LIMELIGHT'S PROFILE

You probably don't find many designers quoting Einstein for inspiration nowadays, but this one does. Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Chin Kuan Win has loved animation since his childhood days and is unstoppable in his quest for knowledge.

Star Wars and Tron

Kuan Win-and of course a team of his classmates-are behind the short animation 'My Telatoli', a childlike reimagining of a rural evening. This Digital Animation graduate is now living one of his childhood aspirations.

"Since I was a kid, I watched a lot of cartoons and movies. I practically glued my eyes to the TV, and because of that I developed an interest in animation and special effects. I always found movies such as Star Wars and Tron a cool thing, and I always wondered how the effects were done," he explains. Every weekend was one spent in front of the television! His parents didn't quite approve, however, thinking that it was no way to get a job despite his tries at persuading them otherwise. "After years of persuasion, they finally gave in and let me study animation. My parents also found out that not many people go into this field, so the possibility of getting a job is higher." He now plans to work for a year or so before continuing his studies or perhaps giving guest lectures at The One Academy.

Kuan Win also takes pride in his imagination and sense of humour. "Sometimes while we were working or doing assignments, it could be pretty boring so it was up to me, the class joker, to crack some jokes or make a fool out of myself to reduce the tension," he tells us.

"When you're studying animation design, it's great if you have a good imagination. Being imaginative makes us more creative in coming up with ideas or even concepts."

With all those ideas running riot in his head, it's a wonder that he manages to keep his work on track. Kuan Win admits this takes some doing, even now. "Sometimes I'm occupied with too many things. I don't know how to prioritise, which can be quite troublesome. Lately I have been planning things properly by writing them down in a notebook, and I always try my best to be humble in order to overcome my weaknesses."

Flexibility in animation

The best part of Digital Animation for Kuan Win is the infinite possibilities it offers. "If you like making movies and always wanted to try something different, animation is also an option. You can be the director that comes out with all the crazy ideas and camera angle you could possibly think of and execute them all. As long as you have an idea you can always try it out without hurting yourself or even the actor or actress." He also emphasizes the importance of a good foundation in design.

"A lot of students don't notice it but I always think The One Academy's foundation year plays an important role in our work because it helped us develop our design sense," he explains. "Thanks to it, we are able to create something simple and make it stand out from the others. In a way it actually helps to make the things we do fuller and more beautiful."

"At first, all I wanted to learn was 3D and animation but during my journey I gained a strange interest in interior and architecture design, industrial design, photography and even cinematography. The exposure to 3D animation made me wonder how things worked. In order to model something in 3D we need to understand its purpose and function. Research is of the highest priority; Without any research, it's like driving blindfolded."

When he needs to clear his head, Kuan Win goes for nighttime drives or attends aikido training. To those who aim to follow in his footsteps, he advises, "When I was in The One Academy, I liked to help out the juniors in their work especially in 3D. In a way, I am passing down my knowledge and experience to them so they won't repeat the same mistakes I made. If you are not clear on something, don't be shy and ask people because they might have the solution for your problems. Then the knowledge you gain can be passed down to others, and they will pass it down to someone else. This will help the communication between people and create more friends." A noble endeavour, and we wish this designer the best of luck in future.

The featured graduate this month is wild about nature. He's perfectly happy to spend time in the great outdoors, supports sustainable living; and considers himself as tenacious and full of vitality as a weed. It doesn't look like Foo Peng Cheong will be uprooting himself from Advertising Design any time soon!

Awards are sweet

Peng Cheong served as Head of Desktop Publishing for his graduating batch, Story Box. His love for nature also garnered him an Honourable Mention during the recent ADAA or Adobe Design Achievement Awards. "I was selected by the college along with other students to participate in this competition," he explains. "It was not a compulsory thing, but I decided to take up this opportunity to gain more experience as well as to serve as a platform to showcase my capabilities. This was a very precious chance for me."

Peng Cheong decided to enter with his Packaging Design project for Golden Temptation Durian Chewy Candy. His design not only holds candy, but has a slot for a tealight when empty. The carvings on the box (complete with little durians) make for a charming lantern of sorts. His work stood its own amongst 70 others from Malaysia and 2,700 entries from 33 countries worldwide. "When the announcement that I was in the pool of 20 semi-finalists came, I felt very fortunate. Had my computer crashed while I was uploading this artwork, I wouldn't be one of the semi-finalists."

