Originally I’m from Libya. I’ve lived there for around 10 years and spent most of my childhood there. My family moved to the UK in 1997. Right now I’m settled in Manchester, I’ve been in Manchester for around 13 years 

I always wanted to be someone when I was young. Not just another book on the shelf. I’ve had that creative fuel since I was young. However it was undiscovered, as a result I picked chemistry, biology and politics as my main college subjects, hoping to make something of it and become a politician or a scientist. Unfortunately I found out I failed at all these subjects after coming back from holiday, and only had 2 weeks to reenroll or find a different college. Against my family’s consent I took up a full course in graphic design where my creative fuel had sparked and is still burning today. 

I’ve been freelancing since 2006 while I was a student, and now working temporary at a printers as a designer as well. I through my self in the design scene and took a crash course in freelance design when I was in college, and to a lot of peoples surprise I managed to prove my success. I have been taken advantage of a few times by a number of clients due to my age or my inexperience in business. I guess I’m the type of guy who seems to learn the hard way. Yep I love freelancing because you never know where your going to get your next phone call or email from. Some freelance jobs can be a bit dull but fortunately most of the freelance jobs I’ve got were good. I’m looking to expand in to my own shop/studio, so I decided to boost my experience and finance by working at Great Ledge Printers.

My favorite part… I have two… I get a buzz when I first get a brief that has a lot of potential and when I see the work I’ve designed published and used publicly, it’s a great feeling when you walk past a piece of work and you can say “I designed that”.

I never thought of this question before because I always liked to design for my self. But if there were one individual I would design for it would be Charles Saatchi, for the simple reason that he seems to appreciate design, artwork and creativity in general. One event that’s stands out in my mind was the Islam Awareness Week in Aberdeen. Where I gave a talk about my design work in Aberdeen University and then gave a calligraphy presentation, and had another two days of writing peoples names in calligraphy. The best part of it is when you see their look on their face when they see their name in Arabic calligraphy. 

One thing I’ve learnt in the business of the design industry and dealing with clients is, always have a written agreement especially if your going to be working on a big project. Also never under sell your self, as a creative your work is unique and valuable. I’ve learnt my lessons the hard way. When I first started out, I was young and had no experience in dealing with clients face to face, and was taking advantage of.

One person who was a great help and has shaped my career in a large way is Muiz Al-Khattat. Muiz was a student and already a freelance designer when I met him he was at university and I was in my first year of college in Graphic Design. Muiz was like my design mentor, he has given me countless advice, from dealing with clients giving talks and workshops to wide audiences. I also admire his work and also inspired by it. When I first entered the freelance design scene I could relay on him at any time when I needed advice and help. There were other people who have helped shape my Design career like my family and my tutors. However Muiz was the most prominent in my design career. At the moment I’m kind of taking his role and helping other younger designers in their work and their career.

I have various ways in getting over a creative block, some are more effective than others depending on my mood at that time. One method I use of getting over a creative block is by looking at other designer’s work of similar briefs and see how they’ve tackled it. Another thing I do if the previous method doesn’t help is I’ll simply go for a walk or start painting a canvas with my spray paints. But usually I just start; I’ll do a warm up design where one thing would inspire another and before I know it I would  have  enough  ideas  for what I need to design.    

I really enjoy and have a passion of martial arts and have practiced different types. However I stopped training, as my freelance career became fulltime. Despite that I managed to fit and intertwine my reflexes and martial art spirit in everyday life. What excites me about life? I kind of treat it like a game, not in a sense that I don’t care, but in a way where I progress though different levels. I set my self objectives and go out of my way to achieve them. I get a rush / buzz when I achieve one of my objectives. My next one is opening my own design studio this January.

“I love this question” my ambition is to build my own brand as big as Adidas or Nike, and be the chairman of my own clothing / design company. I was inspired by this idea 4 years ago before I started freelancing and gave my self 20 years to fulfill it, and put my self a set timeframe. Up to now I think I am pretty much on schedule.   

 
Thanks for the interview

Yusf Ali