Design Certifications:
UI Design Immersion, CareerFoundry (Online) 2022
Coding Workshop, SheCodes (Online) 2021
Design Intensive Workshop, Open Set (NL) 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 Workers Alliance, Adalah NY), music venues (h0l0), record labels (Where To Now, Hypercolour, Borft, SNB, Optimo, TFE), and cultural platforms (Babel, RFT, Discwoman, Hecha).
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.
Visual Identity, Social Media Management
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.
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.
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.
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.
Digital & Printed Media
Work spanning branding, creative direction, product design and digital artworks. Selected Works:
UX/UI Design, 2021-2022
Case Studies
Selection of projects Selwa worked on at Career Foundry:
Pick Up The Flow, is an app that allows you to search and apply for opportunities.
Case Studies
Selection of projects Selwa worked on at Career Foundry:
Pick Up The Flow, is an app that allows you to search and apply for opportunities.
Finds is an app that allow you to locate free finds near you.