Inspired by humans, grateful to humans.
Where harmony and bending the
rules coexist graciously.
Three recent prototyped case studies. Websites, apps, billboards & logos.
tools: user research :: a/b :: scrumban :: Figma
:: Webflow::Photoshop :: Illustrator :: CSS:: html
I developped an infographic that shows my most prominant Soft & Hard Skills.
A concept of a fidelizing
cinema app that offers discount plans on the latest movies in its facilities in Brighton.
On the app
we can book and pay for movie tickets in just a few clicks.
Opportunity of devopping a format
applicable worldwide.
tools: user research :: a/b :: scrumban :: Figma
:: Webflow::Photoshop :: Illustrator :: CSS:: html
Offering to people a lean and effortless experience when interacting with a product. Make them get what they are after in a enjoyfull and intuitive way.
User interface design and user interaction design are two closely related disciplines. One focuses on the design of the visual interface, the other more on the design of the global interaction behavior of the system.
In other words, user interface is how the user faces the system and how the system faces the user. user interaction is how the user acts on the system and how the systems acts on the user.
Back in the 1990s, there were different terms defying visual design. Graphic Information Design was one of them. I enrolled on this course in 1997, exactly one year after Don Norman's definition of UX Experience. At the time I was applying these concepts but I (and the others) were not fully aware they would become the toolkit of today's navigation system.
Information Design or information architecture is much more than just assembling data in a meaningful way. It was and is User Experience Design because it aims at the same goals using the same tools.
Diagrams, maps, infographics, traffic signals, sound signals and even shadows are examples of multisensorial cues that help us navigate, interact, feel, absorb and experience life.
Websites of artists, film productions, city borough, Lions Club, Union, language school and e-commerce.
Personal projects logos as well as comercial brand design.
Advertising campains, broucheres, outdoor and indoor material, catalogues and gadgets.
I'm an Italian living in Brazil. Why? Because I'm the owner of my destiny.
Growing up on
the island of Sardinia, I didn't see much excitement around me. The average expectation was getting
a regular job and living a regular life.
I found myself not fitting into such a
philosophy. I wanted more and I had no idea of what 'more' meant to me.
A perfect state
of mind to take an unpredicted decision: - follow the steps of Ulisses and the others and become a
pioneer of myself and the world.
First and foremost, I had to accomplish two things:
finishing High School and joining the Italian Army, not for a choice, of course, but because it was
compulsory at the time.
I successfully managed to accomplish the second one. And what
about High School Gian Mario? Well, I didn't feel I fit in too. I was getting old and failing
year after year, and my self-esteem was quite low as far as my understanding of education.
I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I knew what I didn't want. That is, living in
Sardinia and not working in the insurance agency, the family business.
This could
have discouraged many people, not me. I'm gmp. I always believed that I was interestingly
uncommon, hence unique.
'gmp' are the initials of my name, Gian Mario Pintus. It represents
me in my essence and I use it as a sort of trademark. So people around me are accustomed to its deep
meaning. I jokingly say to them: "You write it with small letters and read it with capital letters".
As to say, I'm humble but I have very strong confidence in myself.
After a brainwashing
conversation with a few friends of mine, somebody suggested we ought to go to London. She had an
uncle who owned a few hotels and we could work in one of them. That was enough to sparkle adrenaline
and imagination.
The images of Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and Wembley Stadium that
I had seen in my English books suddenly crossed my mind. Yes! I could picture myself with the
soundtrack "Gonna Fly Now" Rocky's Philadelphia run to the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs and
eventually raising my hands to the sky. I made it! I'm great! Yeah!
That was what I needed to
fire the desire. I went to a travel agency and I made my first one-way ticket to a foreign
country. In two weeks I would be walking in London town, I would be free.
