Why design?

I like creating and designing things that have a purpose. I always thought of design as a problem-solving approach that satisfies the client and myself. Recently, I've been made aware of the butterfly affect of designing and being responsible for the experience of many people. It's us designers that tend to shape the world and leave a mark and I care a lot about the impact of my design to humanity.

I started designing early

I was fortunate my dad used to have part of our home as his creative workshop. I believe at the time, the tool of choice was Corel so in my free time I looked into how he had a print business creating custom products for corporate use and learned from him.

A leader in design
I’ve always been drawn to design, or rather, the design process. Throughout high school and college, I kept being given the role of design lead for various projects. It dawned on me that I should pursue design as a career because it aligns with my interests and skills. However, over time, the act of designing became less fulfilling. I found myself just executing orders (like a machine) rather than expressing my own creativity.

Visual design vs UX design

While I could generate multiple design options, the subjective nature of client preferences often left me questioning my choices. That’s when I discovered UX design. In UX, we validate our assumptions and actively mitigate our biases. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about creating meaningful, user-centered solutions. This shift has been incredibly fulfilling. It keeps me engaged cause there's always something to learn. Don't get me wrong though, sometimes I do miss the simplicity of illustrating, or creating an eye catching visual, but if I had to choose between the two, I would choose designing great experiences.

My creative experience

I worked for small, medium, and large companies which is now about over 14 years in different parts of the world like the Philippines, United States, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Australia, US, and Canada. I currently live in Canada but I'm open to accepting commissions and projects from all over the world. My recent work is more centered in product design.

I've led world-class events which touched millions of lives

Some of the events I worked on were attended by Sheikhs, the biggest brands, and the most influential people in the industry!

Because the way customers experience content matters: CONEX

This is the driving force behind Uberflip, a martech company based in Canada. It's a event that heavily ties into how customers and users experience content using the content experience framework: Centralize, organize, personalize ,distribute, generate results.

This is a key moment in my journey where I really started learning more about UX, business goals, the importance of tracking outcomes, and how content and user experience is key.

Events in the Middle East that propelled the future

My colleagues said that my designs are the face of the company and the event.

We helped businesses connect with customers, delegates learn from leaders who use bleeding edge technology that is available in the Middle East. We helped smart city initiatives of the government gain traction. I was the design lead for 27 successful events attended by thousands of people whose each individual impact in their own companies has reached millions.

As an Illustrator, I bring life to ideas

I adore the process of making art, and being able to convey thoughts, emotions and ideas in one single image.

Digital art

Digital art is ever-evolving. I specialize in 2D digital art. One day I want to pursue 3D and VR art.

Traditional art

I always loved traditional art, working with crayons, then eventually watercolour, ink, gouache, acryllic, and different types of paper. This skill helped me get hired as a graphic designer early on.

I’m passionate about stationery, a self-published author, and have early experience in publications

I knew I wanted to pursue design despite having an IT degree, so after college, that’s what I did. The paintings I made and the awards I won back in college led me to working with Al Najmah, a stationery wholesale company that sold educational products.

Providing children in the Middle East with educational products through Al Najmah Stationery

It's easy to forget I once made over 500 educational products in both Arabic and English. In my early days, I learned how to create a strong brand, collaborate with a global team across the world, and deliver everything on time.

Category
Physical Product Design, Print, Packaging

Writing, a lifelong passion that started when I was 12

I consider my writing a hobby now, but I've always been writing. I was lucky enough to have joined the highly prestigious college publication as a head layout artist. I was working with a team of 24 people.

Nowadays, I take the occasional writing commission for fiction. Since I began writing fiction when I was twelve and kept at it, it made me a better storyteller.

Category
Copy writing, storytelling, content

Digging deeper into my passions

Outside of work in a nutshell

You'll find me watching anime, attending anime conventions, painting, watching Netflix, playing RPG or tactical games, writing stories, or reading a ton of books. I have recently gotten into coffee making, but I still can't do latte art. I'm an introvert, so I rarely have someone over at home, and I rarely go out to meet people. But I do go out every once in a while to see the world and I find it strange and beautiful.

Drawing and writing

These two are my hobbies, and I’ve channeled this love into publishing a book in 2023 under a pen name. It’s a hobby I cherish, and for now, I prefer to keep it under wraps until it gains momentum. Since I like writing, I also have a small collection of fountain pens and inks. The different shades, sheens, and shimmers are pleasant to watch when I write with them.

Playing online games and boardgames

I also play a lot of games, as I've said but not as often as I wished I could. But when I do find time, I’m drawn to games with stunning visuals and stories, or something interactive. Sometimes I volunteer for conventions like KimiKon(anime convention) or SHUX (board game convention) for the freebies! But often times I'm mostly at home.

Travel and Food

I've been traveling a lot lately, going to 14+ cities in different countries in a year back in 2025. My favorite destinations so far are Japan and Switzerland, but Dubai holds a special place in my heart since it was my home for several years. Because of travel, I get to eat good food, and because I love good food, now I'm into cooking a lot more than when I was in my 20s.

Tracking my life goals

I also like taking on difficult challenges because they're fun. So doing things like Inktober, or having a goal tracker in Notion, keeping my calendar well groomed, following what the doctors tell me, trying to beat a really difficult game. When I tell myself I want to do something, I track it, and keep at it up to a point where it no longer makes sense.

I love pursuing what I love

I cycle in and out of hobbies. When I write, I love seeing my reader's reactions in the comments. Some of them laughed or sobbed for hours, and some of them were a bit more personal, like they would tattoo my username on their forearm, or was very depressed and my stories made them feel like crying for the first time. In some way I know I'm making little waves that touch other people's lives.
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