What do you do to relax?
I like to unwind by painting with a good show on in the background. A lot of my hobbies consist of a form of art away from screens and when I’m not doing that, I like to relax with a good book…or spend hours binge watching tv shows 📺 .
What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Stressing before something has happened is just putting yourself through it twice, and if nothing bad happens there was no point in putting yourself through it at all.
What was your biggest challenge to date?
I think to date it would have to be moving from the Middle East on my own and adapting to a new country and its culture at 16 when I studied in Spain and then doing it again at 17 when I moved to the UK.
Who are your heroes, both in and out of the business?
When I first found my passion for design – graphic design in particular, the person that stood out to me most was Chip Kidd. My love of reading took me in the direction of book cover design as a primary interest and Kidd’s work really stood out to me. Outside of that – my parents for always encouraging me to do what I love and feeding the creative spark within me ✨
What made you want to work in the design industry?
At 15 years old… Mad Men 😂 as a teenager I was already very passionate about art in general and knew I wanted to do something creative for a living- I just couldn’t figure out what that was yet. It was the show’s title sequence and episodes that showcased storyboarding and the designing of ad campaigns that had me curious about the industry and later sparked my love for graphic design!
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
There’s no one moment of my career that is a highlight. I’m proudest of the fact that I managed to find something I love and make a career out of it. Although… it didn’t hurt to walk past a café in Worcester and see my designed boards up in the real world.
What is your key tool in any marketing campaign?
In a world that’s so chronically online, I think SEO is the key tool in any marketing campaign. You can create great content with the perfect message, but reaching target users in the right way is what makes a difference.
What is the best thing about social media?
Casual learning. Outside of messaging and connecting people, social media has been a great way to keep up with design’s fast-paced industry through informative short-form content. As creatives we’re able to access more spaces that fuel inspiration and encourage learning because of it.
What is your favourite aspect of your job?
While no one day as a designer is the same, my favourite thing about it is that at its core, design is simply visual problem solving and I love it!
Favourite quote…
“Life’s about using the whole box of crayons” -RuPaul