Meet the Team: Hassan Zahirnia by Alex Six

Q&A with Hassan

Meet the Team: Hassan Zahirnia

If you've been using Filament for any amount of time, the odds are high that you've ventured onto the Filament website to check out the docs, search for plugins, or just to copy the link to send to all your friends (admit it, we've all done it). Every time you land on that beautiful homepage, you have one person to thank, and he's the focus of this Meet the Team post--Hassan Zahirnia!

#Q&A with Hassan

#How long have you been designing & programming, and what influenced you to start?

I started exploring both design and programming when I was about 11, back in 2001–2002. I’d spend hours tinkering with website layouts, making logos, and experimenting in Photoshop, simply because I loved creating things. At the same time, I was teaching myself to code—I was fascinated by the idea that I could build something that worked, something that could help people. I didn’t think of it as learning back then; I was just having fun doing what I loved.

#How long have you used Laravel?

I began using Laravel back at version 5.2, and it quickly became my favorite framework because it felt so powerful yet incredibly intuitive and user-friendly. Plus, Laracasts was an amazing resource to help me learn. It’s just been a fantastic experience from the very start.

#How long have you used Filament?

I started using Filament around mid-2023 when I needed to build a CRM for a local company. I reached out to my good friend Enzo Innocenzi—many know him from open-source projects like Hybridly or his Laravel Vite plugin (which actually came before the official one!). Even though he's typically more of a Vue enthusiast, Enzo highly recommended Filament for its power and ease, especially for CRUD-heavy applications. I decided to try it and was instantly amazed. It was incredible how quickly I could build a feature-rich app. And the community was a huge bonus: friendly, supportive, and welcoming. It's genuinely refreshing to ask questions on Discord and get actual help without judgment!

#What is your favorite Laravel feature?

Eloquent, hands down.

#What is your favorite Filament feature?

Definitely the extensive customization capabilities.

#Is there a design project you are most proud of? If so, which one?

While I'm proud of every project I've done, the Filament website holds a special place for me. It was such a significant and exciting opportunity when Dan Harrin noticed my Laravel Package Ocean project and invited me to collaborate on the new Filament v3 website. Knowing it had to stand out and be exceptionally beautiful was a big responsibility—but an incredibly rewarding one.

#How would you describe your design style, and where do you draw inspiration from?

I’d describe my style as playful, clean, and friendly. Inspiration-wise, I frequently explore platforms like Dribbble and Pinterest. I deeply admire the talent of other artists and designers—there's always something amazing to learn from them. But honestly, inspiration is everywhere; the world itself is beautiful—you just need to look around!

#What advice do you have for developers looking to get better at designing websites and applications?

That's a tough one because, truthfully, I've never followed formal design rules, read books, or taken structured courses on design. I simply create things that feel beautiful and intuitive to me. I don’t really feel qualified to give advice, but if anything, I’d just say—don’t overthink it too much. Try things out, follow what feels right to you, and enjoy the process.

#What has been the most exciting challenge in your career so far?

Creating designs that genuinely resonate with people and bring smiles to their faces. There's nothing quite as rewarding as knowing your work has positively impacted someone’s day.

#Tell us about your setup: computer, keyboard, editor of choice, etc

Computer: Desktop PC w/ AMD CPU & Nvidia GPU
Keyboard: NuPhy Air96 v2
Monitors: 32" LG Ergo w/ IPS panel & DCI-P3 color space
Editor: VS Code
Design Software: Figma, occasionally Photoshop & Illustrator