Could he further improve on the design, we asked him. After some thought, he volunteered, "I have definitely tried my best. However. if I could redo this project, maybe the whole thing will be different. Life is moving forward, and so I will also constantly progress and learn from every experience."

Green dreams

Peng Cheong also worked briefly as a florist's assistant?but that certainly didn't mean he handled flowers all day. "It's not just about arranging flowers and handling events; through this work, I can train my aesthetic value, colour combination, management and public relations skills as well. This experience helped me a lot for my study and my career." He currently works as a graphic designer specializing in packaging design, and hopes to take part in more competitions, charitable events and conservational efforts. The Kuala Lumpur native also professes to be a supporter of LOHAS, or Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. The concept focuses on health and fitness, the environment, personal development and sustainable living.

"I love to see the blue sky and green grass. I can spend most of the day in their 'company'. Sometimes in the office I will play albums by Dan Gibson, who records natural sounds," he continues enthusiastically. "I hope to follow in the footsteps of Andy Goldsworthy, the sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who travels the world. I like the way he dedicates himself to his work and the environment. His art involves the use of natural and found objects to create both temporary and permanent sculptures which draw out the character of their environment."

That caring attitude carries over into his interactions with people, too. "I'm a person who is willing to help others. Sometimes I like to share my ideas, experience and comments; I also love to listen to other people's opinions and experiences. Sometimes I'm a quite stubborn person; I will persist in certain things, like my design style. Now I try to learn how to see things from more perspectives, and give myself more room to improve. Many of my friends say I'm a workaholic. That's why I'm so stubborn. Sometimes, I forget to make time to eat and rest after I start to concentrate too hard on my work."

When asked for advice for his juniors, Peng Cheong was, at first, a little shy to comment. "I'm very ordinary. I have nothing very brilliant or genius-like to share. I'm still learning to be better. But I always believe in "no pain, no gain", there is no such thing as a free lunch. The chance is always reserved for the people who are ready."

Shy Ng Kok Hooi once ate nothing but toast and coffee for five meals - not in an attempt to save money or lose weight, but in an attempt to define the true spirit of the traditional Malaysian kopitiam, or coffeeshop.

Coffee, tea, or Hooi?

It all started when this self-described simple guy from Johor Bahru headed to one of the 'modern' kopitiams for dinner. The experience was not pleasant. "When I looked at the menu and price, I got a shock because it was so expensive! I needed to write the order myself. The food wasn't that good. It was all self service, but they still charged me 10% services tax!" he exclaims. Kok Hooi then got to thinking about what the term 'kopitiam' really meant to him, envisioning a cheap, peaceful and friendly place 'with delicious toast and fragrant coffee'. He decided to not only share his vision with others, but also design a site where all could obtain and share information about Malaysia's surviving traditional kopitiams.

The whole thing seemed perfectly suited for his final project: it would be unique, never done before and connected to local culture. Kok Hooi applied himself to researching the surviving old-fashioned Chinese coffee shops, roping in his friends to help him gather information. Which is where the five meals of toast come in - one day, he and his assistants went to five separate kopitiams in one morning. While he enjoyed the progress, one wonders if the whole thing put the Multimedia Design graduate off his subject for life. It didn't.

"Nowadays the market has many modern kopitiams. All are famous and expanding throughout Malaysia. They have a comfortable environment, air-conditioned services... their price, mood and feeling is different from local and old traditional kopitiams. Traditional kopitiams have fans instead of air-conditioning; the price is cheap. How many of this kind of kopitiams do you know?" he asks. "I hope my project can make the younger generation aware about the culture of the 'traditional' kopitiams. They've existed for 60 years in Malaysia already, and every one has its own story. When you know the story, maybe you will get some inspiration."

...I'm not creative

When he's not researching his beloved coffee shops, Kok Hooi can be found taking photos. "Everywhere I go, I'll be shooting photos - it improves my observation." An adamant non-smoker, he prefers to seek out his friends when upset or happy.

Surprisingly enough for a designer, Kok Hooi doesn't even consider himself a creative person. "When I need to think of some idea or concept, it's really difficult for me." To compensate for this weakness he continues to observe the world around him, and seek the opinions of his other coursemates. "I'm always willing to learn more and see more," he adds. "Everything always changes in this world. Knowledge and techniques must also be updated and improved. I also need to improve myself; if not, I will be outdated.

