''Hey, who are you ?''
Quick answer :
I'm Ookah, and I'm a graphic designer.
Réponse rapide :
Je suis Ookah, et je suis graphiste.
Not-so-quick-answer :
My real first name is Pascale, but I go by the name Ookah for everything work-related. I was born in Paris, France, some time ago, where I attented ECV, a Visual Communication School, and gratuated after 4 years of great courses on subject as various as page layout, logo design, storyboarding, illustration, photography, multimedia, brand design... and much more. I specialized in print design, i.e anything that involves paper : logo, brochure, flyers, business cards, catalogues, magazines, posters, to name a few. I've worked for some big water-cooler-and-fake-plant companies, some small my-desk-is-also-my-boss' ones, and then decided to take the freelance route. I've been self-employed since 2008, and lived in London, UK for a year in 2009. I'm now back in Paris, France, still freelancing for various companies.
Réponse plus longue :
Mon vrai nom est Pascale, mais je travaille sous le nom d'Ookah. Je suis née à Paris, il y a déjà quelques temps, et j'y ai étudié le graphisme à l'ECV (Ecole de Communication Visuelle), où après 4 années de cours très formateurs sur des sujets aussi variés que la mise en page, l'identité, le storyboard, l'illustration, la photographie, le multimédia... et beaucoup d'autre choses, j'ai obtenu mon diplôme de conceptrice en communication visuelle. Je suis spécialisée en design print, c'est à dire tout ce qui touche au graphisme imprimé : logo, brochures, flyers, cartes de visite, catalogues, magazines, posters, entre autres. J'ai travaillé dans des grandes entreprises corporates et de petites entreprises familiales, puis j'ai décidé de me lancer en freelance. Je suis travailleuse indépendant depuis 2008, et j'ai habité à Londres pendant un an, en 2009. Je suis maintenant de retour à Paris, travaillant toujours en freelance pour de multiples entreprises.
My resume :
You can take a look (or download) my resume HERE.
Mon CV:
Vous pouvez regarder ou télécharger mon CV ICI
Contact me :
If some questions are still unanswered for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Contactez-moi :
Si vous avez besoin de plus d'informations, n'hésitez pas à me contacter.
Bonus details :
I also do some photography on the side, mostly live gigs pictures ; I have a blog where I share my daily life in drawings ; I'm mad about Steve Winwood (circa '67) ; I'm currently learning japanese ; I collect Alice in Wonderland print editions and I have read High Fidelity every six month since I first bought it.
Détails en bonus :
Je fais aussi de la photographie, surtout des photos de concerts ; j'ai un blog où je partage mes petits tracas quotidiens en dessin ; je suis mordue de Steve Winwood (époque 1967) ; je suis en train d'apprendre le japonais ; je collectionne les éditions d'Alice au Pays des Merveilles et j'ai lu Haute Fidélité tous les six mois depuis que je l'ai acheté.
''Where do you work ? How ?''
Where :I like working from my own place. I have my desk, my computer, my pen tablet, my life-supply of diet coke, my fridge nearby, my books and inspiration folders. That allows me to work at my own rythm, and that way I can meet tight deadlines without losing any time on a long commute or hanging around the water-cooler.
However, I do know that some projects need a real face-to-face interaction between designer and client. When necessary, and possible, I am more than willing to come and work in-house, attend meetings, and other social interactions (I am not free for weddings and baptisms).
How :
When working from home, most communication is by phone or email. I work from a precise brief, and together with the client, in order to achieve something we will both be proud of. Most work are priced by the hour, half-day or day ; sometimes by flat rate, depends of the type of project.
When working in-house, well, I'm like any other person, except I can bring my own laptop if needed, and I eat muffins every 4 hours.
I am fully literate in the following softwares : Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash), Quark Xpress, Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). I also have high scores on Bust-a-Move.
''What do you do? When are you free to work?''
What I can do for you :I can work on almost anything design-related. I specialize in print-related material, such as brochure, flyers, pdfs, magazines, annual report, business cards, catalogues, and so on. But I can provide web-related communication material too : web design, flash banners, icons... And I also offer illustration work mostly for kids and/or girls. Take a look at my portfolio to have a more precise idea of what I do.
When can we start working together :
Tomorow ? Just get in touch, and I'll be more than happy to start working with you. We'll discuss on a schedule, price rate, and all the other important stuff.