Meet Jordan Daniel; our Lead Motion Designer. Jordan originally came to Affari as a Graphic Design freelancer for what was only supposed to be two weeks…3 years later, he is successfully managing the Motion Team!
How did you find your way to Affari?
After university I travelled for 2 years; I spent a year working in Australia and then travelled around South East Asia with my partner for 3 months, I then ended my journey in Japan, where I spent a month exploring the country and it’s wacky culture.
When I arrived home I caught up with my network of friends from University who were either seeking employment or were already employed in the creative industry. I remember chatting with Korie (one of our Directors) who’s a long time friend and at the time was working at Affari as a Senior Graphic Designer. It just so happened that Affari was on the lookout for a freelance Graphic Designer to assist in creating assets for a HUGE animated presentation.
I worked at Affari for 2 weeks as a freelancer and then sort of never really left…haha, but seriously I vibed with the culture so well and seemed to possess a skill set that was valuable enough for Affari to offer me a permanent position.
What are the three best things about yourself?
1 – I’m mixed race and incredibly proud of it. I’m half English on my mother’s side and half Dominican on my father’s. That’s the Commonwealth of Dominica, not the Republic. It’s amazing how many people don’t realise they’re two separate places.
2 – I have a terrifyingly good memory. I have a lot of memories of being a toddler, I can recite the lyrics to hundreds, if not thousands of songs, most of which I’ve picked up subconsciously without trying.
3 – I’m my father’s double, which is an honour!
What’s one of your best experiences?
I’m a qualified scuba diver up to 15m. I did my PADI qualification in Koh Tao, Thailand. I did the course with my partner and brother and have a VIVID memory of temporarily losing my brother underwater, I looked left and right and started to panic. He then came swimming into my view…only from above because when you’re underwater you can move around on all axis’s so I hadn’t thought to look up. It made me chuckle into my scuba mask and has always stayed with me.
What other interests do you have other than Affari?
I’m camera and photography obsessed, I don’t have a particular area, I just love taking shots of everything! I’m also an avid gamer which to some people can be judged as a waste of time, but it’s an integral part of what got me into the creative industry.
What’s your favourite quote and why?
I have a few but my all time favourite is Bill Gates’ “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Being in the creative industry you often find yourself solving a problem of some kind. Especially in Motion Design as we’re confined by the parameters of the programmes we use. So you’re often looking for the most efficient way of doing things…usually for your own sanity.
What’s #1 on your bucket list?
I’d love to be fluent in Japanese, I currently know ‘survival’ Japanese which got me around whilst I was there but I was never able to have a full meaningful conversation with any of the locals in their native tongue.
I was brought up surrounded by the culture; my dad was really into manga, anime and Japanese pop culture in general which is undoubtedly the cause of my obsession, so I think It’s only right to finish learning the language.
What’s the acceptable amount of ankle to show on a night out?
*looks at his ankle for reference* I don’t think you want to show more than 6/7inches, use your middle finger as a reference. No more than that.
How tight does a t-shirt have to be until it’s too tight?
If It’s leaving marks on your skin when you take it off then It’s probably time to bump up a size, but if not… crack on.
Would you take the red or blue pill?
The blue pill – ignorance is bliss. Or mix it up and take both… see what happens!