"Observation is a very basic but important idea for designers. We must see more and absorb new ideas from the real world and not just the Internet, although it's convenient. And sometimes design is a hard and stressful job. I may do things that I'm not satisfied with, or the client may not be satisfied with work I've put a lot of effort into. So I tell myself: 'This is your job and interest, enjoy it and take it easy!' It works out fine."

For now, Kok Hooi plans to further his studies in the United Kingdom, although he needs to "learn and study English first". He sees it as just another challenge, and fully surmountable. Within the next five years, he also plans to operate a design studio with his brother, a double diploma holder in Illustration and Multimedia Design. His advice to his peers is "Enjoy your work! Love your work!" With such obvious enthusiasm at work, there are few who doubt we'll be hearing about Kok Hooi and his coffee-fueled efforts soon.

Rumour has it that when Julian Chai was a baby, a simple rubber band was enough to keep him occupied for half a day. He grew up to be a digital animator, and you'd be hard-pressed to find one more dedicated to his work.

We're tougher

For Julian Chai Ee Chern, digital animation was the only way to go. "Unlike math, which has set formulas and answers, animation's only formula is creativity. The process cannot be copied. It is always different and interesting, and there is no exact answer or definition." His keen observation and firm sense of duty bore him along, even when circumstances forced him to defer two terms.

Things changed once he joined the class he eventually graduated with; he grew to lead them and inspire them to greater heights. "Our team has been correcting and re-doing the same scenes or errors countless times, for countless sleepless nights. Everything comes with a purpose: to explore, to be different and to be perfect. At the end, the result might not look like what we expected, but what matters is the process of going through the failure and experiences."

"I don't care about the cold look in people's eyes when we decide to try on something new or risky," he adds. "I don't mind how many days and night we spend to keep on trying and experimenting. I don't mind that I don't have enough funds to rent a room. In the end I studied and slept in a living room for 3 years, just to stay near college. It might sound crazy or meaningless or greedy, but I've gone through all the challenges; We're tougher than anyone else would be."

Be prepared

What some might not know about Julian is that he's also a King Scout, having obtained that appellation shortly after graduating from high school. Currently, he's even a Senior Instructor for that same troop, managing their discipline and some of their activities. His scouting life became a great influence on his current outlook. "The great challenges we face train our attitude and discipline. For example, I took a test with my team that required an approximately 40km expedition. After 30 kilometres, my knee got a serious vein injury and even walking slowly was very hard. If we gave up in the middle, we would be required to take the whole test again. But due to team spirit, I walked the rest of the 10 kilometres with the help of my teammate and a scout's staff. I don't clearly remember the pain now, but the experience and what I learned and gained has guided me all the way: 'Never give up and be thankful to your teammates; teamwork is always important!"

Scouting seems to have formed Julian into a pragmatic yet passionate young man. When he can, he continues to strive for greater heights; when things get rough, he knows when to call it a day. "Sometimes my bad temper would drive me crazy or worse, cause teamwork failure. I would try to get out from the situation ASAP, maybe take a short nap or enough rest to get me refreshed. Then I can start again with a clearer mind." This is one designer who believes that the more one learns to work under pressure, the easier and faster the recovery will be.

A brighter future

Things are looking good for Julian now; his current plans include working in a local or foreign 3D company to gain experience, but he's reluctant to set down any further plans in stone. "I'd like to try many things beside animation, as well as industrial design. It is still one of my major interests since I was young, especially toy and automobile design. The inspired and unique attitude of the designs attracted me so much. Working with a dream car design team or as an executive designer in LEGO is also my big dream."

As he continues to work towards his own betterment, the animator has this much to say to others in his shoes: "Team-work is everything. Whatever you start or begin, if you have the choice, choose your team members wisely. The decision influences the result. If you don't have any choice, appreciate what you have in a team. Motivate and cheer each other on when facing challenges. Another thing I see sometimes is people who only focus on one specific strength or skill. This isn't bad and it is quite normal. But for me, I would try other thing as well as in animation or in any design field. I don't mean that focusing on your strengths is wrong, but try to explore more besides what you have." We certainly hope Julian's passion will take him to higher places.

