Hello �
I am Tom Roof,
a creative director,
interactive designer, and coder.
(I make and break the internet daily.)
Tom is a multi-focused designer, developer, and creative director primarily working on digital products. As a designer, I have worked with agencies and creative departments both large and small. For more than a decade I have been working across branding, film, animation, user experience, and web application development. I am passionate about shaping the future of the web.
I hold a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California.
Lonely Astronaut
Website design, branding, and content development for a Los Angeles based creative studio.
1. The Human Element of Design
All design starts with knowing the human. Without a deep understanding of the end user and the reality in which a design will be used, any decision a designer makes is a shot in the dark. To fill a real need, design must be rooted in reality and keep people at the center.
2. Designing the Obvious
Good design can be simple or it can be complex. It can be pretty or it can be ugly. Aesthetics and simplicity are not requirements. The main requirement of good design is that its function is obvious. A person should be able to easily understand how to use it.
3. Art is in the Design
Art is creative expression to provoke questions and has individual interpretation. It is inspiring, emotional, and important, but it does not fill a specific need. Design is a creative process to solve a problem. Design is not open to interpretation, but defines how it should be enaged with and lead a user in each step of the engagement. Art creates questions, design creates answers.
4. Starting at the End
Can never reach the end goal if it is never set to begin with. After knowing the road that must be walked to reach the goal, make as many mistakes as possible to reach it (better the designer makes them than the user). Each mistake will refine the path and leave an optimal one for others to follow (the users).
5. Where Technology Meets Design
Technology offers new opportunities to be innovative in design. Innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself. With the advent of new technologies come infinite possibilities for their application. It is the responsibilty of design to make sense of how to apply it for a user.