KenesAI is a startup that began in 2023 in Almaty as a small project among friends. It quickly grew into one of the first Kazakhstan startups to be accepted into the Palo Alto Global500 accelerator.
My close friends Zharas and Yersain once messaged me with a great product idea. They already had engineers but needed a designer—and of course, I said yes. My task was to present the best sides of our product to the world and, like any startup, make the rough edges less visible :D.
That’s how I started working as a full-stack designer at the company—or, more precisely, a Digital Designer.
For KenesAI, I created: branding, presentations, pitch decks, the Framer-based website, animations, product UI design, and all forms of client-facing communication.
System
The first thing we needed to build was a system. I created several foundational components to ensure consistency across our design. In a startup, direction can shift quickly, but the design should remain adaptable and cohesive—able to support many ideas without falling apart. A strong design system helps you stay prepared for pivots while maintaining visual and functional harmony.
Landing Page
Every startup needs a website, so that became one of my key responsibilities. Luckily, I already had experience with Framer from building my own portfolios. I created three different versions of the landing page, as we went through multiple pivots and had to revise almost everything each time. The flexibility and speed of Framer really helped adapt quickly to our evolving ideas.
Presentations
One of the biggest challenges in this project was creating presentations and pitch decks. The CEO often needed new or updated versions almost daily. We experimented with different structures, narratives, and wording. While it was intense, it turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences—I gained not only design expertise, but also deep insights into storytelling, business strategy, and how to think and speak like a CEO.
Product
Another key part of my work at KenesAI was designing the actual product. We often had long team calls where engineers introduced new feature ideas, and it was my job to fully understand them, visualize the concept clearly, and turn it into an intuitive design. After that, I translated it into a developer-ready format. Looking back, I know I could have done even better—especially with more time or a teammate—but it was a great learning experience in building product design from scratch under startup conditions.
Props
Within KenesAI, I had the chance to do some of the most meaningful and impactful work of my career so far. I’m incredibly grateful to Yersain Makazhanov and Zharas Kairat for trusting me with the opportunity to grow, contribute, and shine.
KenesAI is a startup that began in 2023 in Almaty as a small project among friends. It quickly grew into one of the first Kazakhstan startups to be accepted into the Palo Alto Global500 accelerator.
My close friends Zharas and Yersain once messaged me with a great product idea. They already had engineers but needed a designer—and of course, I said yes. My task was to present the best sides of our product to the world and, like any startup, make the rough edges less visible :D.
That’s how I started working as a full-stack designer at the company—or, more precisely, a Digital Designer.
For KenesAI, I created: branding, presentations, pitch decks, the Framer-based website, animations, product UI design, and all forms of client-facing communication.
System
The first thing we needed to build was a system. I created several foundational components to ensure consistency across our design. In a startup, direction can shift quickly, but the design should remain adaptable and cohesive—able to support many ideas without falling apart. A strong design system helps you stay prepared for pivots while maintaining visual and functional harmony.
Landing Page
Every startup needs a website, so that became one of my key responsibilities. Luckily, I already had experience with Framer from building my own portfolios. I created three different versions of the landing page, as we went through multiple pivots and had to revise almost everything each time. The flexibility and speed of Framer really helped adapt quickly to our evolving ideas.
Presentations
One of the biggest challenges in this project was creating presentations and pitch decks. The CEO often needed new or updated versions almost daily. We experimented with different structures, narratives, and wording. While it was intense, it turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences—I gained not only design expertise, but also deep insights into storytelling, business strategy, and how to think and speak like a CEO.
Product
Another key part of my work at KenesAI was designing the actual product. We often had long team calls where engineers introduced new feature ideas, and it was my job to fully understand them, visualize the concept clearly, and turn it into an intuitive design. After that, I translated it into a developer-ready format. Looking back, I know I could have done even better—especially with more time or a teammate—but it was a great learning experience in building product design from scratch under startup conditions.
Props
Within KenesAI, I had the chance to do some of the most meaningful and impactful work of my career so far. I’m incredibly grateful to Yersain Makazhanov and Zharas Kairat for trusting me with the opportunity to grow, contribute, and shine.
KenesAI is a startup that began in 2023 in Almaty as a small project among friends. It quickly grew into one of the first Kazakhstan startups to be accepted into the Palo Alto Global500 accelerator.
My close friends Zharas and Yersain once messaged me with a great product idea. They already had engineers but needed a designer—and of course, I said yes. My task was to present the best sides of our product to the world and, like any startup, make the rough edges less visible :D.
That’s how I started working as a full-stack designer at the company—or, more precisely, a Digital Designer.
For KenesAI, I created: branding, presentations, pitch decks, the Framer-based website, animations, product UI design, and all forms of client-facing communication.
System
The first thing we needed to build was a system. I created several foundational components to ensure consistency across our design. In a startup, direction can shift quickly, but the design should remain adaptable and cohesive—able to support many ideas without falling apart. A strong design system helps you stay prepared for pivots while maintaining visual and functional harmony.
Landing Page
Every startup needs a website, so that became one of my key responsibilities. Luckily, I already had experience with Framer from building my own portfolios. I created three different versions of the landing page, as we went through multiple pivots and had to revise almost everything each time. The flexibility and speed of Framer really helped adapt quickly to our evolving ideas.
Presentations
One of the biggest challenges in this project was creating presentations and pitch decks. The CEO often needed new or updated versions almost daily. We experimented with different structures, narratives, and wording. While it was intense, it turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences—I gained not only design expertise, but also deep insights into storytelling, business strategy, and how to think and speak like a CEO.
Product
Another key part of my work at KenesAI was designing the actual product. We often had long team calls where engineers introduced new feature ideas, and it was my job to fully understand them, visualize the concept clearly, and turn it into an intuitive design. After that, I translated it into a developer-ready format. Looking back, I know I could have done even better—especially with more time or a teammate—but it was a great learning experience in building product design from scratch under startup conditions.
Props
Within KenesAI, I had the chance to do some of the most meaningful and impactful work of my career so far. I’m incredibly grateful to Yersain Makazhanov and Zharas Kairat for trusting me with the opportunity to grow, contribute, and shine.