This month we put in the limelight one Lee Jun Hao, a simple kind of guy who vastly prefers to let his art and effort speak in his place.

Surviving illustration

Lee Jun Hao describes himself as a friendly, optimistic and responsible young chap. While he also happens to be a slow learner, he simply pours more passion and patience into everything he does to compensate.

"Majoring in Illustration is an extremely tough task," he explained to us. "Every assignment given by our lecturers needs lots of effort and patience to complete. Without these two (attributes), you won't survive in this major." This approach inculcated a high sense of responsibility in the young man, and he continuously strives to maintain and improve the quality of his output.

Jun Hao mentioned the unique designs of Michael Lau, KAWZ, Kazuki and Takashi Murakami as his inspiration. Currently, he1s working on gaining more experience in the industry and honing his skills. He adds, "I'd like to share my current knowledge on illustration with my other juniors or friends, and show them what the major is about and what our job is." His dream is to someday collaborate with his idols on a piece of artwork.

Something from nothing

Jun Hao describes his style as still young, green and in the process of being established. To him, "personal style represents the personality of an artist", and it helps to captivate people.

For this artist, the most interesting part of illustration is the process itself. "(It's) seeing a blank canvas filling up, and the transition from blacks to colors and traditional to digital. And I also enjoy the process of finishing the artwork." When taking a break from work, Jun Hao plays the guitar to relieve stress. He also collects interesting sneakers and packaging, especially limited edition runs and those involving collaboration with other artists.

When asked why he joined the major, the response was clear and concise: "I wanted to become an illustrator". There's no arguing with an answer like that, and we're confident Jun Hao's drive will take him far.

Late night group projects are no picnic when your colleagues live in Sunway and you reside closer to Kuala Lumpur - almost 'the other side of the world' for Samantha Ng Wooi Li. She chose, however, to persevere and doesn't seem to regret the experience one bit.

"What... I really loved to do"

Before majoring in Interior Design, Samantha decided to take her A-levels. After finishing her course, however, she was having doubts about her decision. "I was wondering...What it was that I really loved to do," she explains. "Finally, I chose Interior Design because I had the interest and passion for it: to be able to share and show my capability in design to other people, and to constantly improve. I would say that I'm lucky that I got to choose whatever I liked to pursue, unlike some other people."

Part of her drive also stems from the desire to succeed and be remarkable in the interior design industry. "When I'm successful, I will be able to share my thoughts and experiences with others and encourage them to persevere, be determined, set high aims and put in more effort to stand out from others."

The impossible is nothing

One thing Samantha believes is that nothing is impossible, a line that has stayed with her since her secondary school days. "I guess there are no stupid people in this world but only lazy people; there's nothing you can't achieve unless you don't put in the effort to make it happen."

This Taiping native also counts patience, passion and good leadership skills among her strengths. "I have become group leader in a few subjects such as Communication Skills, Marketing and Business Management classes. Having to understand my team members' capabilities and assigning them different tasks was not easy. I felt quite pressured as it was a big responsibility." Her adaptability and flexibility, too, have taken her far.

"During a group project in Year 2, Semester 3, we had to juggle our individual projects and also a group project which was due at the same time. Every day I stayed back late at night to do the group project together with the rest of my members. Most of them stayed nearby, unlike me - I had to travel all the way back to KL, which was like the other side of the world! For more than two weeks, I had to eat out every day and night and miss home-cooked food, and when I slept over at my friend's place few times, I started to miss my room. Sometimes I just decided to drive home late at night when I'd already packed for a sleepover."

Travelling on

Samantha also loves to travel, having visited countries across three different continents, and aims to further her studies in The One Academy's affiliate universities after graduation. "Design sense and skills can always be improved and developed into a more refined, distinctive and renowned style. You can't always be doing that which lies in your comfort zone and be monotonous, you have to break out and step out of the box." She then intends to build her future in designing for fashion boutiques and resorts, especially in popular honeymoon destinations such as Bali and the Maldives. But make no mistake - she has her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"My designs would be based on function more than beauty," she says, "because in general, people tend to consider an object's function and practicality first rather than seeing its design. These days, people should embrace environmental friendliness and not see mere beauty as design. Function is more important in the realistic world." Expect to see Samantha and her practicality in action very soon.

Kelseyz Lor had a dream of creating an illustrated storybook, and it's finally coming to fruition with the help of four things: pens, paper, patience and a whole lot of passion.

Happy happiness

The idea of a hand-illustrated product had been on this Kuala Lumpur girl's mind for some time, but the motivation and opportunity to finally begin production came during her final semesters in The One Academy. For her final project, Kelseyz Lor Yuen Khei decided to promote a brand-her own. "I decided to create an illustrated storybook and also some extra products like hand-decorated shoes. I am not selling an ordinary graphic product; I am selling a product that has a meaningful story."

The result of about six months of hard work, discussions with lecturers and suggestions from friends was an intricately illustrated promotional website titled 'Are You Happy?'. The innocent, monochromatic aesthetic matches the aforementioned storybook, following the protagonist Pito on his journey to find out what happiness really is.

"(During the project) I found that time management was really important and also discovered how to stimulate sales and promote the product website to help people know more. At first water colors were not so suitable for this story's mood, so I changed the whole art direction. I did what I liked to do, and also set a target for myself to push the project as far as it would go. It's a wonderful moment when your plans all come together," she told us with palpable glee. It's no wonder 'Are You Happy?' went on to win a silver award under the Web Creation category in The One Academy's very own Student Creative Awards. As for the actual products, they're in production as you read this.

Challenging one's self

It's creativity that makes this designer tick-and a little Japanophilia on the side. She confesses to us that one of her dreams is to make enough money to travel through the Land of the Rising Sun someday. No task is too small and no challenge is too great for her-perhaps to a fault.

"I like to challenge myself, and I have the patience and passion for design and illustration. Maybe this is the reason why I like to try different art styles on each project. (But) I am a perfectionist, so I'm always trying to undo some sort of tiny mistake or redo my work."

Right now Kelseyz is illustrating for the Chinese magazine Oz while building up her experience to face the rest of the world. "5 years from now, I hope my skills will have improved a lot. I want to be more independent and handle different kind of big projects, and learning from others, find my own way of producing creative ideas so I can do what I need to independently and well."

When asked for any advice she wished to share with her juniors, she offered up this: "Fight with yourself to improve. You are your only enemy." No doubt Kelseyz will continue to fight the good fight and surprise us with more brilliant artwork in future.

Chong Fei Giap knows well what it is to stand at the crossroads of life, faced with multiple destinies. His choices have since led him to a career under his mentor and greatest influence, international illustrator Loh Kinsun.

"A valuable person"

"Actually I like both design and drawing, but my communication skills were not good enough for me to study graphic design so Illustration was my only choice," Fei Giap explained to us when we met. "But the biggest difference between a graphic designer and an illustrator might be the skills on using software. Drawing unexpectedly made me find confidence in my life; when I draw, I feel that I am a valuable person." You could say he's not very far from his original dream.

Had Fei Giap not come our way, it's very likely he would have remained in Seremban helping out at his father's sundry shop. As fate would have it, he discovered his calling in illustration. A creative, hardworking and diligent student, he was able to train and exercise his talent to the fullest. Such was his skill that even before he had graduated, his lecturer Kinsun scouted him to work for his studio, Sixth Creation.

Fei Giap has nothing but kind words about Kinsun, already famous for his work on Batman, Storm Riders and the webcomic Liberty Prison. "He has been an influence on me since I was an Illustration student and after working for him now for half a year, I think he will continue to be an influence in the future."

Don't stop drawing

Even today, this young artist's learning journey is an ongoing one. "I want to be an illustrator who can handle jobs from all over the world. As long as I don't stop drawing, I believe I will get there. I want to produce high quality illustrations; that's the only way to inspire others. I will try to build myself up to handle different kinds of style with mature skill. Only then can I use my skills to develop a strong and mature drawing style; that might be the hardest thing for an artist."

Right now Fei Giap continues to work at Sixth Creation, building up his communication skills at the same time. "My English is quite poor, but I think I am getting better since I can't avoid it now I'm working in a studio." Might he someday pursue his original goal of entering graphic design? That's for the future to know and for this young designer to find out.

Sensible, straightforward and extremely passionate about her work: that's the impression one gets from this month's limelight. Elvina Chong Shwu Wen has her feet planted firmly on the ground, but her eyes are fixed just as steadily on the stars.

