Welcome to my personal design & illustration portfolio and creative inspirational blog .Ok so I guess this is the fun part of my blog where I get to write all about my creative side and give you a bit of an insight into what I am all about.. except.. at this moment I feel rather blanked out and like a complete stranger to myself with the Macarena bluring in the background like a bad time travel novel to the 90's . My name is Richardt a.k.a Alaskanaut or Rigi as my friends call me. I am a 26 year old graphic designer who recently relocated to Cape Town. The name alaskanaut originated from my interest in astronomy, space, planets, animals and nature in general of which these elements are mostly visible in my private illustration showcase.

The corporate design section of my portfolio consists mostly of freelance clients as well as work done under the companies of my previous two employers. With 7 years experience in design, print & signage combined I have branded and designed anything from a newspaper to a riksha taxi. I also find quite an interest in actual methods and materials of production whether it be vinyl, airbrush, different print techniques, manufacturing or paper types... any design is just as good as the final product, so to me the whole process is important not just the creative part. Having recently enrolled through Unisa for a B-com Marketing degree, I would like to establish a link in my career between Marketing & Design when combined in my career path forward, in other words not just being able to conceptualize the actual design, but also to be involved in the retail & marketing of a product.

The illustration side of my portfolio is the fun part and mostly the reason I like to do what I do. With a passion for photography and fine art I mostly try and combine the two in my creations. After studying a 3 year graphic design qualification from the Tshwane University of Technology Arts campus in Pretoria, a firm base was also laid down from a fine arts point of view.

Having recently upgraded to a digital drawing tablet and airbrushing as a hobby, I like to combine both Illustrator and Photoshop CS6 in my designs & illustrations and would consider myself still on the learning curve upwards with an unquenchable thirst to learn more. Being creative is more than a profession to me; it's more of a passion and a lifestyle.

To me research in a project is of utmost importance although on some of my illustration projects I just like to let the creative juices flow and do what I like doing most ... to be creative. I like to find daily inspiration from other designers and illustrators, and to stay on top of current design trends and different styles.

Stay Creative