Hey, we have a new interview done by Visualchemist! This time we have talked to Serendipitya, a creator from Cairo (Egypt) who won a “Development of Graphical Guidelines for a new brand” Pitch by CDP. So here it is!

Visualchemist: Please, tell me a little about yourself. Who is Ahmed Barakat?
Serendipitya: Who is Ahmed Barakat? Wow, I’ve never been asked this before!! I guess I am someone, somewhere, trying most of the time to be what he always wanted to be :D

I’m not a graduate of any art or design school, and not even a student. I didn’t take any kind of [art] courses and never thought it would end up as a profession. It’s just the passion of using my eyes to draw things I like to see. I work as a tech support at the most known IT company of all time ;)


By the way, I don’t have a real studio, but this is why I’m working hard to earn enough money to start one.

My identity is “Serendipitya,” and that’s my website www.serendipitya.com.

So you don’t have any formal design training at all?
No, I don’t have any kind of formal training or studying. I wish I could have the time to attend an art school one day.

You like to draw? What is your favorite subject matter?
Most of the time, I usually have a paper and a pen and just sketch abstractly then digitalize what I like later. It’s mostly conceptual drawings. Not so much into drawing people or places or stuff like that.

Since you are working on setting up a physical studio, budget aside, what would you include in your dream workspace?
Of course, I’d like to include the latest tech, but in addition to regular things in a design studio, I’d like to have a big LED screen, full audio 7.1 theater :D, a lounge for relaxation, a bed just in case I’m working late, and a huge fish tank-maybe with jellyfish. One like in Will Smith’s last movie -Seven Pounds-. ;)

Serendipitya. How did you come up with that name?
Serendipitya… mm… as you might have already figured out, I love anything that’s related to magical stuff. I loved the idea of serendipity– finding something pleasant without looking for it–everyone wants that, right? The meaning is exactly what I’m looking for and I guess everyone might be happy experiencing this situation. The “a” at the end is to make it unique in expression.

What do you do to stay current with design trends and latest software?
I keep myself updated with new trends and latest software by trying them, surfing the internet for new stuff everyday, and doing my own experiments.

What was your inspiration for your winning solution?
The inspiration of CDP was the love of French culture, and food, too. All I needed to do was something really funny… just having a croissant and watch Disney’s Ratatouille :D Crazy, right? But it’s the best French-food themed movie with the magical touch I told you about earlier. I’ve always wanted to visit Paris.

May I ask how you found your way to BootB?
I still can’t believe how I found it. I was checking a design studio’s website and found a link to BootB. When I visited it the first time, I didn’t care much, but when I looked into it and understood the service they provided, I was stunned. I never knew there were websites that did such a thing. The first pitch I saw was the Manifeste Amulet project, but before participating in that one, BootB launched the CDP pitch and I was more attracted to it so I submitted my solution, and to my surprise, I was given a thumbs up. :)

What are your creative interests, hobbies or creative outlets?
Creative interests.. mmm… playing around with materials, papers, fabrics, PCs. :) Reading art magazines (any kind of art, digital, traditional, fashion, even interior designing) and listening to music is the soundtrack of all these activities. Watching movies is a pleasure too.

Do you have a favorite medium?
Most of my work is digital, Photoshop (drawings) or Flash (animated websites).

What official title would you give yourself?
Graphic Designer. I guess we could say that, or maybe Creative Designer. I tried to design all sorts of graphics and websites (layouts for static html & full animated flash sites). I even tried fashion designing & writing.

I’m actually very curious to hear more about Cairo. What is the creative atmosphere like in Cairo?
Cairo, oh, you need to pay it a visit, really Cat. Cairo itself is an inspiration to anyone in every single aspect in life. Cairo is one of the very few cities in the world that you can find cultures from 5,000 years ago embracing the future inventions and technologies. You WILL definitely find anything you might (or even might not) be looking for. I’m not saying this because I love my country –I do– but trust me on this. We have a lot of creativity here, sometimes obvious for all to see, and sometimes buried to be searched for and discovered.

Is there anything from your country that you find particularly inspiring?
There’s always something around each and every corner to inspire me and others. Egypt as a whole, has everything any creative person needs… sea, river, counties, urban cities, history, mystery, and art everywhere.

Cairo does sound very interesting. I’ve never been there. Have you lived there your whole life?
Yeah, I lived in some other counties, but all in the Middle East region.

How do you feel design in Egypt compares to the rest of the world?
In Egypt, people design even without knowing it. Decorating houses and shops for the good look and feel isn’t considered designing by them, although it is. Making cars look cooler through drawings… growing flowers with different colors and shapes because they smell good together. Got my point?

Regarding professional designing, we have a lot of companies and studios in these fields but the truth is some specific techniques are not used by everyone, either because there’s no demand for them or because they don’t fit in this environment. This doesn’t mean they are not present, but people working with these techniques and people asking for them are not common.

How much of your design is inspired by your culture, heritage and surrounding?
When it comes to history and culture, there’s a lot of Egyptian culture that can be inspiring to use in designs.

If a foreigner were to visit your city, how would they describe the graphics/designs (posters, ads, billboards, etc.) posted in your area?
If a foreigner were to visit Egypt –they are millions :D – I think they will say that there are two types. The first type, graphics created by low budget studios for low budget companies and in low quality just to advertise. These are decreasing dramatically, especially in the past few years because everyone now knows the importance of the visual aspects and the concepts of designing ads. The second type is a very rich, very conceptual and very catchy one, which is starting to dominate the whole market nowadays.

If you had to choose another country to live in besides your own, where would that be and why?
I prefer cities, a lot of them. :D, I’d like to live in multiple places at the same time. I’d love to live in New York, where all the cultures melt together. In Los Angeles, with its captivating themes. Paris, the city of art. And Tokyo, where you have any technology you might be looking for in your life. At the end of it all, Dubai, where all of those aspects meet.

What language do you think in, and what language do you design in?
I never thought of this before!! I guess if I’m to design something Arabic, I think in Arabic, and if English, I think in English. It’s hard to explain.

Actually, that makes perfect sense. So, what’s next for Ahmed?
I just want to enjoy life, with everything in it, and follow my passion.

Awesome interview. Thanks for your time, Ahmed!
Thanks Cat. I really enjoyed it. :)