My Story
(About me)
"You need a real job!"
…is a phrase I’ve heard quite often during childhood when I’d say I want to be an artist. But nothing worth reaching comes easy or without obstacles, whatever these may be. Here I am, years later, working as a graphic designer. I guess I proved them wrong, ha!
I like to think of graphic design as “functional art”. And if you’re thinking “Hey, art has function too!” you would be right. For me, William Morris really settled the utility vs beauty by saying “Have nothing in your home that is not beautiful or useful.” But defining design, art, and what sets these apart, that’s an old debate in the creative world, and many greater minds than mine have successfully failed to find a definition that makes everyone happy.
Like almost every designer my age I started my career path with a pirated version of Photoshop, in my case Photoshop CS2.
Learning wasn’t easy, I gave up a few times but always picked it back up, something kept drawing me in. (pun intended). This was around 2005, Youtube wasn’t really a thing and the internet was kind of “video-less” meaning most of the learning resources were creative blogs and DVDs.
I know, this sounds a bit like a stereotypical …back in my day, but compared to the abundance of easily accessible knowledge available today, it still feels like “the dark ages”. I think pre-internet people are amazing for accomplishing soo much without a search function.
Returning to the present, I can say that I am well-versed in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro and Adobe XD (prototyping). Recently I’ve begun working with Blender 3d and can do basic sculpting, rigging and animation. Overall I can use any “creative software” I may need.
I am also a beginner videographer and amateur photographer (mostly landscape and city).
Main areas of work
Design digital & print
Motion graphics & video editing
Creative strategy and project management
Studies
I finished my BA in Graphic Design at Anglia Ruskin - Cambridge School of Art and achieved a 1:1 final mark.
Courses & Training
Certificate for Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles | Harvard Executive Education
Creative Leadership Masterclass | Royal College of Art
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Certificate | CIM - The Chartered Institute of Marketing
Coaching with Rachel Woodward | www.woodwardltd.co.uk
Publications: Auguries of Innocence: First Experiences with Letterpress (Page54)
Author: Unholy(type) A inquisitive design experiment on religion. [Unpublished]
Creative thinking.
I believe to have a form of autism and dyslexia, focusing on creativity in any form or shape has helped me find a purpose in life, something I’m good at, and enjoy doing. Being creative is a full-time job, a hobby and an important part of my life.
I am a very logical person, the shortest path between two points is a straight line, and Occam's razor is a concept I use often alongside various (and sometimes funny) analogies and metaphors that help me describe and convey meaning. I am a firm believer that often the right solution is usually staring us in the face and perfection is an everlasting quest.
In terms of day-to-day work, I use creativity with a user-centric focus to solve real-life problems; Technology is progressing at an astonishing speed; AI is changing the way we think, work and interact; As a creator, I have a variety of skills that help me respond adequately to the challenges that modern businesses face.
Even if I am creative I think the first step of any task should be planning and asserting if the outcome is the answer to the right question.
Ways of working…
I've had the opportunity to explore various career paths, including teaching, agency work, freelance, and working as an in-house designer. Each experience has had its perks and unique perspective.
Although my teaching experience is brief it has been an incredibly fulfilling experience and I may revisit this option later in life, but for now, I'm focused on acquiring various practical experiences.
Agency work offers the exciting advantage of working on diverse projects, with different media and brands. It's a wonderful environment to be surrounded by fellow creatives. However, one downside is the challenge of communication. Often in a busy marketing schedule, speed is of the essence, and the amount of time spent on discussing the business needs is limited by time and budget allocation.
In my quest to help companies identify the right problems and provide strategic solutions, I transitioned to working as an in-house creative. The role offers an inside view which creates the opportunity to influence the creative strategy and create a long-term agenda. By understanding the inner workings of a business, I can contribute effectively and help drive lasting innovation.