-The Ian Rajkumar story
THREE years ago, with a growing sense of apathy, the unemployed Ian Rajkumar sat down at his brother’s computer. As fate would have it, he discovered that day the magic of Adobe Photoshop (a leading digital graphics editing programme embraced by graphic artists worldwide). Ian’s life has not been the same since.
Today, the 26-year-old is the Creative Director of IDEE Designs, a growing enterprise he runs from home. As he explained, his job title includes photography, animation, graphic design and motion design (Graphic design in motion).
Looking at an impressive portfolio of his works, which he had brought with him, one is hard pressed to believe that, not only has Ian mastered his art in such a short time, but he is also mostly self-taught.
He did get some assistance as, wanting to advance his skills, Ian had asked one of his friends who is in that field for some tips and help in attaining software. But, driven by curiosity and passion, our young success story read countless tutorials and books, and practised photo editing.
His portfolio contains sample advertisements put together for notable organizations, which include the Scotia Bank and Hits and Jams Entertainment. In the latter, for example, he utilized a page-flipping effect to advertise their special Jamzone Publication “In Da Zone”. Put together from PDF images, it gives the impression that an invisible hand is flipping through a magazine. In another advert, Ian uses a night time still photography shot of the National Stadium, making the lights dance as realistically as if it were a video shot.
With Ian’s knowledge of the world of Photoshop came a renewed appreciation of photography. He loves photography because: “It gives me chance to work with people and develop my interpersonal skills. It gives me opportunity to capture different angles of life, and present them as I see the world. I get to experiment with body language, emotions and expressions.”
He is a big believer in non-verbal communication. He stated that when we are talking to someone, most of what we are communicating is non-verbal, and what we actually say has very little relevance. For instance, he illustrates, no matter how nice your words are, when you resent someone, your body stiffens and your jaw clenches; and when you go to speak, your words crackle, and the distaste can be heard in your voice.
Body language, then, is a major player in Ian’s photography. He explained that cameras don’t lie, whatever emotion a model presents, that’s exactly what you are going to see. So a model who is genuinely happy when doing a photo shoot will produce genuinely happy photographs, he posited.

Advice
His advice to aspiring video editors and 3D designers is to first learn how to edit photos and images, as “video is photography in motion.” He explained that for that exact reason, movies are referred to as ‘motion pictures’.
Another piece of advice he offers is to ensure that there is continuity in each project, in order to ensure that viewers don’t get dazzled and lose focus on what’s going on.
Working on television commercials and sales videos has given Ian a chance to explore animation and special effects, as the same software and techniques are used on a larger scale by studios in Hollywood.
One of his goals for this year is to film his first short movie, and he is confident that the skills he has learnt over the years are going to facilitate this endeavour.
Finally, how does Ian know when he produces a really good piece of work? He relies on his artistic intuition. He likes to look at his work as if he is a viewer seeing it for the first time.
To see some more of Ian’s work and, to get tips on photography and modeling, visit http://www.facebook.com/ideedesigns. Videos and animations Ian has done for his clients can be viewed on his YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/ideedesigns, and on his website http://ideedesigns.com. Ian can also be contacted on 617-8480.