We had the good fortune of connecting with Rubaie Jaffer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rubaie, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
How undervalued it is. Very often designers and illustrators like myself are having to explain to clients the value behind the work we have to offer and why we set the prices we set.

Anyone can easily go to a site like FIverr or Design Pickle where you can get your design done at a low cost rate, but will it be effective? Will it serve its purpose? Will it have a strategy to draw in more consumers for your brand? These are all touch points that clients don’t really think about when it comes down to choosing a lower priced design with a quick turnover versus a higher priced effective design that has more thought and effort put into it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently a full time graphic designer (working remotely) for Jan Marini Skin Research, a skincare company based out of San Jose California.

I work on our in-house marketing and design team to help contribute with the brand expansion, creation of marketing and social collateral, product packaging, photoshoots and much more!

When I’m not working at my full time role, I spend my time freelancing and try to stick with projects that allow me to collaborate with fellow creatives and small businesses that need help with their brand identity.

I absolutely love collaborating with fellow creatives (specifically musicians) and enjoy helping someone’s vision come to life, whether if be album/single artwork, apparel/merchandise designs, personal branding, graphics for music videos and more.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As an Angeleno that takes a great deal of pride in being born and raised in such a wonderful city, I absolutely love this question!

LA is one of those cities where there is almost always something going on! There are Art Walks in downtown, pop up art exhibits, Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, tons of great hikes, concerts happening every night, no day looks the same!

As a designer, we love our caffeine so I’d start off with some of my favorite coffee shops/cafes to kick off each morning – Republic of Pie in North Hollywood, Civil Coffee in Highland Park, Intelligentsia Coffee Bar in Silverlake, Stumptown in Downtown Los Angeles, Enigma Coffee in Studio City, the list is endless!

Then I’d probably want to hit up some of my favorite art exhibits at a few of my favorite museums/galleries – The Hive Art Gallery and Studios in Downtown Los Angeles, The Broad, MOCA, LACMA, The Getty, Revolver Gallery, and more.

After being inspired by all the art I’d want to grab some lunch and find a good place to maybe start a creative project, so we’d hit up a few of my favorite lunch spots! Killer Ramen, Joy on York, Leo and Lily’s, Joan’s on Third, Augustine Wine Bar, Pizzana. LA is just such a melting pot, the list of great restaurants and diverse cuisines is endless!

Then I’d really just want to explore – very often my friends and I find a new restaurant we’d like to try out, enjoy our foodie adventures and follow up with searching thrift and record stores, or small creative businesses in the area.

When it comes down to wrapping up the night, I’d probably end the night at a local brewery like MacLeod Ale Brewing Co., Brews Brothers, or 8one8 Brewing.

Alright, so let’s jump right in! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc. that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?  
My junior year of college I took Graphic Design 3 with Nick Longo, who to this day is my mentor and go to for career and industry advice. His class introduced me to branding and packaging and encouraged me to incorporate my illustration skills into my design projects. Along with teaching at the Cal State University of Northridge’s Communication Design Department, he runs his own branding and graphic design studio. Nick would bring in tons of client projects he’d be working on into class—from food labels, to brand identities/expansions, collaborations with other creatives, and much more—I was so inspired! I finally found the niche of design I wanted to work in!

Even after graduating from CSUN, Nick Longo has continued to help me through my journey as a designer. From coaching me on how to run my own freelance business, to sending clients my way, introducing me to many of the designers I’ve looked up to throughout my career, and even bringing me in as a cohost on a skunkworks project known as the Test Pilots on his graphic design podcast “The DGDC – Deeply Graphic Designcast: Creative Podcast.”

Website: https://linktr.ee/rubaiejaffer

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rubaiejaffer

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubaiejaffer

Facebook: https://facebook.com/rubaiejafferdesign/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.