Interviewing: solidarity_

What is your name?

I'm Aakifah Shaik, but you can call me Kiff.

Examples of your work:

Why did you join Wattpad?:

It was such a long time ago, haha. Well, I used to write novels in little notebooks during boring lessons at school. And a classmate mentioned something about a watt thing on the Internet. Genius me assumed she meant WordPad on my laptop and I disregarded the information until a few weeks later when I stumbled upon the site while doing research.

How long have you been making graphics for?

Hmm. I've been designing since 2012. But I started taking it seriously around 2014 and decided to get myself Photoshop.

How did you get into graphic designing?

It's really weird, actually. I've always been into drawing and sketching. And I would sketch out a cover for the stories in my notebooks. I have so many lying around. Then I discovered paint - yes, paint! We used to dabble in it at school during computer classes. My very first few covers were made on paint. They weren't very good, but it was a solid foundation. Then I went on to making covers in picmonkey, pixlr and eventually photoshop, which is what I use now.

Here are some of my really old covers. The first was for an old series that I intend on revisiting one day. Those were made on Paint.

The examples below are actually really gross, haha. But it shows my evolution as a designer. We all start at the bottom, you know?

What type of graphics do you make, and which do you prefer?

My graphics are really strange. I don't really fit into a particular mould or style. I usually make covers, posters, profile packs and photomanipulations. Personally, I live for manipulations. I'm good at those.

What is your favourite part of graphic making?

I think it's seeing the final product after hours of hard work. All the blood, sweat and tears are worth it if the end result is something that I'm proud of. The process can be both tedious and lovely depending on the situation. And most of the time, it's a fun ride. Like letting Drogon whisk you away like a badass.

How long does it usually take you to make a graphic?

That's a really difficult question to answer. In some cases, it could take me 20 minutes. In others, 2-3 days depending on the level of manipulation being done. It's all about finding the right balance. And that takes time. I usually download all my resources at once and then go offline to begin my work. I find that having everything ready makes the experience much easier - still time-consuming, but easier.

What program(s) do you use for making your graphics?

I use photoshop cs2 on my trusty laptop. It's old, but it gets the job done, haha.

Where do you get your inspiration from/who inspires you?

To be honest, inspiration for me is something that I can't explain. My brain is weird. I'm inspired heavily by feeling. If the request feels right, then I try to capture that feeling with the graphic. I also look up to every other designer out there. The things they do with just a few images is spectacular.

Do you have any tips for aspiring graphic designers?

Look, when it comes to design, you can't let yourself be intimidated. You have to work your butt off and learn the skills. It isn't something that happens overnight. It takes time, practice, determination . . . So don't feel bad when you're trying but still can't seem to get it right. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and own it.

You have to want it, to feel it. You have to be able to work hard to achieve that desired result. Because a few months or years from now when you look back, it'll all be worth it.