music release, 2018.
Logo, social media design and content strategy for 3afak, a collaborative project with Sanna Almajedi.
Social media design for a 3afak event, 2023.
Poster design for an event at The New School, 2015.
Banner design for a Discwoman event at Tresor, 2019.

Social media design for a Discwoman event at Tresor, 2019.


Art direction for Bergsonist's music release. Design by Benoit Canaud, 2017.


Creative Direction and Layout Design of CD project “ASL” by Bergsonist, 2025.

Art direction and design for Bizaarbazaar, 2019
Logo for Bizaarbazaar, 2017.
A selection of design work for the project label Bizaarbazaar spanning art direction, CD & Tape design, and additional creative outputs. In this photo: Design Layout by Stephen Decker.
Art direction and design for Bizaarbazaar, 2017.
Art direction for Bizaarbazaar. Design layout by Stephen Decker, 2017
Art direction for Bizaarbazaar. Design layout by Stephen Decker, 2017
The front logo spells “Bizaarbazaar” in Arabic, which Selwa designed in Illustrator. The back features the compilation’s tracklist, highlighting over 40 artists.
The front logo spells “Bizaarbazaar” in Arabic, which Selwa designed in Illustrator. The back features the compilation’s tracklist, highlighting over 40 artists.


Art direction and design for Bergsonist's music release, 2020.
Art direction and design for Bergsonist's music release, 2023.
Art direction and design for Bergsonist's music release, 2024.