ACHIEVEMENTS
- Jury Member of the Best Posters of 5th Generation Iranian Graphic Designers 2006
- Jury Member of 2nd International Poster and Computer Animation Competition Anti AIDS, Ukraine 2007
- Jury Member, 3rd Typography Poster Exhibition, Tehran 2007

AWARDS
- 3rd Prize, 8th Tehran International Poster Biennial, Iran, 2004
- Honorary Diploma, 5th International Ecoposter Triennial in Ukraine, 2003
- Prizewinner, Graphic Category, First Exhibition of Material Recycling, Tehran 2002
- Honorary Diploma, Logotype Exhibition, “Tandis” Visual Arts Biweekly, Tehran, 2004
- 3rd Prize, the 10th International Poster Triennial (Ekoplagat’ 05), Slovakia
- Honorary Diploma, 3rd International Design and Illustration Festival (COW!), Ukraine 2007

EXHIBITION
Participated in more than 40 internal and international exhibitions in various countries of the world such as Iran, America, Poland, Belgium, Ukraine, Slovakia, France, and Switzerland and …

What are your best methods for finding/attracting clients?

Not Special work. Fortunately nowadays most of the managers as the clients when decide to start a project for the first time which needs a graphic designer, they search for a designer who will be coincide with their taste.
I participated in most of the significant exhibitions like international biennial or other design festivals.
In fact my clients find me from my works in books or websites.

Where do you go for design inspiration (web sites, music, art…)?

Nature, Nature, Nature
And after that from music, movie, and definitely web sites

How do you typically start a new project?

I think about the subject for a long time.
I live with subject when I am washing the dishes, When I taking a shower, when I am walking in park and…
I think every time and I draw my Ideas or writ every keyword without any censorship in a notebook which I carry everywhere.
Sometimes I think 2 weeks and execute my Ideas in a few hours.

Which Software’s you use for design?
Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop

Do you have master for your profession?

From the point of view of design and style, Holger Matthies from Germany
He uses Photo and photography in the best way for his ideas.
And from the point view of hard working and artistic lifestyle my masters are
Reza Abedini from Iran and Philippe Apeloig from France.

What are your ideas for increase creativity mind?

Spending more time in Nature and pay attention our inside.
If we listen a little to sound of nature we will hear and learn lots of thing.
I really believe ideas are around and very close to us. Maybe the idea that I am looking for that is in my mother’s hands or in my son’s toys.  I love the Michael Angelo’s opinion who said:  “Sculptures existed in stones. I just brought them out.”

Best book & article you ever read in design subject?

I am interested in books that show different steps of a graphic designer from the past up to now.
I enjoyed when I saw and red the books “Made you look” from Stephan Sagmeister and
“Make it Bigger” from Paula Scher.

Greatest experience you learn in this profession?

I could break myself against my vanity and prejudice and I found that I must listen my clients more and more and get more information indirectly.
We can learn lots of thing from our clients even from the illiterate managers.

Besides his BFA in graphic design, his industry experience is comprised of designing for international magazines, creating graphical userinterfaces for enterprise software, construction and setup of large workgroups of PC’s, as well as shooting (occasionally celebrity) photographs throughout the country. His work has been awarded many times and shown in galleries in Miami, Florida.

iZafre: What are your best methods for finding/attracting clients?

All service-based businesses are looking to find new sources of clients. What’s interesting about the graphics industry is that the more talented you are with computers, graphics, and arts in general, the larger your client base can get. Everyone who does business is in need a graphic artist or web designer, so I approach the situation from that particular angle.

When I’m talking to anyone, I first assume that they have a need for a website, or updates, or maybe new business cards or an advertisement… anything. By allowing yourself to be open to the possibility of taking various types of work from ANY type of business you approach, you’ll find that you have clients in many places you never would before.

My bottom line for attracting clients is to have a really great website accompanied by an equally impressive portfolio (and good business cards). I stick to the most basic site I can accomplish with my team, while still making it perfectly aesthetically pleasing. Make sure you finish EVERYTHING on the site and include high quality images and information. It’s important to look “Complete” or potential clients will assume you’re a designer who never finishes projects!

iZafre: Where do you go for design inspiration (web sites, music, art…)?

