In this interview we’ are chatting with 48hourslogo designer acasia, about his artistic influences, his personal goals for one year from now, and what unique title he would choose for his biography!
This week I’ve chatted with newlywed Alvin, or as we’ve come to know him – acasia! Last month Alvin married Jeime, who is a dentist. Growing up in Tarlac City, Tarlac, Philippines, Alvin is fluent in both English and Tagalog. He is a young twenty-eight years old, and has been a member of the 48hourslogo Design Community for a year and a half now. At the time this article is posted, Alvin is on the verge of his one hundredth win! Consistently ranked among the top logo designers, you’ll notice a familiar playfulness throughout acasia’s logo designs.
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Hello Alvin! Thanks for speaking with me today! What kind of hobbies do you get involved in?
I like reading comic books, playing video games and playing musical instruments. Ever since I was a child my dad pushed me to learn piano, so I got that. First piece I figured out to play was the theme song to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, haha. So far I have a collection of instruments here: Piano, Violin, Guitar, Ukulele, and Drums. I’m thinking of learning another instrument, I haven’t figure out what yet. I play mostly survival sandbox games, kinds like Minecraft or DayZ, where you get to build stuff and survive. It’s pretty challenging but I have a couple of friends that I play it with so it makes it a lot more fun. As far as movies go, that’s really a hard choice. Kurosawa Movies and Hayao Miyazaki films are a great bunch but I would pick as my all time favorites, the one I watch every year is the Infernal Affairs Trilogy. It’s a Hong Kong Movie that “The Departed” was based on.
Since you’re read a lot of comics, let’s say you were given one super power of your choosing.
What would you pick?
Alright, I’ve thought about this long and hard, I guess since I was a kid. I’ll probably take time travel, or any time-related superpower. I guess it would be useful. I could skip through the cooking part and go directly to the eating.
Speaking of food, is there anything in your house that you’re excited about?
Adobo and Kare Kare ( both filipino dishes). Adobo is a type of dish where the pork/chicken is marinated in soy sauce, I often fry it after to make it a bit more crispy. And Kare Kare is a peanut sauce based dish, mostly eaten during special occasions.
So what are a few of your favorite things?
Playing games, watching movies, sleeping, eating, surfing the net.
Let’s talk short-term goals, where do you see yourself a year from now?
My wife and I are planning to start up another business other than our dental clinic here (which was funded with the help of my 48hourslogo earnings) I’m also working on a video production company that I’ve started with my brother a few months back, so that’s in the works now.
Sounds like you stay busy! If someone was writing a biography about you, and you got to title it, what name would you pick?
Rise : How Alvin Stopped the Zombie Apocalypse and a Galactic Invasion (if it ever happens, I’m hoping this would be a suitable title). If that doesn’t work, I’ll rename the title Live Free: Follow Your Dreams and Never Give Up.
ABOUT DESIGN
How long have you been a graphic designer? How did you prepare for this line of work?
I’ve been a graphic artist for about 5 years now. I guess I’m self taught. A bit of trial and error here and there. I’ve worked for a couple of UK logo design companies before so I had time to hone my skills for that time. They didn’t actually teach me anything there so I had to do a lot of research (about 3 months worth) before I could actually hold my own.
What are your influences as an artist?
Most of my influences comes from comic books, video games, and music. Jae Lee’s art style in comic books is magnificent, I also like the simplistic designs of a few indie games, like Neo Scavenger and Pixel Piracy (I like Pixel Art!) and I always listen to 80’s rock music as my background when I’m working on designs. It keeps me pumped up and hyped!
Are you drawn to any certain types of contests?
I like working on contests with weird sounding names or something very different. It really draws out your creativity when you have to think of a way to design those things.
Do you have any rituals or habits you do while designing?
Coffee is a must! and of course music. I like to doodle stuff, just to keep the mind flowing.
What goes through your mind when you begin to work on a logo?
I always try too make sense of what the client is asking. Sometimes the client will tell you that they have an idea of what they want, but most of the time they will pick something different. I try to balance those things, something in between what the client wants and what I personally would like to see in the design.
If you could speak to someone that’s about to start a contest, what advice would you give them?
Tell the designers exactly what they want. If they don’t have an idea, try to minimize the number of logo inspirations that they will upload, or may be specifics as to what they like about each individual design so the designers can fully navigate within those choices.
What advice would you give to other designers trying to find success like you have?
Learn from your mistakes and constantly improve. Don’t harass your fellow designers, learn from them. Work hard but always pace yourself, your health is very important, both physically and mentally.
Quick – name your three of your favorite fonts!
I guess I like Trajan Pro, it’s very useful for those “formal” type companies. Myriad Pro is very flexible. and I also like techy fonts like Plateia.
How would you explain Logo Design using just three sentences?
A logo design is a visual representation of your business as well as yourself. It gives your business an identity. Logo design as a profession involves both artistic and business knowledge.
ABOUT 48HOURSLOGO
You had mentioned working for some logo design companies before, how did you find 48hourslogo.com?
I was searching the net about logo design contests and I found 48hourslogo!
What do you like about 48HL, what makes it special to you?
The community. That’s the one thing I have always appreciated here in 48hourslogo. The quality of output and the quality of each designer make it special.
How has your life changed since joining 48HoursLogo?
I’ve learned a lot about improving my design as a designer here. I’m constantly trying to find new ways of how I can set myself at par with some of the best designers here. I have a long way to go but I’m enjoying the journey getting there!
Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the site?
I’d like to see a message ping, like when you get a message you here a “ping” sound in your browser, or maybe when your a finalist, whenever they send you a message, you get a notification in your email, or something like that.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT ACASIA
“OH my gosh, this designer ROCKS. I just love his talent and his attentiveness. I would recommend him a million times over. By far the best experience I’ve had on this site and I’ve ran more than one contest. He is responsive and gets back to you almost immediately. I LOVE this Designer. I WILL be working with him again.”
“This designer was very responsive to input and easy to work with. Very satisfied!”
“ACASIA YOU ROCK! Was attentive and worked above and beyond on this design. He rocks far above any other on this project. Absolute would work with this designer AGAIN.”
“Just could not have been any easier to work with, very quick in response. Just did a wonderful job, will certainly invite Acasia to any future contest.”
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Thank you so much Alvin for taking the time to share with us a bit about you! We’ll have to check back in on you in a year and see how your video production is going!
Like acasia’s work? You can see more logo designs, client feedback, and his personal stats on his portfolio page. Make sure to invite him to your next Logo Contest!
Would you read Alvin’s biography?
Are you a fan of Pixel Art too?
Get in touch through the comments below!
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