From decor to design

A girl who loves to laugh and enjoy herself, Elvina's interest was sparked from a tender age, when she loved to indulge in decoration, whether it was her room or small handicrafts. Most girls playing with Barbie dolls dream of following in her glamorous footsteps as a model, stewardess or princess-but not this one. Her flair for beautification drove her towards interior design instead.

"I haven't had any interest in any other field other than interior design all this while. I'd love to share my ideas to create a better space for my client and help them live life happily; I would love to have a comfortable house, because that's where we get most of our rest," she explains. Her dream is to one day design her own family house (provided, she adds, her husband allows her to.)

With that goal firmly in place, Elvina set out preparing herself with an open and ready mind. "I think design sense and skills can be learned anytime, anywhere. If you have both it is a bonus for you, but the most important thing is to have the passion in design and the willingness to learn. For me, work comes first before entertainment. I think this really helps me in finishing my work under tight deadlines. I will feel uneasy or like something's missing if I go out when I haven't finished my work! And like any other field or industry, we need experience and knowledge. We can't just blabber on in our work-we need to deeply research and understand each and every project or task we do, in order to sell to clients in the future. But I always have a lot of fun whether I'm doing group project work or alone at home de-stressing-I think that's where my ideas come from.

"I admire all designers or artists because I think all of them are great. Loving a design and art piece is kind of based on your own personal point of view. Sometimes we just love something even if it's ugly!"

Pretty (and) practical

In this way Elvina pressed on, with a little help from her friends and lecturers. "Now whenever there is an error in my work, I treat it as a challenge and try to solve it. If I meet any failure, I will take it as experience so that next time I don't do the same thing again. For example, if an object has to perform a function, its design must support that function. Viewing the project as a problem to be solved rather than just making it look pretty is the real challenge."

Since graduation, the young Sabahan has been weighing her options: study, or go on to work? "(In five years) I see myself as maybe as an art director or having my own design studio. I'm going to work really hard like it's going to happen in the next second, and imagine how satisfied I'll be when I reach that point. It's great motivation to work it out with a picture of that happy moment."

When asked for some pearls of wisdom for her juniors, she offered, "Work hard and work smart, with passion. Just working hard is not enough out there. You need to work smart to get to the top." There's no doubt the top is within reach for this designer, and that she'll get there in her own sensible, happy way.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy - which P'ng Yi Wei is not. This month, we get to know more about this Penangite's unusual work.

"I never simply give up"

A Multimedia graduate with a flair for games, interactive media and character design, Yi Wei is currently tutoring with The One Academy. He takes pride in his ability to learn fast and remain optimistic. "Whenever someone is willing to teach me, I give them my full attention. Instead of spending extra time figuring out what the lecturers had just covered, I shared that knowledge in class with my friends. Through this process I got to revise what I had learned and became open to ideas and critiques.

"No matter what happens to me, I always think positively. I never simply give up because things will surely be better if we give it another try! Of course I do not blindly take risks...I like to challenge what people think is impossible. Things that people don't dare to consider or try, I do." He does confess that he constantly fights with his inner perfectionist to not become obsessed with a project's smaller details.

Game on

Yi Wei draws his inspiration from figures such as IF Interactive's creative director, Liew Sanyen, and?the games he plays? "I play games a lot during my free time. At the same time, I create games. I enjoy both processes - it's equally exciting to play games and get feedback from people who play my games. I used to jog and play badminton, but sadly, since I became a designer I have less time for those things.' This situation may change; he also plans to set up an interactive studio, and is honing his skills in preparation for that day.

In line with that dream, he designed an interactive campaign as his final project. As to what sparked its conception, he says: "My friend and I were hanging out at the mall and she wanted to throw away a plastic bag. There were 3 recycling bins there labeled with different colours, but neither of us could actually tell which one to use. There were so many ads that taught people about recycling, but now we fail to remember even the basic things." He decided to stay away from the normal, boring awareness campaign and come up with something teenagers would click with.

