Najeeb Omar

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Najeeb Omar ("NO") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

NO : I am a self-taught designer, developed and improved my skills with practice.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

NO : Everything around me is a motivation, like nature, geometry, colors, light and shadow, and the relation between all things. Since i was a child, i scrutinized the details of everything i see, trying to understand its composition, and how it should be balanced with everything around it. It was a deep feeling inside me, growing every day, and pushing me to express all my thoughts into something everyone could see and feel.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

NO : I never choose to be a designer, the design has been living in me since a was little. It makes me focus on all the details around me, to understand how they are interconnected and harmonious. Simply, design became part of me.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

NO : Branding, Abstract Illustrations, Expressionism Paint, Printed, Broadcast and Motion Graphics. But the most close to my heart is Branding.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

NO : First, you need to love what you do, because when it comes from you heart, you will handle it with care, it will end up a masterpiece. If you believe you are an artist, then you are an artist, start looking at everything around you in depth, and choose the right tools to express the world, no one can teach you how to become an artist, but they can teach you how to use the right tools to make your creation visible for everyone to see & feel.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

NO : Thats Deep.. The Great designer is fully aware of every detail of the design, and of all the basic facts through which he can convey the most important idea. And his ability to make most people fully interact with the design, and able to understand it at first sight.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

NO : I evaluate a good design from the way it has been designed, mostly the balance of the shapes or colors and how they are all put together, then if it has been created with care in terms of quality and details from the smallest parts.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

NO : Good Design is just like an elegant person, or a sweet melody that flirts with your feelings & emotion and takes you to your own private world in which you feel most happy, and which satisfies you positively to strive for success.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

NO : The first design I did when I got my first computer was a sports car design ... and I hope that I will have the opportunity to participate in a design for one of the car companies that I love, like BMW and Lamborghini , that will be one of the happiest moments of my life.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

NO : My dream is to have my own gallery, the place in which I can display all my works, designs, paintings and photography, with open doors for all. A place where I can interact with everyone without restrictions or formalities, a place surrounded by the most wonderful musical tunes.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

NO : The only recipe i embrace, is that i love what i do. Because when you do things with love and passion, definitely you will get the most amazing results.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

NO : Leonardo Da Vinci, Antony Micallef, Mike Dargas, Andy Brase, Jono Dry, Kai Samuels, Jared Mirabile, Steven Harrington, Michael bierut, Wolfgang weingart, Rob janoff, Massimo vignelli, Lindon leader, David Milan

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

NO : First, The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Da Vinci, Because For me, it represents his genius in detailing the human body and how he came to decipher these wonderful standard ratios, and summarize them with a single chart. It is one of the most important drawings that made me drift to the golden ratio and use it in all my designs. Second, is the Biomechanical Art by HR Giger, His work affected me by the depth of its ambiguity, and the diversity of details. Just looking at his drawings makes me navigate a unique world, distinguished by all its contents, with its characters that are very far from the norm, connected to each other by ramifications with a dynamic that almost makes you feel that it will move suddenly. And those symbols accompanying each character, gave it its own entity. I see it as a new language, created by a super creative person who drew it in a special style, in order to compete with it the languages ​​of art in all its forms.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

NO : One of my greatest designs, is Anubis The Judge; winner of this year’s A’ Design Award. I consider it the best, because I show in it a lot of aspects. I mixed expressionism and geometric art in its character, in addition to creating and designing new distinctive symbols. I based this work on a story I scripted for the character in new dimensions. I even designed for the character a unique identity with its own slogan and calligraphy. In addition to all this, I produced a motion video promoting the character, and in collaboration with a music composer/ friend, I also produced a music score specially made for it. All this under a structure harmoniously mixed with itself.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

NO : -Practice more, and learn to look at the most beautiful positive angles around you. -Never compare yourself to others, if it weren't for our difference, creativity wouldn't exist. -Belive in yourself, and do not let negativity get you down. -Do not be in a hurry, give your piece of art its time.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

NO : I am sure i was born to be a designer, not anything else.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

NO : Design is a short story that takes you on a journey around the world where you can live moments of your childhood in its most beautiful, intimate details. In short, it’s the beautiful cover of a book that makes you pick it from a stack of books, the purple scarf on the white dress. Design is an International language, that everybody can read, but only few can write.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

NO : My family is my biggest suppor, they always push me forward and give me self-confidence beyond the limits, they have great effects in every work I do and every word I write, I would not have reached it without them.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

NO : Constant practice and awareness, will inevitably make you a better person every day. Without the mistakes and persistence, we would not have learned to stand up and be better.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

NO : I was rejected and ignored by many, but that did not stop me from continuing and learning to do the best i can. I was also suffering from a lack of resources, so i started to collect ideas from everything around me, and linking them together in all ways to produce distinctive results.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

NO : It should be presented in the best possible way. In short, if it is printed; the type of paper, its attractiveness and the way the elements are designed and arranged are very important and play a big role in the attraction. as well as if there is mockups to be displayed, it must be as very close and functional as it is to the final product. As for the way the video is presented, consideration must be given to how it will start and how it will end, taking into account all the information included in and how it is arranged. In addition to the high definition and sound quality, not to mention the basic idea and its harmony with the music. The presentation will be much better when accompanied by a detailed explanation of the work.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

NO : I think a lot about a design that brings together all civilizations at the same time, showing their integration and harmony with each other, with their details and diversity, and how each of them is an integral part of each other. A design that indicates that we are all one entity that does not dispense with any of its various parts.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

