Jakkie Swart
Digital Design Consultant
Gauteng, South Africa

 

 

Jakkie Swart is a Digital Design consultant responsible for creative interactive design and development. He is currently contracting for various companies that require his skills and knowledge in the Gauteng area, South Africa. He studied graphic design & multi-media at Vega School of Brand Advertising Communications & AAA School of Advertising and has experience in visual architecture design, information architecture and skills in various multi-media programs (interactive cd-rom’s, video, animation, 3D, website development).

Current projects involve interface design with a strong sense of usability that for fills the user requirements and technical specification. Time management is essential to be able to complete tight deadlines within the set specifications of the various projects.

Trading under BLUEZOO Digital (Sole proprietor), Jakkie is setting up a flexible environment that enables him to contract to a number of projects at the same time without loosing focus of what each project expects from him.

Before taking on the industry by himself, he was a digital designer at T-Systems, Midrand. Designing front end visual architecture for the respective clients, Jakkie has learned how to deal with client issues, cope with pressure deadlines and working within a diverse team. Most importantly Jakkie managed to work past the complexity of the medium’s restrictions and picked up good navigational skills in the process. During his working experience Jakkie has also picked up some animation, drawing and 3D skills in his own time, because that is where most of his interest lies. T-Systems was bought out the South African outsourcing & e-business giant, debis IT Services in March 2001.

Prior to that debis IT Services merged with a company called e-volution in November 2000. Jakkie joined e-volution in March 2000, after doing his internship there as a student in October-November 1999.  Prior to that he was a student at Vega School of Brand Advertising Communications in Johannesburg were he did a one year diploma in Multi-Media. During this year, he certified as a Multi-Media designer. He also studied graphic design at AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg and did a 2 year diploma in graphic design & art direction. At both colleges he obtained the principles of marketing and understands the concept behind Brand communications.

Jakkie holds a graduate diploma in Digital Design, Graphic Design, Art Direction & Prelim Art.

Jakkie started his career at a small interactive design company called Shape Interactive in January 2000. He was responsible for the interactive design and navigation of websites and other interactive media applications. Due to the unstable nature of the business Jakkie was forced to find a more stable environment to grow in. 3 Months later he returned to his internship company e-volution were he was accepted as Multi-Media designer. At e-volution Jakkie was mainly responsible for the conceptualisation and finally the design and production of websites and flash e-mail applications and later on through the year the design and production of an interactive cd-rom for Sanlam which turned out very successful.

Jakkie takes the experience that he has gained over the last couple of years and pushes the boundaries of the interactive mediums & channels to the limit. He shifts his skills over to the next generation of designer when he lectures at a respective design school, AAA School of Advertising.

Jakkie has a passion & talent with regards to all forms of design & interactive media. This is evident as the winner of the 1999 Oxygen Grand Prix Award for website design.

Jakkie is also known as the Flash Meister, a modest maestro of interactive design and animation. He has contributed his divine influence on numerous projects, ranging from comprehensive interactive presentations, to small and streamlined Visual Interactive Service mail animations, designed for maximum speed and impact and has a special interest in other forms of 2D & 3D animation. He also has technical knowledge and experience in numerous design programs with regard to video editing & design and other multi-media fields.

Programme Skills Matrix (1-5)        5 excellent

Photoshop (5)

Flash MX (5)

Director MX (4)

Dreamweaver (4)

Freehand (4)

After Effects (3)
Adobe Premiere (3)

Swift 3D (4)
Light Wave 3D (3)

Click here for a visual tour of his work

Also view my web showcase on the right hand navigation >>