Depths of a Designer

Depths of a Designer

D i s c o v e r i n g A b u b a k i r O . B a l f a q i h

Abubakir’s fifteen years of experience in visual communication is vast and clear. From branding and packaging to 3D modeling and animation, Abubakiris, as his colleagues and friends have branded him, “a walking productionhouse.” For those of us who do not know Abubakir, it is only throughwalking the same path he’s trailed that we can begin to understand him asboth a person and a multimedia/visual communication mogul.

I must admit to having had quite a few conjectures about my interview with abubakir,

as i walked into his studio at b&a vcc (visual communication consultants).

But my preconceptions were brought to a surprising end when i saw what lay

before me. There it was, a vulnerable, yet strikingly sensitive portrait of a little

girl staring right into my eyes. All judgment and stylistic scrutiny was driven out

of my mind in order to accept what was purely captivating and personally touching.

Through the eyes of this girl, i witnessed a spirit in abubakir’s work i had not

encountered before

I MUST ADMIT TO HAVING HAD QUITE A FEW CONJECTURES ABOUT MY INTERVIEW WITHABUBAKIR, AS I WALKED INTO HIS STUDIO ATB&A VCC (VISUAL COMMUNICATIONCONSULTANTS). BUT MY PRECONCEPTIONSWERE BROUGHT TO A SURPRISING END WHEN ISAW WHAT LAY BEFORE ME. THERE IT WAS, AVULNERABLE, YET STRIKINGLY SENSITIVEPORTRAIT OF A LITTLE GIRL STARING RIGHTINTO MY EYES. ALL JUDGMENT ANDSTYLISTIC SCRUTINY WAS DRIVEN OUT OF MYMIND IN ORDER TO ACCEPT WHAT WAS PURELYCAPTIVATING AND PERSONALLY TOUCHING.THROUGH THE EYES OF THIS GIRL, IWITNESSED A SPIRIT IN ABUBAKIR’S WORK IHAD NOT ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.

To Abubakir, talent is only the first step to gaining ground as a professionaldesigner, “When you have a clear visionof how far you want to go, you need tomake the right choices from the beginningin order to get there.

” He resigned from BBDO, an advertising firm, afteronly two days of work in order to seek amore exciting opportunity at Saudi SignSupply, a local printing press. He admitsthat the move was unorthodox, but wasone of the best and most importantdecisions of his career.

“Even though the job was no walk in the park, theexperience was exhilarating,” he adds.Success, to Abubakir, is not defined byworking for a high profile company; it’sdefined by what experience you gain tobecome a successful high profile individual.Treading towards the path of successrequires a certain level of guts, andAbubakir seems to possess that in abundance.The next venture on his questfor knowledge took him all the way toMalaysia. “I left the security of a steadyjob in Saudi and decided to move toKuala Lumpur for a SR. 2,700 per monthsalary. I joined Click Graphics, where Ilearnt how to work as a true multimediadesigner. When I finally returned,my value in the market tripled to whatit was before I had left.” Abubakir emphasizedthe importance of getting outof his comfort zone to expand his skillsand knowledge.

PROFILE :

Abubakir O. Balfaqih

At a certain point, he decided to take another calculated risk and put his skills, knowledge and discipline to the test. On how his company B&Awas first started, Abubakir comments, “I started out with nothing morethan a blue Toshiba laptop at Starbucks and SR. 200,000, which is what Ihad earned over the past few years. Today, I have over 10 employees. AlHamdulilah, I’m doing well and the company’s value has shot up tremendouslyin less then five years.”

When asked what he had to say to those who labeled him as having “expensive work”, his answer was simple: “ They usually start out by sayingthat. Then they’ll follow-up with a comment about how one cannot becheap and expect to get quality. At the end of the day, I see the industry’spositive response to my work and the impact it has had. You knowyou’re on the right track when people want to either copy, debate orchallenge your work.”

THE BEGINNINGS

OF B&A:

In order to fulfill his mission of raising design standards locally, Abubakirtakes time out of his, average 12hour-a-day schedule to teach andconduct training sessions for graphicdesigners. “Teaching is very importantto me. I believe that passing knowledgeis an essential part of personaland social development.” Education isnot unfamiliar ground for Abubakir. Hisolder brother, Ahmed, was a teacherand his forefathers taught and wrotebooks on Fiqh (religious knowledge) -as his family name Balfaqih suggests.

DEALING WITH

THE BACKLASH:

The passionate mission:

It’s no secret that Abubakir has his own philosophyon design principles.You can often hear otherdesigners call him “TheAnti-concept,” or “AntirationalGuy”. He firmlypoints out that such assumptionsare not true,“Concepts are very important,especially when weneed to develop a full adcampaign. On the otherhand, design does notalways need to start witha concept or rational; therational or concept mightfind its way into the designat a later stage.”

He reveals, “I looked at some of my grandfather’s books that werepassed down to me from my father.Everything in them was thought of andexecuted to perfection. At that point,I realized that thinking to perfection isa concept that has almost disappearedfrom the mindset of modern Muslims. Ithen felt responsible to carry that same700 year-old legacy and pass it down toothers by personally living their valuesand teaching others to treat their workwith dedication.”As part of his on-going effortto educate and encourage upcomingtalent, Abubakir has release a seriesof three books, B- the Book, The 5thIllustration Design Showcase B2 andGAT (Graphic Advertising Tips). All ofthese books showcase local talent andgive tips on creative thinking and approaches.Most of all, these referencebooks are the first of their kind in SaudiArabia.

On a spiritual note:

Abubakir defends his sense of perfectionism by sharing an alternatepoint of view on how faith should influencedesign; “I don’t have to showArabesque symbols and Islamic calligraphyto show the influence of faith in mywork. I’d rather practice Islamic valueswhen I work with people. For example,I make sure that I perfect everything Ido. Just as the Prophet’s saying goes:God loves those of you who work toperfection.”

Abubakir gives an example of how he exercises that influence, “Whenever, I take on a project, I make sure that I exceedthe amount of effort I would normally put in by challenging myselfand focusing on the details. This is how, I as a designer, canshow the influence of faith on design. Talent will only get you tothe foot of the door; discipline will keep you inside. Every Muslimshould remember this fact. Unfortunately, many of us here seemto skip that part.”

There is, however, that other side of Abubakir; thatside that has manifested itselfthrough the eyes of the littlegirl whose photograph had initiallycaptivated me.

What had brought on this sudden shiftfrom the graphically complexto the emotionally gripping, especiallyin the photographic series,The Passionates? What isit about his work that stops hiscritics from analyzing how andallowing them to just appreciatethe experience for what it?

“I always look for what’s missing in the environment aroundme and try to address it. Theseries you’re looking at was anidea I created after taking anunsatisfied look at the lifelessand boring studio work I’vebeen seeing around.”

More importantly, Abubakir reveals, “it’s probablya reflection of what I’ve beentrying to do with my work fora long time. I’ve always beeninterested in exposing the souland spirit of each piece I make.Whenever others see a part ofthemselves in my work, I knowthat I have brought out the soulin my piece. When I see otherwork with no life or depth, Ifeel that the artist or designerhas not sent an honest message.”

The Perspective on it all:

Strolling through the mind and spirit of Abubakiris a journey filled with complexanswers framed in simpleexpressions. His track recordas a designer and a businessmandisplays a firm ability toovercome obstacles and toinfluence those of us who seemto be lost in the details.

He has always been a restless designerwith distaste for conformity.Yet today, Abubakir’s identityhas evolved to paint a morecontent, expressive and emotionalportrait of an inner childliving his dream.