NO : My biggest goal is to learn something new every day and develop myself, to add new dimensions to my design experience, and this will contribute to refining my skills, and will lead me to be more understanding of everything around me. There are no limits to knowledge and creativity, and the day will not come when I tell myself, I have had enough.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

NO : The best i can, because every design i do, i do it from my heart. I will use all my efforts to come up with a great result.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

NO : Every detail matters. A designer is very responsible for the society. He/she must do the best he/she can on his/her designs, to seek creativity and never copy or steal others’ work, every designer should work hard to be unique, and work harder to achieve perfection. Its like a chain of reaction, A bad design is like a rotten apple in a box, that needs to be taken out.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

NO : Am working on three personal projects, different from each other in style and method. One of them is my Favorite, i called it “At 1st Sight “. Its about a panther, and how it’s attracted by a butterfly, although it is a wild, magnificent and powerful beast. But the beauty and definitions of the butterfly takes away the panther’s wildness and turns it into kindness.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

NO : Working on TV Promotions satisfies me most of the time, because i can animate my designs and go through every frame to make it as a stand alone artistic frame.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

NO : We will not be able to change anything in the design industry for the better, if we do not contribute to spreading a detailed and greater awareness of the importance of design in our lives, and that the designer does not have to be like a machine that carries out the work, but rather the distinctive creative outlook that made the idea an existing thing. It is to take good care of the details of what we do. this is what will make us add many dazzling elements, tools and creativity in the design industry in the coming years. To be better is not to accept half-measures.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

NO : Design field is evolving too fast. Design field is the future, and it will remain that way till the end of time.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

NO : It depends on the required object, the size, elements to be added, deadlines, and if its just a concept mock-up. I did a concept of a Sofa for a Morning Show in MBC Group, and as i recall, and i finished it in two days, with a maximum of 12 hours. The Great thing is, it's been accepted, manufactured, and used in the studio every morning for years.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

NO : After receiving the requirements and thoughts from the client after the first meeting, Its always the pen & paper to start sketching the first ideas.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

NO : The creativity lies in paying attention to the smallest details.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

NO : It is a mixture of both, so one is not complete without the presence of the other.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

NO : Technology plays a big and important role in design. As it is a tool that enables you to get many results in short time, Not to mention it makes your work more accurate through measurements and all proportions.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

NO : My equipments are, a lot of pencils, charcoal pens, ruler, erasers and sharpener, as well as my sketch books that i carry with me all the time. on the other hand, my Apple Mac that contains my adobe softwares, such as Illustrator, Photoshop & After Effects.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

NO : All of them play an essential role in the design, as they greatly affect the design balance in all its dimensions. The beauty of the design is the balance of its elements and their interaction with each other.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

NO : I like people asking me about the steps I took, the balance of the design with its colors and elements. And the way in which i linked the subtle details to each other, and how I was able to show the idea the way it appears.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

NO : Sometimes I'll say that's what I'd do if I were the designer. But Most of the time, I find myself overwhelmed with the details of the design, looking at its composition, and the compatibility of its elements with each other, and how the designer reached such a wonderful result.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

NO : It is difficult to find someone that matches your ideas and design methods, as everyone has their own outlook and distinct style. For me, my friend Fadi is the only one who I can comfortably work with, even I am sure he feels the same. We all have great confidence in each other, that one of us will present the thing the other wants with its details, and we have come out together with wonderful designs over the years.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

NO : The most influential people are the positive ones. Not only in the field of design, but in various aspects of life .. Those who direct others to the bright perspective, these are the ones I surround myself with and listen to their opinions, because they have really affected my career greatly.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

NO : I read many design books of all kinds, ranging from identity design, calligraphy, patterns, motion graphics, video editing, geometric art, visual communication art, drawing and anatomy. I was also very interested in fashion and automobile design. All of this was accompanied by my love for photography, which had a great impact on developing my ability to understand balance in everything around me, like mass, light and color, not to mention the music, poetry, and fictional & historical stories that added more depth to my ideas and concepts.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

NO : Persistence, research, knowledge and constant practice are key factors that make us better every day. I know very well that there are many difficulties, but nothing is impossible. All of this has the effect of sharpening my skills and broadening my scope of vision, which will definitely lead to great results.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

NO : Leonardo Da Vinci, Because to me he is one of the greatest , who influenced the world and still does; Through his art that exceeded expectations, and his love for innovation and passion for creativity and knowledge.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

NO : Even though it is my first world award, it made a wonderful resonance for me and i got recognized by many. It is not difficult to be famous, but the importance lies in what you do, and whoever contributes to presenting you to the world. Proudly, A’Design Award did that for me.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

NO : Red, Nature, Burger, Spring, Perfumes, BMW

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

NO : What makes my day great, is that I am done with whatever previous work is, and completely free. For me, this is a powerful incentive to start my day with new ideas. I start with a new page from my sketchbook and listen to my music collection, or start looking for everything new in the world of design, because that's a wonderful motivator and a wide open door from which to draw my energy.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

NO : Thats what everyone use to say to me, my Family, my Teachers & my Friends. But never gave that any attention, because my hands were busy designing and drawing. It was in my blood.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

NO : Thousand years is a lot for me to think about, But, After a Hundred years, i wish that we will not rely on robots to do art and creative designs.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

NO : I love to share what i know about art to everyone who love art. collaboration with others, will make this world a better place, I still take some advice even from kids, and seeks others knowledge. Life is art, and Music is big part of it, and it took a huge part of my life.