July 1994
On the plane, I was surprisingly calm. I should have been worried, to say the
least. I was traveling by myself, my English was poor and a total mess. I didn't know anybody there,
I didn't book a hotel, and I had just two telephone numbers: Alitalia and the Italian Embassy. And
yet, for some reason, the song "Another Day in Paradise" started to play in my mind. After a
two-hour flight, I got to Gatwick. It was night and I decided to sleep over at the airport. Well,
actually I didn't really sleep. I had to keep an eye on my two large pieces of luggage. The next
morning, I took a train to Victoria Station and I remember vividly the look of the many
hundreds/thousands of people who were looking at me passing through with my baggage. Yes, I was
catching the attention of many - London I'm coming, I thought. The truth is that one of my
luggage had an excruciating squeaking noise that was hearable miles and miles away. I'm sure people
stopped and stood there just to see where this noise was coming from and who was the brave being
capable of such indignity. There I was, hovering a few inches from the ground. I'm free! - I
thought, I smiled.I walked like I couldn't care less about the turmoil I was causing in an already
noisy station in itself. To make it even more picturesque, I had my cowboy boots on and I felt like
Jon Voight in the film "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) with the song "Everybody's talkin'" playing in my
head. The noise was only interrupted, at times, when the luggage fell on the ground, and I had
to lift it to continue my journey, my journey to freedom. We are talking about a legit 80's cheap
hard luggage, with a stripe to pull on the top side of it. Since it was very full, it balanced all
the time and repeatedly off it went on the ground. And the other bag did too.So it was like "squick,
squick, squick, squick, squick, squick, squick, squick, squick...boom...squick, squick, squick,
squick, squick, squick, squick, squick, squick...boom. This could have discouraged many people,
not me. I'm gmp. I saw in the distance an Information Desk and checked if there was a little
Italian flag that suggested that somebody spoke Italian. The clerk was very calm and helpful and
made a booking for me at a hostel in East London. She explained how to use 'the tube' and off I
went. One step at a time, closer and closer to victory. When I reached the hostel, I was given a bed
in a room to share with 8 beds. These bunked beds were arranged like drawers, one facing north and
the other west. I decided to make good use of my one-day travel card so I went to central London. I
randomly walked and I visited Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street,
Carnaby Street, etc...I went back to the hostel and I watched the World Champion final Italy -
Brazil, lost to Italy in the penalties and memorable was the mistake by Roberto Baggio, the best
penalty striker on the field. This could have discouraged many people, not me. I'm gmp. I
went to central London again and I was surrounded by happy Brazilian supporters celebrating the
victory. I was happy too. I was in London, I was free. I drank a pint or two and I went back to the
hostel. The following day I decided to change the hostel. I found another one close to Hyde Park.
Now I was ready to look for a job. I knew I could only get menial jobs because of the level of my
English. So I started visiting restaurants and hotels offering my services. I had learned a full
sentence -" Hi, I'm looking for a job because I want to improve my English". I had a strategy too -
if they made a question which I didn't understand, instead of asking to repeat it, which would have
shown my lack of basic English, I would observe the visual characteristics of the person: if he/she
smiled I would answer "yes" if he/she had a serious look I would answer "no". Not knowing exactly
what they asked me. "The less you speak, the less you give away", I thought. I was not having any
success. I was not feeding myself properly and I had to keep it cool. The next day I walked in and
out of places where I could offer my service. I was tired and upset, so I decided to go back to the
hostel but first I wanted to try a few facilities. I entered an office called 'London Hostels
Association'. I greeted and used my sharp full sentence to show off my language skills, I must
confess that my strong Italian accent made it sound a bit unnatural. The lady at the reception
looked at me and briskly answered no. There I was, getting another no. This could have
discouraged many people, not me. I'm gmp. I looked at her, I think I inspired myself to Charlie
Champlin's 'A Dog's Life' movie. I lowered my gaze and slowly headed towards the exit. When I was
about to open the door she called me and said: "Maybe there is something for you...". A moderate
smile opened on my face. She explained I had to go and speak to a hostel manager, gave me the
address, and explained how to get there. I arrived at the hostel and used my very long sentence
about my reason for looking for a job. As I understood, he needed somebody with better English than
me, as the vacancy was about dealing with guests on a daily basis. I lowered my gaze and slowly
headed towards the exit, but he said that his colleague was looking for a kitchen boy, called the
guy, gave me the address, which was quite near, and off I went.Five minutes later I was there,
knocking on one more door. The manager received me, he liked me, called the chef to talk to me and I
was offered the position and on top of it, I even had my own bedroom in the hostel!
Coming soon...
Coming soon...