Thoughtform is happy to announce that Santiel Buckley will be joining us as a design intern for the Fall of 2023! We sat down with Santiel to talk about his design education, his interest in audio visual experiences, and his favorite video game soundtrack.
Tell us a bit about your background.
I am a third-year student at the University of Cincinnati, pursuing a degree in Communication Design. At a young age, I developed a strong interest in art that quickly transitioned into a fascination with digital art. After taking a multimedia publishing class in high school, graphic design felt like a natural direction for me to head in.
What’s an example of design you admire today?
As I’ve become more exposed to the world of design, I have begun to admire motion design. I have always been very fascinated with auditory and visual experiences, so the pairing of these two things into one area of design draws my interest the most. I created an animated short for my previous internship and the process of storyboarding, animating, and seeing it all come together at the end with music was the best experience I’ve had working on a project thus far.
What advice do you have for someone starting down a similar career path to your own?
The advice I would give someone who is working toward becoming a graphic designer is to try their best to keep the passion alive. It can be easy to let assignments and projects become the only instances where you practice design, and I feel like that can lead to a loss of passion overall. Don’t let yourself lose that initial spark you had when you started; set time aside for yourself to explore design in the way you want.
Who’s currently on your work playlist?
Recently, I remembered a video game I used to like from 2014 called Tales from the Borderlands. It had a really nice soundtrack, especially in its intros, so I’ve been listening to some of those songs lately. These include Busy Earnin’ by Jungle, Retrograde by James Blake, and Kiss the Sky (ft. Nino Mochella) by Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra.