Mohamad
Fardous

Mohamad Fardous — known to many as Dous — is a Detroit-based creative director, brand strategist, and the founder of Karma by Design and House of Karma. His background is deliberately multidisciplinary: brand development, marketing, technology, web design, business development, visual storytelling, automation, and art. Rather than choosing one lane, he has spent his career connecting them.

That combination shapes everything Karma by Design produces. The studio does not simply make artwork — it approaches the entire ecosystem: creation, presentation, story, brand, website, customer journey, marketing, partnerships, technology, community, and impact. When you explore the artwork collections, you are looking at the output of a creative platform, not a print catalog.

What started as handcrafted gifts for friends and family — given without expectation — evolved into a movement. When people insisted on paying, the answer was simple: donate to a charity instead. That instinct became the studio's guiding philosophy: Art with a Purpose. A portion of every purchase is reinvested into charitable causes, from Partner with a Purpose to Project Water.

As a Detroit entrepreneur, Dous believes the city's relationship with design, automotive culture, architecture, music, manufacturing, reinvention, and creative independence is not a backdrop — it is the foundation. Detroit is the starting point, not the boundary. The studio's recent collaborations with Miami-based artists and its expansion into luxury hospitality art demonstrate that the creative language translates far beyond Michigan.

Before founding House of Karma and Karma by Design, Mohamad spent 10 years in finance as a Director of Finance & Banking at Rocket Mortgage and is a University of Michigan Ross School of Business alumnus. He has also spoken at and mentored students at the Ross School of Business, Parsons School of Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Syracuse University's Newhouse School.

Karma by Design

Founder & Creative Director

A Detroit-rooted art studio producing customizable, made-to-order artwork — Statement Pieces, the Elements Collection, custom commissions, and hospitality art. The creative engine.

House of Karma

Founder

A Detroit creative agency providing brand strategy, creative direction, web development, digital marketing, SEO, content development, and campaign development for the broader ecosystem.

Studio Escrow

Strategic Partner

A California-based software platform providing CRM, marketing automation, transaction security, and business infrastructure for the art and creative industries.

Voyage Michigan

Mohamad Fardous was featured in a Voyage Michigan interview spotlighting his journey as a Detroit creative entrepreneur — the origins of Karma by Design, the Art with a Purpose philosophy, and how multidisciplinary experience shapes a modern art studio.

University Speaking & Mentorship

Mohamad has spoken with and mentored students at leading institutions across business, design, and communications:

• University of Michigan — Ross School of Business
• Parsons School of Design
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Syracuse University — Newhouse School

Detroit Brand Lab

A Detroit Brand Lab feature profiling Mohamad Fardous's creative strategy — how brand development, technology, and multidisciplinary thinking converge to build a modern, purpose-driven art studio.