Recycle like a ninja

The final product, Oni-Oni-Oninja, spans online, animated and interactive media to subtly deliver its messages. The main characters are five cute ninjas targeted at young teens, who appreciate fun and love content sharing. "My aim was to educate the target audience on issues such as recycling, but in an abstract way. In the game Girigiri Run, Onioni tries to get his favourite food back from Jojoja the bad samurai. Enemies like tins, paper and plastic bottles block Onioni; they have souls of different colours, like their recycling bins. Player have to press buttons accordingly in order to eliminate the enemy?buttons set in the same order as recycling bins, too."

Another notable component is Reach the Sky, where Onioni flies through the sky with a balloon, shaking rubbish out of clouds and collecting falling debris. "Reach the Sky is a new media installation and I took some time to figure out how it would work...Players run around to control the character without any console. They need to blow on the microphone if they want to blow up the balloons inside the game, or shake their hands for Onioni to shake clouds away."

Putting the campaign together, however, wasn't easy. "It was a new thing that I'd never done before when I came up with this idea. It was not finished in the time that I expected...I had to reconsider what was the important content and ended up choosing to complete the website, animation, one game, the installation and some minor contents like emoticons and wallpaper.

"As it was the final project, lecturers guided us but did not help. I learn to be independent and always seek solutions myself. I gained experience on how to manage a project and my technical skills improved a lot too. I feel I have grown to become a better multimedia designer!"

Today, Yi Wei continues to work hard and smart with an unwavering eye on the future. Only time will tell what's to come next from this promising young talent!

This month we feature a passionate traveler, photographer and defender of traditional craft whose numerous successes include a tasty food calendar that won first place in the last Classic Fine Foods Design Challenge. We spoke to Sharinaz Hasmy to find out what makes her tick plenty of things, as it turns out.

Lady Designer

"I have great admiration for many typographers and graphics designers. However, they are...predominantly men," laments Sharinaz, a Kuala Lumpur native well on her way to graduation. "I always wondered what happened to all the lady graphic designers, but to calm my nerves I did some research and there are a few out there; one in particular is Marian Bantjes. Her work is simply amazing and to be inspired by. She is one of those who gets inspiration from the old and makes it her own. All her works have her own identity; you see her work and you know its Bantjes. That's what I've strived for; I want people to recognize my style of design."

What Sharinaz is also renowned for is the consistent quality of her work. From typography to photography and even corporate identities, the young lady handles it all seemingly without breaking a sweat. It stands to reason that she would rise to the further challenge of designing a calendar, even if she'd never attempted it before.

Food for thought

"I had never created a calendar before so I was readily up for the challenge. Another thing that attracted me was that it was from a company that dealt with food. I love food, and immediately my brain began to work on how to creatively design a calendar that would represent the essence of food."

It was important for Sharinaz to understand what the company was really about, and ultimately the question 'What would it be like to eat quality fine food?' She realized that as a consumer, there is an experiential process when dealing with food: the excitement of preparing food and anticipation of eating, the process of actually eating and tasting different foods, and the whole feeling we get from food. Some food us makes us happy, some food comforts us, some food energizes us. Classic Fine Foods not only gives their consumers quality food but also gives them a whole new experience of consuming and preparing quality food.

"To communicate this idea, I used actual photography of food products. I remember the saying, 'never play with your food' but cooking is all about playing and being creative so I wanted that to translate into the design, so the food actually created the letters of the months. Bright and healthy colors were used to make the calendar have a healthy and joyful feeling as well as to coincide with the different seasons of the year, such as orange for October and red for December, which are important in the food industry.

"One mistake I made was assuming how simple and straightforward designing a calendar was going to be. Oh my God, was I wrong. There were so many aspects of the calendar that I had to pay attention to, from the concept and colors to the typography and photographs; even knowing what holidays fell on what day and appropriate quotes to fit the different 12 months. It takes just as much time, effort and attention to detail, as in any other job whether the actual size is big or small."

Preparing both the competition entry and keeping on top of assignments wasn't easy, but if nothing else Sharinaz had determination, inspiration and a great work ethic on her side. As you already know from our introduction, the calendar went on to win first prize.

Beads, batik and Bandung

When her assignments are out of the way, Sharinaz makes it a point to keep herself busy with freelance work. "A lot of people ask me how I have time to even squeeze in more work, but I feel that it helps a lot in my ability to improve and I want to understand the graphic design industry in greater depth. It's not a matter of how you make time, but whether you want to or not. Though what we learn in college is a solid foundation, it does not compare to the invaluable lessons learned from experience and the real world. While working as a freelance graphic designer, I have learned things that can only be experienced by working: what to do and what not to do, etc. I also like being able to meet with clients from all walks of life."

