max zaselian

After 9 years, my focus hasn't changed: designing clean interfaces and building them in code for B2B SaaS, websites and apps.

Current RoleSenior Product Designer
SpecializationB2B SaaS, Design Systems
Based InWarsaw, PL
[ Senior Product Designer ][ & Design Engineer ]

Design, with an owner's mindset

I design B2B SaaS products, websites, and apps from scratch, and bring order to projects that have outgrown their MVP. My work goes beyond the design canvas. Depending on the task, I start with product concepts, messy UIs, or raw ideas that need to be brought to life in code.

I know my way around React, Next.js, and CSS to bring ideas to life. This lets me turn concepts into clickable products without waiting on handoffs. At Soraban, I built a redesign prototype that helped close several six-figure deals before the new version even shipped.

Before moving into product design, I worked in advertising and ran my own businesses. I opened three hostels in Cyprus, launched a coffee shop in Poland in just 20 days, and grew a travel audience to 50K followers across social platforms.

This background built my owner's mindset. Whatever the conditions, I treat every project as if it were my own.

Four lines I don’t cross.

Every project bends, but these stay fixed.

Honesty

I say when I don’t know, fix my own mistakes, and flag risky deadlines early.

Courage

I take on the unfamiliar. “I don’t know how yet” is where interesting work starts.

Directness

I share clear critique and better alternatives without pretending broken things are fine.

Enjoyment

I try to find something I enjoy in every project. Come on, I even found it in US taxes and accounting. That has to count for something.

Selected works

A few examples of B2B SaaS, apps, websites, zero-to-one products, and design systems.

Case studyPassword protected
Soraban

Soraban

High-density UI design for an AI-powered tax SaaS as the solo product designer.

Case studyBeyondEdge

BeyondEdge

Growth design initiative that raised average monthly revenue 2.6x in 5.5 months.

Merit

Merit

Marketing site for a financial app built specifically for couples to manage money.

Case studyZenco

Zenco

Design system for Soraban: tokens, components, and docs for a high-density tax UI.

Oya

Oya

E-commerce landing page created for a Georgian handmade ceramic candle brand.

TDSG Rentals

TDSG Rentals

Marketing website for premium car rentals near major New York airports.

Nine years of shipped products, backed by numbers

Every figure below comes from a transaction export, a repo, or a shipped release. Nothing is rounded up.

2.6×

BeyondEdge

Average monthly revenue growth over 5.5 months, peaking at 4.4× the previous baseline.

78%

Revenue share

The share of the product’s lifetime revenue earned during my seven months as Growth Design Lead.

46

Zenco

Documented components with Variables and Storybook, forming the design system Soraban runs on.

126+

Playhouse

Mobile app screens from onboarding to App Store release, including the interactive Listing Price Game.

“An exceptionally creative and talented product designer. His passion for crafting products users genuinely love makes him a tremendous asset to any team.”

Alex PerelmanCEO at Playhouse

How I got here

Copywriting, three hostels and a coffee shop, then product design. The detour is the reason I think like an owner.

201011121314151617181920212223242526Now
Arriba! Creative Agency2010 - 2014Wrote the ideas and the copy for ad campaigns, local and international. Won a few festival awards.
Off the map2014 - 2017Three hostels in Cyprus, a coffee shop opened in Poland in 20 days, a travel channel grown to 30K subscribers.
Self employed2017 - 2019Landing pages and conversion flows for early-stage teams, from the first client call to handoff.
Lev Haolam2019 - 2022Grew one platform into five revenue-generating sites. Shop, cart and checkout, content for 1,400 products.
Awesomic2021 - 2023End-to-end product design for 10 startups as the solo designer. Three matches became standalone projects.
Playhouse2022A TikTok-style real estate iOS app for a $2.8M startup. 126 screens, and the Listing Price Game that carried retention.
Soraban2022 - nowFounding designer. 20+ areas of the platform redesigned, Zenco built, a prototype that helped close six-figure deals.
Propera2022 - 2023Swiss off-market property platform designed 0 to 1, web app and marketing site, solo through to release.
Muzone IT-team2025Mentored seven junior designers through their first real product launch. Twice-weekly reviews for eight months.
BeyondEdge2025 - 2026Owned pricing, funnels and paid social. 78% of the product’s lifetime revenue in 5.5 months, 2.6x average monthly growth.

A little more me

Some of the things that have stuck with me over the years.

Little things I like

Jumped off a 27-meter bridge with a rope. 45+ times.
I love vinyl. Sometimes I'd work for records.
Buckwheat is, without a doubt, my favorite grain.
My life once fit in one backpack. Took it through 40 countries.
Almost made it to the Into the Wild bus on foot.
Haven't shaved my mustache in 10 years. Forgot what my upper lip looks like.
Was upset to learn modern language is losing words for things found in nature.
I'm not afraid of much. But kilometer-deep, dark water? Terrifying.
Cycled around Iceland. 1,733 km, no training.
This thing is always with me. I've worked with it all over the world.
I love plants.
Retro Nike Dunk Highs. Hitchhiked with me from Miami to Alaska.
Cherimoya. Some kind of magical fruit. I love it.
Audio-Technica M50x. Always in my collection.
I'm pretty sure I'm about 45% banana.
Swam in the Barents Sea. Though I prefer saying the Arctic Ocean.
Persimmon. A nostalgic fruit from childhood.
I really love bread. I even got it tattooed.
The Roots. My last concert. Absolutely blew me away.
Was vegetarian for about five years.
I love shooting film. Just don't do it often.
Loved taking electronics apart as a kid. They didn't always go back together.
Owned four iPod Classics. I hate algorithms, so I still use it.
Always wanted to draw by hand. Never learned how.
Cyprus is my second home. My personal Disneyland.
I ride bikes. Got my first drop-bar bike and wondered: how did I ride before this?!
Want to make me happy? Feed me pesto pasta.
Gucci Guilty Pour Homme got me good. Still hasn't let me go.
Trams and the metro are my favorite way to get around. Prime reading time.
I love writing by hand. Yet somehow, I never do :(
One of the few people who's seen baby pigeons. On my own balcony.
If I didn't push pixels around, I'd do DIY renovations.
When things get heavy, I think about space. Everything feels lighter at that scale.
I used to drink lattes. Then discovered flat whites. Then opened a coffee shop.
I love being a dad. One of my core values and biggest sources of meaning.
Mount Fitz Roy. Haven't made it there yet, but I will someday.
Drag around and explore

On the turntable

Got an idea worth chasing

Every product I have shipped started as a rough idea and a bit of stubbornness. Send me yours and I will tell you exactly how I would build it. Email works too: max@maxzaselian.com