Hasta La Creative!

A little about yourself:
A simple goan that likes to design a bit.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I feel its a the best way i can express myself .

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I did not attend any fine art school. I just did a short course at CDAC and to pursue 3d I did a course at Media Design School (MDS).

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
Hmm well I don’t think my style is that distinct I just try out different stuff and get inspired from different works from different artist.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
Well I am well into comics so was majorly influenced by most of the comic book artist no role models in particular.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
Nash Paul, who was the design chief at www.bcwebwise.com at the time I joined. His ideas and designs I feel are really brilliant and awesome. His work is truly inspiring i just hoping to be like him some day.

When did you start freelancing?
I started when I came to New Zealand actually. I started taking a few online projects just to support myself while studying.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit graphic design?
There was a times I wanted to quit because of the lack of work or weird working hours. But my friends and family really encouraged  me to stick on especially my wife .

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
Well NZ is recovering from the recession so many agencies have started hiring here. Designers are in shortage in NZ actually. I used to work with an ad agency but I currently switched to working for a publishing company.

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?
Well some clients do give steady work. I do not advertise much actually I just get clients through my website fishy9.com and through word of mouth.

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
Nash Paul, Avi Das, Mangesh Bhayde, Sameer Kulavoor and many more.

You are one among the fours designers who have designed the madowat website which is a very well designed site , Could you share a little experience with us on the same ?
It was all basically Nash’s idea and design I just helped with bit of action scripting he required. It was really fun working on the concept is brilliant. Its done by Nash after all it has to be

You are now situated in Auckland, New Zealand. Is there any difference in the work culture out there and in India?
The work culture is a bit different here the designers here I feel are given more freedom to express themselves. Also in NZ the work hours are not that hectic as in India. And If you do overtime you’re paid well for it

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
No advice in particular Just keep thinking out of the box. If you feel you are creative, skilled in problem solving and can communicate well then a graphic designer is what you want to be.

Do you think Clients are opening up to keeping aside a decent respectable budget for design work? Do you think clients are understanding that they need to invest in Design as a communication tool and also to cut the clutter, and that good design comes at a price?
Due to the competition in the market most of the clients want to invest in Design just to out do the competition. And regarding the price I think most of the clients I guess understand the designers holy triangle. Fast, good and cheap you can have just two

Mac or PC?
Mac for Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash, After Effects and FCP
PC for Maya, Max and gaming

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Steve jobs actually and try to convince him to love Adobe Flash

What’s on your iPod?
Elvis, Jack Johnson, MJ, Damien Rice, John Mayer, Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Santana