She also has a passion for Malaysian batik and beadwork, believing that traditional craft should not be kept alive, but rather be kept living as a part of modern society. In 2007, she combined batik with jewelry design and created custom jewelry for the Creative MalaysiaBatik Fashion Accessories Design Competition. She was TOA's sole representative, and the experience was a valuable one. After college, Sharinaz hopes to dive right into work, learn the craft of batik and start a small studio. Her ultimate goal; To win the Piala Seri Endon.

"I also hope to travel more around Southeast Asia; perhaps head out to Philippines, Bandung, or south Thailand. I feel that it is important to go out there and study and understand different arts and cultures and see what can inspire me in my work. It's also giving myself a break after 3 hard years of studying; if you work hard, you can play hard too!"

"We all have talent," she adds, "whether it's drawing or coming up with ideas, but that's only 5% of our make-up. The other 95% is a whole lot of determination, hard work, effort and having the right attitude." We say Sharinaz has her 95% working well for her, and her successes inspire us all.

What seemed at first to be a dream turned out to be Aw Yong Gin Yee's 'worst nightmare'- but if he has anything to say about it, it's a rather enjoyable sort of nightmare on the road to success.

One's true calling

Aw Yong Gin Yee describes himself as a fun person, though slightly perfectionist. He said to us, "Usually I would try to complete a task as perfectly as I can. I have a few works that I myself am quite happy about; although they aren't so nice compared to professionals' works, they are something that I didn't expect myself to achieve. It enables me to exceed my limit. I also have ability to associate ideas. Sometimes when I hear or see something I associate it with something else and come out with new ideas. I haven't benefitted much from this just yet, but I do try to jot down interesting ideas whenever possible."

While in the third year of his Computer Science course, Gin Yee found out one thing: he loved drawing. While had had enjoyed sketching since childhood (and was good at it), he'd never imagined it as a means of fending for himself. After discovering that latent passion, he decided there were two options available: to get married, grow old and regret ignoring his passion, or to go get it right then, and have no regrets.

"But then I chose a third option: go get it later, and have no regrets. It did take me some time to think over it," he admits.

The passion for art

From youth, Gin Yee has also harboured a passion for stories. "My father used to buy me story books because I always asked him for stories when I was young," he explained. "I also love comics and manga. A fascinating comic is usually a combination of good story and beautiful illustration. But as a kid I didn't realize the importance of the backbone story and thought the illustration did all the magic."

It's the passion within that drives this young illustrator, among other things. "You have to have skill in order to illustrate but you probably don't have to have strong design sense," muses this KL native. "It's always an advantage if you do because then you can come out with artwork of more variety and can probably create your own style. I've yet to build up my own style; before that I would rather spend more time on strengthening my skills.

"Frankly I really think creating strong personal style isn't necessary for students who are still learning. Instead they should focus more on picking up every little new thing they discover while completing each drawing."

Problem-solving

Right now, Gin Yee is employed by Sixth Creation studio, run by our very own Loh Kinsun, and is busy earning money, experience and knowledge. One of his dreams is to create a story of his own and illustrate it in comic form. "Many people dream of becoming a comic artist. But when you work in a studio and illustrate comics upon client's request, it never satisfies."

So what does the future hold for this budding illustrator? He's not so sure himself. "I'll be more experienced in my field of work, skilled in art so I can handle my job more easily and help my company to expand, at the same time I can be self-satisfied by creating fascinating art, drawing, or stories with ease. I could be wrong though. We probably feel satisfied only when we achieve something that exceeds our limit. When you can finally achieve that and have done that for a couple more times, you'll probably become bored of it."

When asked for advice for his peers, he had but one answer: "Build up a habit of solving problems. There are many artists out there who I admire but Kinsun, one of my lecturers in TOA, showed me the key to be successful. He told us he is a 'very practical person'. I have been working closely with him and eventually I found out it simply means that he's very good at solving problems. Whenever he faces a problem, he will take times to figure it out and solve it. What most people do when facing a problem is complain, complain, and complain. In the end the problem is still there. If you observe carefully, you will find out doing everything is a process of problem solving."