Life's designs

Alfred Johnson, head designer and owner, Imagination Design

One day in college, I saw my professor sketching a building and I thought to myself, "I could do better! I can improve what he did." I always knew that I could never be curtailed in a box.

I came to Dubai from Hyderabad, India, at the age of 19 and interned with Innovations, a design firm. At 20 I was a junior apprentice at London Design, which at that time was one of the top firms here.

It was here that I met my mentor in Justin Smith who gave me the guidance I needed. He was a professional photographer in London. He taught me how to think.

For me, part of my career has been based solely on my instincts and perseverance. I always knew one thing ... that I wanted to create. What I didn't know was what was it exactly that I wanted to create.

Early on in life, I enrolled in a design school, the Institute of Multimedia Art in Hyderabad for a two-year diploma. At the same time, I attended a fine arts college. I had an early start in life ... right from my pre-university days.

Early education and independence
Having been brought up by foster parents (my paternal uncle and aunt) and educated at St Barne's, a boarding school in Deolali, Maharashtra, India, I grew up quickly.

Boarding schools make men and women out of you at a very early age. One learns to become independent and articulate. (They) also make you stubborn and at the same time teach you how to walk the tightrope of life. When you are very young, your guts take over, you may not know how to go about doing things.

People who have influenced me
My paternal aunt, Carmen, provided me with social guidance. She was from the old school of thought and believed in playing safe.

On the other hand, my maternal aunts, Ruth and Debbie, liked living on the edge. They were both creative and told me to go for it. "If you fall, you will just get hurt, nothing else," they would tell me. That helped.

Although it was Justin who is responsible to a large extent for what I am. He pushed me and I wanted to do whatever he did. Working with him for nearly four years helped me a lot.

When I started Imagination Design in late 2005, my first job was with MasterCard.

Other clients who I have worked include Nakheel, Dubai Ports World, Ports and Customs and Free Zones Corporation (PCFC), Lowe and Mena. All my clients come to me looking for exclusivity.

I have also worked for IBM, New York; Ghetto, a restaurant chain in France; a beach resort in Bahrain and the Flora Hotel in Malaysia. Currently I am working on a seven-star boutique hotel for a real estate developer.

I am also working on the Airport City at Dubai World Centre. The brief that was given to me was that people at a senior level of investment must feel at home. For me, this was a landmark project.

The way I have it planned is to give it a rich texture, coupled with natural light and sound. I looked at the finer details for this project: the finishing of the floor, the glass used. We have waterfalls running through panels of fusion glass.

The design is largely based on the Dubai World Centre identity. I want clients to sit in the lounge in comfort and peace and give them the treatment they deserve.

I do everything myself ...
... sketching, visualising and presenting. For me, everything is personal, although when I started out this was taken as a negative as a lot of companies would not trust an individual.

I do it only because when I am the only one, then it comes out perfect as I have imagined it. I give the clients what they want and I do it by using minimalistic features. I want to show the larger image of the company.

I like to explore options - the environment should be highlighted, along with the client's image and that is not done if you are a stereotypical designer. I look at the firm's objective and like to create an inspiring environment.

I am called to create an environment ...
... not just to make someone feel at home. We (designers) bring about change before change occurs. We are the turning point. We encourage people to change.

Change begins with us. However, we do get criticised sometimes. I have done everything - from designing a bathroom for a well-known family to conceptualising a city.

I have also done boutique hotels, lounges and palaces. The designs I create try to break away from norms of architecture and interior design.

For me, creating the space for Lowe (advertising) was a challenge ...
... as I was creating something for creative people and for that I had to break away from societal norms.

I had to give them creative freedom. Now that is something you really can't portray, so we had to employ a variety of elements; we used glass, concrete flooring and lighting to complement the firm.

I blended materials in various portions without harsh corners. We allowed a lot of natural light, we made sure that as designers, they got their space. We got the vibrancy that surrounds creative people but is not pronounced.

As far as my work, my creations, are concerned, I treat everything like a Faberge egg and take that much care. I give utmost importance to the smallest (detail).

This in turn has an adverse effect on sleep: I work 20 hours a day and can't slow down. I don't think I will ever stop, I'm completely driven by energy and the need to constantly do things. I am married to my job.

I will soon be moving Imagination Design to New York.
We have already started pitching for work there. (Our main office will be in New York and I will commute back and forth between there and Dubai.)

The main reason for the shift is that I want to bring the creative soul and the buzz of New York to Dubai. I want to give back to Dubai what it gave me. It has given me a global stage and market.