I started the digital design agency, Impekable, 10 years ago as a way to earn money as a freelancer, but quickly grew as demand for good software design and development increased.

Prior to starting Impekable, I worked at various agencies and startups where I did design work for large government agencies, smart electric cars, banks, and high-end restaurants. I even spent some time at Accenture Technology Labs which gave me a taste for combining good software design and innovation.

My design journey started when a former employer sent me to Adobe’s design conference, MAX, where I was dazzled by the amazing design work produced by the industry as well as the Adobe eXperience Design team. It was also around the time that Steve Jobs returned to Apple and software design started to get a lot more attention.

I saw how good software design could positively impact the user experience and felt that I had hit a ceiling on how much more I could improve software through code. That’s when I decided to shift my focus from engineering to design. It was not long before people stopped paying me for development and hiring me for design.

Impekable is a digital product design agency. We solve complex software problems with practical, simple, and intuitive user experiences for digital products. I founded Impekable and lead our team of developers and designers. We try to not only improve our clients’ digital products and experiences, but also our own.

Creativity means being able to connect the dots and come up with “out-of-the-box” solutions to problems in an efficient way without always relying on more time and resources. Creativity is being able to work with what you have, it is a muscle that you have to exercise.

A creative idea doesn’t have to be “brand new.” It can be a remix from another industry, many popular creative works are like that. It is one thing mixed, or combined, with another to produce something entirely. For example, the idea of calling for a ride is nothing new and mobile apps were not new, but combining the idea of being able to hail a ride from a mobile app makes it much more accessible.

In order to be able to remix different ideas, one must expose themselves to different ideas from different areas to have a reservoir of ideas to pull from. Most of my creative work addresses a need - it is not art, so I have to talk to people to understand what they are looking for and really get to their pain point. Next, is “sketching” different combinations. Depending on the context, sketching could be wireframes or quick technical prototypes. Then, testing that creative idea to see if it addresses the issue or whether it can withstand feedback.

My most favorite part of the process used to be executing and creating those different ideas. As I matured, my favorite part became talking to the users, the people who have problems and are looking for solutions. Where I took shortcuts was rushing the discovery process. Talking to people is hard and I would rather get to the problem-solving part sooner because it was more “fun.” What I found was that my creative solutions, as clever as they were, weren’t necessarily solving the problem because I skimped on taking the time to understand the user and the pain point deeply.

I’m ecstatic that the industry is recognizing the contributions of our team! They’ve worked hard over the years and the award is a token of appreciation and recognition that helps inspire the team to greater heights. It’s also a great way to expose us to even more clients who could benefit from our services.

The two entries related to the Adobe Interaction Design Day (IxDD) websites, both awarded Platinum, are a great showcase of creative work. Every year Adobe picks a designer whose work inspires them from their Behance network. Impekable is then tasked with taking that artwork and translating it into website form as the Interaction Design Day website, which changes every year. Our own creative task is to work within the constraints of the website while still reflecting the visual language and feel of the original art. We feel this was a reflection of what the MUSE Creative Awards was looking for.

Probably… learning to design a website! Technically this is my 2nd website - I also have the art museum - but they were built pretty differently so it was a very fun challenge for a few of months to build this.

We see tools getting better to help designers create content. Tools like the unreal MetaHuman Creator, for example, democratizes the ability for more 3D artists to create realistic characters. NFTs are also providing more opportunities for digital artists to monetize their work in ways we could have never imagined. I don’t see creative work going away due to AI or pure software. The tools will only help creatives gain more time back and perhaps allow them to create more.

There is so much more content and resources now than ever before. When I started my design journey I had to go buy books with CDs and self-teach. Now, mentors are more accessible and designers can learn from design leaders through mediums like online courses, YouTube, and podcasts. For example, the “What is UX?” (https://whatisux.co/) podcast showcases seasoned designers who talk about their career as well as the work they do at their current company so that young designers can get a sense of what the journey is like to work in design in a particular industry.

There are too many to name, but many people I would call friends inspire me. Their journeys through life and career inspire me to aspire to greater heights. Designers and engineers who have opened new disciplines by creating new platforms, such as the smart mobile phone we know today, inspire me. Without them, I wouldn’t have the career I have today.

Not being afraid to try new things and not being afraid to be a beginner. Network and learn from others. Create, nurture, and build a strong support network. And, finally, grit and perseverance.