Lately, I've been working day and night on my portfolio and by the end it will probably near 90 pages.

I've been so busy with freelance, ARM and setting up projects and new processes for them, that I haven't had as much time for my work.  So, currently I am attempting to drown everything else out and focus on completing my portfolio for my job search.  

I thought I would post some of my portfolio pages here and show what it is I do for a living. I worked at Mattel for a couple years and here (below) was one of my projects: their UNO Brand.  Below (left to right) is my lead in page.  I took each of their brands (Games group) and simplified them into a fun modern icon. (Right) is my pitch of where UNO brand is and where it could be (On the right side of this second attachment  is some of my design proposals/drawings).  

Below that is a series of Marketing pitches where I visually showed why it is a good idea to change, update and what that can do to their brand and company. While at Mattel my job probably only required me to sketch a plastic housing, but I guess I couldn't just do that and so I constantly tried to pitch new ideas and ways to expand their brands into today's culture.  

It is hard changing a brand that is so long lived and companies can be weary about doing so. Business' get scared of change and would rather keep what is familiar, but change is sometimes good. It requires a healthy balance.  Lucky for me this new look was welcomed and has done very well in the retail world, proving that yes, sometimes some thing different IS a good idea.  

Below that, attachments 5-11, are my sketches and renderings of my final product.  Sometimes a single final 'hotshot' rendering (digital painting/drawing) can take me 6 hours long. 

As a designer I get to draw the ideas and then intimately work with engineers, scheduling and costing to actually make the final product. The process involved self-managing projects and balancing the costing, schedule and product's design journey, at least this was the process at Mattel.  

An Industrial Design portfolio requires much communication and expressing your thought process and how your project evolved.  This way your career potential will be able to read into your style and thinking, and decide if you are a right fit for their studio.  

Unfortunately, a one page resume is NOT enough to get a design job. You need a book of your work. I have to take all my old drawings, many of which I needed to do new ones, and then lay them out onto a page in a pleasing and understandable manner.  

So, that is a little look into what I do as a designer. If you look at everything surrounding you; shoes, consumer electronics, wheelchairs,pens, mixers, kitchen ware, bikes, glasses, toys, furniture - it was all touched by a designer at one point.

As time has progressed, I think I am most attracted to social design and designing solutions to some major problems; whether it is in the US or in third world countries.  Social design is not your 'sexy' branch of design, but far more functionally meaningful, I think, because it really helps the end user in not just a cosmetic way. I believe I am most fortunate to be doing what I love.

Later, I'll post the link of my complete online portfolio.

Though, I give much effort in spreading awareness and help those that are trying to get us closer to a cure, it is not THE thing about me and I am not just about HIBM.  

I'd hate to be defined as just that.

I'd much rather be defined by my passions, and me creating, in whatever form, is one of them. I have spoken about design a few times on this blog. Often times people confuse or degrade design as only making things look good which in some cases that IS the thing about the project, but design is so much more than that. Design is just another example of creativity and problem solving. I think we ALL possess creative powers and it presents itself in so many forms.  

It is the taking of many dangling parts and meshing them together to form a whole picture. It is fulfilling of a need and sometimes creating a need that people didn't realize they needed. From branding to function to aesthetics to logistics to psychology to communicating to problem solving to dreaming what could be - it is a gamut of possibilities.  

I think sometimes people judge 'disabled' on a curve and they are surprised when they meet one that has any skills. This sort of quick judgement is an easy way to quickly filter through all of one's encounters and neatly arrange them on some fictitious, and sometimes egotistical, scale.

People can't be measured this way, whether you are evaluating intelligence, intellect or creativity.

I do contact patients, and open to them contacting me, and do much advocating for HIBM, but there is a fine balance to it. It is not that I ONLY want to associate myself with 'disabled' yet I don't want to disassociate myself with 'disabled'.  I just want to be 'me' and both sides describe parts of me.  I cannot deny my 'disability', but I also cannot live completely in it, too.  

Choosing one side denies my other. I believe this is how most people with a disability, or any struggle feel. They want to be seen as a person. They just want to be seen. I think this is the thing that ties all people is the desire to be seen, recognized and understood.

Give that to someone and you will see them open up.

I only wish to be assessed as 'Kam'by my passions and not by my current physical state. I have realized that the further I go into this condition, and into my own journey of self confidence, that I focus my world in that and therefore care a little less on how people immediately perceive me.  

It is not always easy and I am not perfect at confidence, but that is the point of a journey. The point is there is no ending, because it is ongoing. We never stop growing.  Slowly, I have realized that my differences is what sets me apart from everyone else and it is important to embrace that.  It is not always easy, because sometimes I do worry that on a job interview, for example, they will see me struggling and immediately evaluate me without ever seeing my work or my passion.  But, all one can do is be themselves and to never be ashamed.  Never alter yourself or your style, because it is amazing what starts happening when you accept 'you' as you and start rolling with it.  All sorts of 'you' start coming through in a very organic and honest way.

In design college I remember I had a hard time because I wanted to draw and design like everyone else. I had a particular design style, yet would look at my neighbor and wished mine looked exactly like theirs. I realized that was the thing that was blocking me. It wasn't until later that I understood the power of being yourself, and that I too have my own style and emulating anothers is just holding down my own potential. It wasn't until then that all sorts of creative parts of myself started emerging and slowly I've been slipping into who I am.  

Once you start following yourself doors open and yourself is revealed to you.  It is very important to truly be who you are, and if I had any advice for any design student, or anyone, it would be that. Your perspective is unique and the world WILL find a home for you. It naturally happens this way.