What impact has winning this IDA Award had on your career/opportunities?

This is the first award that I have won, so winning the IDA award is a fantastic accomplishment. Additionally, this is my first time working on college techniques in motion. This award comes as I graduate with my Master of Fine Art in Motion Media from SCAD. I am extremely honored to win this award. I am thankful to Professor Christina Maloney for teaching, inspiring me, and recommending my project to be included in this fantastic award. It is an excellent beginning to a more extraordinary journey!

What do you see as the strengths of your winning project and what does this award mean to you personally?

This project was one of the final projects in my last year at SCAD. I wanted to do something different, unique, something I have less experience in. With the guidance and feedback from my professor Minho Shin, the project was achieved. It displays a smooth transition between scenes that reveal a storyline inspired by a TV show ‘You’ on Netflix. It is a combination of image stock that shows iconic moments from the TV show. The IDA Emerging Graphic Designer of the Year award has given me confidence and encouragement to desire and create more.

Where do you get motivation and inspiration from for your work?

I like to challenge and push my skills to a higher level in all my projects. If a project doesn’t include specific guidelines, I try a new field and design techniques. I search for competitors and trends in the market and that provides motivation and inspires me to start the project.

What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities in your career/industry now?

From my experience as a graphic and motion media designer, I believe that the marketing printed medium will die in the future as businesses are moving towards digital platforms, like social media, websites and applications, which allows them to reach more audiences globally. It could be an excellent opportunity for a designer to expand their knowledge and learn new skills to keep up with changes in the future.

What is your guiding design principle?

To solve a problem, I try to build a bridge between a client and their target audience to ensure they achieve their goals with the brand, ensure their growth and sustainability.

How do you deal with feedback?

Feedback is a challenge that can help me to improve my project in ways that I may not have considered. I like to get feedback from people who have more experience in the field, and I decide whether to add the input that could help improve my designs. Sometimes, hearing feedback from people who don’t have any idea about a project could help point out things that I have not seen, especially if I have been working on a project for a long time. Feedback is like spice that could help add to your best dish to create new flavors allowing you to proudly share with everyone, or conversely make it worse – but whereby you can take notes of what to avoid in your next attempt.

How/when did you discover that you wanted to work in design?

In sixth grade, I designed my first invitation to a school event where my mother worked. I remember my mother was so proud and was showing everyone and handing the invitation out to her friends. When I grew up I loved to paint digitally using Paint software on Windows, and also using oil and acrylic on canvas. Since then, I decided to pursue a career in art. In my first year of college, I was introduced to graphic design and studied for a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Then I decided to learn motion graphics and undertook a Master of Fine Art at Savannah College of Art and Design.

What’s your creative process and what creative software do you use?

Working as a freelance graphic and motion media designer for more than five years has allowed me to interact with different clients and projects, from small companies and start-ups to big corporates. I like to start the process with questions that can help me to design the job. Questions such as, what is the target audience, which could help me choose the correct visual language to communicate effectively. The colors and vocabulary that describe the brand will determine the design’s direction. Words like “luxury,” “delight, and “dark” (as well as “joyful, lively, and bright”) give several different ways to express the design. Also, mission, brand message, vision, and value help highlight and illustrate the key factors in the various design applications. After gathering all the research I need, I like to start with sketches. I then use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or After Effect to make the designs and then show them to the client for feedback.

What kind of culture or structure needs to exist to foster successful team collaboration?

With the changes with Covid and working remotely, I believe it is essential that every employee has to develop a concept of self-management, which plays a principal key factor in increased productivity determining when and how an employee should participate. It could build a stronger team where everyone knows what role they are in.

What are you working on, what is in the pipeline for you?

Currently, I am employed full-time as a graphic designer in the United States and continue working also on a freelance basis. Additionally, I am taking online courses to sharpen my skills as a motion graphic designer. In the future, I want to own a business that continues to help clients communicate with their target audiences and build sustainable growth.