Depending on how much extra time I have available, which is always very little, I choose the most appropriate inspiring technique possible. If I’m really short on time, like usual, I go to the web. Design showcases like faveup.com and coolhomepages.com have been inspiring me for years.

If I have a little extra time on my hands, I grab a pack of smokes, an mp3 CD and hit the highway. I have these “rose colored” sunglasses that make the world so vibrant it’s unbelievable. I hop in the car, crank my music up on my 12″ subs, and rock out, AC blasting, windows down, and music you can hear for a mile. Driving down the highway, I let all my thoughts come together and watch the clouds take shape as my cigarette smoke streams out the sunroof. Sometimes I sing at the top of my lungs too.
It helps.

For the ultimate in inspiration I go on a roadtrip. I try to travel to some part of the country with a friend and experience completely new places and new things. I usually photograph or record my journeys in some way. As I spend time in the life of someone else in a place I’ve never been, it gives me a great new perspective on my life and especially my design.

iZafre: How do you typically start a new project?

I begin a project with a few steps that generally make the process a whole lot easier. The first thing I do if this is a paying project, is to have my client fill out a questionnaire. This gives me a really good idea of what they’re looking for right up front.

From there, I begin my research. Depending on my familiarity with this particular type of project, this process can range from a very short to a very long amount of time. In this phase I decide on layout ideas, menu options, colors, fonts, photos, and the whole bit.

After I’ve created an idea of what I am going to design, I will usually present my ideas to the client before beginning work. This allows me to get a final idea from the client if I need to steer the project in a new direction.

After that, it’s all design.

iZafre: Which Software you use for design?

I think personally I use a wider range of software than a lot of just “designers”. Spending several years studying 3D animation gave me another set of programs to add to my repetoire. This is the short “designer programs only” list.

In order of importance to me:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Dreamweaver
- Flash
- InDesign
- Fireworks
- After Effects

Some other essential programs that save my life are as follows:
- Extensis Suitcase
- Intuit Quickbooks
- Techsmith Snagit

iZafre: Do you have master for your profession?

I hold a BFA in Graphic Design from Digital Media Arts College, and I would say I’m pretty damn good at what I do ::smiles::. One day I will probably get another degree in 3D animation since I’m about 4 classes shy of an Associates’ Degree in animation.

I really hated school and it taught me close to nothing except that the real design world will hit you in the face hard if you don’t prepare on your own. A lot.

In the near future I am going to be taking the Adobe Certified Expert classes and test. I believe I’m well prepared to pass so I think it would nice to have a certification to back up the talent.

iZafre: What are your ideas for increase creativity mind?

Go take photographs. Go to places you’ve never been. Drink, smoke, stay up all night, visit old friends, do whatever it is what you don’t usually do. New experiences lead to new thoughts.
Seeing something unbelievable for the first time might inspire you beyond what you had imagined.

iZafre: Best book & article you ever read in design subject?

I’m a reference book reader. Not an avid reader, but occasionally I will read something. I like to use books like “The Best of Business Cards” and that whole “The Best of…” series. The stuff in those books is really great and always available, especially if you’re on a trip and need to take a book on the plane for inspiration.

In general, for industry news the Web Designer Wall is a favorite of mine. For free stuff, bitbox is really great. And if we’re talking tutorials, well psdtuts.com hands down. Awesome stuff there. PSD Tuts will make a real designer out of you.

iZafre: Greatest experience you learn in this profession?

The best experience or knowledge I have gained about this business is that you HAVE TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.

There are a million freelancers and businesses out there doing the same thing you do. Half my clients have had bad experiences with previous designers and it makes them extremely uneasy about the design process with the new designer.

The point is if you’re going to go into this field, please do your best to be fair and make your clients happy. In the end, we’d all be much better off if we worked as a community and I hope that through personal responsibility, we’ll eventually see a lot of very seriously professional designers replacing a somewhat tainted profession.