Abdullah Interviews Yousef Al-Qaoud

Well I halted the interviews section due to the long – Pause & Resume – vacation we had and since everything is back to normal, interviews are back too.

I could not be any happier to find more and more talents from this country in all fields. Today’s guest is no exception, he comes in as one of the youngest people we had on p0ach.com.

Yousef is a HAWT/Single/SPANKIN NEW kid on the block, a future architect and at the tender age of 20, he has his own company, Q designs. I wont get into the mess of details, imma let him holler at you.

Yousef, PARLE away

My name is Yousef Al Qaoud, I’m a 20yo architecture student in Kuwait University. My interests are countless to be honest, but the majority of them involve around design in all its meanings and branches. The type of design that I truly enjoy and thus chose to explore and make something out of is Graphic Design. Although I did not study graphics, I have been experimenting and creating artwork since my early teen years, slowly teaching myself and learning through experience to further my knowledge in art. I made sure to take all and any art classes that were offered in high school from studio to AP art to broaden my knowledge and to increase my exposure of different forms and methods of art creating. Fast-forward a few years and you have QDesigns.

QDesigns started as more or less an experiment, I wanted to see how my work is valued and if I can compete in the market. Once, I started getting orders from customers who weren’t only asking for favors or flattering me, I knew this was something worth pursuing.

What QDesigns is about:

Photo Editing/Retouching
Photo Manipulations
Invitation Designs
Photo Shoots
Custom Art
Posters
Logos

etc. All that is design.

Lets go back, childhood flashes

The clearest flashbacks are those of me spending countless hours whenever I had the chance playing around with Photoshop. In fact, I spent so much time on Photoshop that my friends would stop asking what my plans are in my free time since they already knew the answer. Also, customizing anything I can get my hands on, I drew on objects, I painted walls I wasn’t supposed to, I cut glued and altered anything and everything I thought I could make better, which occasionally got me in trouble!

Alright, and what inspired you to tap into who you are now ?

The most inspirational thing to me would be creating beautiful things, food for the eyes; I truly appreciate aesthetics and the power they hold. For example, when asked to design a logo, invitation, or even custom art, I try as much as I can to personalize what I design, trying to catch the essence of that person in a design that is ultimately a representation of their taste and my knowledge combined. Then, knowing that the client is completely satisfied and in love with their order, that truly inspires me to push myself further and excel in everything I do. Also, since my work is not completely limited to graphics, and I sometimes venture into jobs that require creative directing or overall aesthetics guidance, the interactions with people, and making connections in this filed is truly enjoyable and makes every job I do unique and different.

How do you view competition out there ?

There are a lot of admirable graphics designers in Kuwait, but one thing hat I believe sets me apart the most of the competition is the fact that I am a young designer who understands the youthful taste and my exposure to several different forms of art helps too. Also, the playfulness in my designs! I try to make my work interesting in terms of new styles, ideas, color combinations, etc. And I truly believe the fact that I enjoy what I do and love it passionately shows in the final results, which is always a plus!

Support system ?

The best support system anyone could ever wish for! My family is truly my rock, never once have they doubted my abilities, and when I doubt myself, they are always behind me giving me that extra support and unconditional love. As for my friends, they truly color my life, and I can’t imagine a life without color! They support me greatly but most importantly they keep me grounded and criticize my work honestly when it needs criticism which is truly humbling and I appreciate them for their pureness and honesty. I love you all, you know yourselves!

5 years from now, where do you see yourself ?

Hopefully having a master’s degree in Architecture in my hand and taking QDesigns into a larger scale, turning it into a full out creative arts firm in Kuwait.

Throw something for p0ach readers

To the beautiful readers of p0ach, I encourage every single one of you to take any hobby or talent you have seriously and make something of it! I truly believe the Kuwaiti youth has a lot of capabilities and its time to put those skills to work! The most satisfying feeling is to do something you truly love which I have been blessed to be able to do and so can anyone for that matter if you have the will. Nothing comes easy, but when it finally does come, you will appreciate its brilliance twice as much!

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2. Abdullah Interviews Deema & Ziad
3. Abdullah Interviews Faisal Dashti
4. Abdullah Interviews Farah Al-Zuhair
5. Abdullah Interviews Osama Al-Othman