Who…
You’ve caught me at a time of transition, I’m currently a graphic designer but I’m planning to become an art director.
Background…
I was born and brought up in North East London, in a place called Walthamstow. For all those E17 lovers out there that was my proud postcode. The area was heavily culturally diverse, with every nationality under the sun represented, it was the UN of boroughs. I went to a girls’ school in Walthamstow, while also attending Islamic school, Urdu school and touch typing lessons. I have typically Asian parents who believe in eating education for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Both my parents are craftsmen rather than professionals. They were bought up in Afghanistan/Pakistan, where I guess education was seen as a privilege rather than a necessity as it is for us in the UK. That would definitely explain their keen interest in improving our education.
History…
I went to Newham College with Omar, where we had the most inspirational tutor ever, Frances Bloomfield. I then went on to study at Kingston University. I loved it. It was there that I realised I was a conceptual person – that my personal interest in psychology and anthropology were and still are the backbone of my ideas. I’d always get told that my research skills and angles of approach were where my strengths lay but that my making skills were a bit shoddy. I don’t really have the patience for making but I love the research stage – it’s at this stage that an idea can be anything and it’s this endlessness that excites me.
Ideas by the meter…
I’ve been working on a piece called ‘ideas by the meter’. It all began when I lost my favourite sketch book and I vowed to myself that I would never put that much detail in a sketch book ever again. So I decided to put my ideas on a roll and to sell them by the metre. It amused and fascinated me at the same time. People are either too precious or often don’t know how to vocalise their ideas, but their ideas rarely see the light of day. I thought selling it by the metre might help to change people’s perceptions of what an idea really is. I want ideas to be seen as valuable and to be seen in a new way. If they can spark a thought in someone else then my work here is done. Inspiration is the key to the future. I think people can often be too possessive about ideas especially in this industry – there is a lot of claiming even though there isn’t a single original idea out there. I try to encourage people to think through what I do.
Side projects…
I have trillions of side projects to embark on but one I’m currently focusing on is called Squint, a jewellery line. I have a fascination with glasses, so much so that as a teen I deliberately sat only inches away from the TV screen to try and become visually impaired. The frames are laser cut wood and are inspired by the millions of beautiful frames out there. The accessories are doing well at Beyond the Valley and Fetch. Squint’s also been featured in Elle Decoration. It’s getting there. My dream is to get them selling in Selfridges…
Learning…
I did an A level in psychology, which was fascinating. I’m very much a people’s person. Without sounding too much like a politician, they, we and me are where I get the bulk of my inspiration. Observing actions and reactions is how I tend to work, where every graphic has a purpose. I guess this is also the reason I found it hard to make pretty designs – they never ‘said’ anything to me. I felt there needed to be a reason for the beauty. Over the years, I’ve learned to find the right balance.
I’ve gained most of my skills through teaching myself and asking around. I guess we are the generation that learn through play and experimentation and I am a product of that.
Encouragement…
I first became aware of design when I was a wee nipper in primary school, always being asked to draw displays and enter designs for certificates. My parents had no real interest and didn’t really understand how to support art so it really was all my own awareness and drive that got me into design.
Pros and cons…
What I like about what I do is how people react to what I’m doing. A hundred people might react in one way but that doesn’t mean the 101th person will react in the same way. Some people will see things I don’t see. I like print design but for me an idea should dictate the medium, not the other way round.
There’s a need to constantly educate people and be educated. I once went to a family home out in Afghanistan and they had used misprinted packaging as wallpaper, which they had bought on a roll. I was amazed by its beauty. It dawned on me then that innovation and beauty can come out of necessity and that non-realisation can have beautiful results.
Travel…
I travel a lot and it definitely influences me and my work. I went to Mongolia not so long ago in search of my roots. It’s where my ancestors are from and I wanted to see this nomadic life in person. I take my camera everywhere and I think I’m best when photographing people. You can tell so much about a person from their face. It’s important to stop and look, you never know what you might see.
Collections…
I have a few odd collections. One is of carrier bags. I have about 60 from around the world. I just love the graphics of random crazy prints on all of them. I also collect digits. I like the form of numbers. I’ve been known to go out with a screwdriver and steal numbers I like.
Websites…
I love blogs. They’re a bit more personal than a normal site but some of the sites I like are FFFFOUND!, NOTCOT, Design*Sponge and Cargocollective.com, just to name a few. I also love listening to TED talks at the moment. There are some mind-blowing talks on there. I also have a friend overseas who sends over some amazing links every now and then.
Relaxation…
Roller-skating is my one passion. I’ve been skating for about eight years now. I was an inline skater but now I’m a roller-skater. I used to skate in car parks late at night and people would watch and wonder what I was doing. Then one day I went to Hyde Park and have been rolling around there ever since. In the summer, it can get slightly obsessive. From dusk ‘til dawn – I’m known to go roller-skating around. I just get such a sense of freedom from doing it. My worries and thoughts disappear, and for a moment nothing matters. It’s just me, my music and my wheels.
That’s the thing about London, there are so many niches, just as many as there are streets and alleyways. You think that what you’re into is the biggest thing ever because everyone you know is into it but someone else won’t have a clue it exists.
Dream life…
I would love to live in another city for a bit – New York, Amsterdam, or Beijing. I do love London but I think moving away would be a healthy break for me and the city.
I’d love to design and make shoes. My family in Pakistan are shoemakers and make traditional Afghan footwear. I want to encourage them to make more western shoes and sell them abroad. It would be great for the workers and their community if they could broaden their horizons and it would give them more scope for work in the future.
I have also dreamed of opening a design school/gallery in Afghanistan, where the arts are not encouraged or understood. To be able to help or to be a catalyst for the future of creative Afghans would be a dream come true.
People…
My mother is truly inspirational. She’s completely illiterate but has managed to set up and run her own business for 10 years. But before that she worked in plenty of factories so her persistence and strength is an example I would like to live by.
Our Newham College tutor, Francis Bloomfield, is also a mile stone in my memory. It was her encouragement and drive for us to work harder that was inspiring. She saw greatness and we believed her.
One of my all time favourite designers is Alan Fletcher. I once wrote him a letter asking if I could visit him and luckily I was sent an invite the following week. He had an amazing home and studio, with drawers full of trinkets, stolen typefaces and doodles. I guess I feel that the tone of his work is a kindred spirit to my work His curious, philosophical and research approach is truly inspirational. His death marked a sad loss to the design world.
Inspiration…
I love libraries. Being surrounded by books and knowledge makes me believe I’m learning through the power of osmosis. My favourite is the British Library. Since working there I’ve been given a pass and feel like a kid in a candy shop. I spent a lot of time in libraries when I was younger. I think it’s the silence and the fact that if I wanted to know anything it’s at my fingertips.
My other favourite place is on the top deck of a bus, on the left side where the heating is. I love double decker buses. I could stay on them forever, doing little side projects. I love public transport.
Lessons…
One day my mum got lost on her way to a hospital not far from where she lives. The hospital was in Epping forest, an area dense with trees, which is also quite deserted. There weren’t any people around that my mum could ask for directions. She got lost and called me, crying that she had no idea where she was. But she was standing right under a sign with directions to the hospital. That’s a powerful message to me. Education is a gift and we often take it for granted. There are people in the world who don’t have the same opportunities and access to education so I value it, highly.
Advice…
Don’t let people pigeonhole you. Don’t be scared to stay true to what you believe because you’ll always find support for what you want to do, whether that comes from within yourself or from someone else. Don’t be scared to say what you want.
And stop faffing about! I tell myself to stop all the time. Life’s too short and faffing will only slow you down.