Let’s get to know you first. Tell us about yourself.
I’m a Bachelor of Design Honours student at York/Sheridan Program in Design. Although my program is more print oriented, I’ve chosen to pursue product design. I focus on simplifying user interfaces without diminishing the usability and the experience. During my spare time, I tinker and prototype my radical ideas with HTML, CSS, and some JavaScript.
I’m currently taking a year off to intern at notable companies in the Bay Area. I just finished my internship at Facebook, and secured an offer from Palantir.
Cool, so what’s the story behind your website and its design?
I’ve always been a huge fan of clean and simple design. It was a matter of time until I discovered about minimalist design. I developed a huge belief in minimalist design, not because for its aesthetics, but the mechanics behind it.
Minimalist design requires a strong understanding of the fundamentals such as colour, grid systems, relationships between elements, typography, etc. You have less to work with, therefore mistakes will be obvious.
My current website was designed and developed a little over a year ago. I initially used it as an archive to track my achievements rather than using it as a portfolio site. I’m long due for another revamp, but that’ll have to wait a while.
What part of your website is your favourite, and why?
I would have to say my noteworthy friends list. It has generated quite a lot of buzz within my circle of friends. I’ve been approached by a few to add their names in, but that’s not how I regulate it.
I don’t just judge by their work, but their commitment, attitude, resolve, and potential for design.
Besides the noteworthy friends list, I would have to say the transitions and animations of the site. When I first started to meddle with product design, I noticed that transitions and animations were highly untapped at the time. There were a few iconic standard ones, but none gave character to the interface; no oomph.
It’s good to see that more and more products see the potential in transitions and animations. Now it’s a matter of not overdoing it and only use them when necessary.
Technologies, languages, frameworks, or libraries?
Weapons of choice:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Sublime Text
- CodePen
- Chrome
Any upcoming changes we should look out for?
As mentioned previously, my current layout and site’s purpose is meant to be used as an archive. I’m pleased to inform you that a new layout is in the works to turn my site into a proper portfolio site.
