Hi, my name is Serge Dinatale and I love solving design problems.
I think it all started when I was just a kid. I enjoyed pulling my toys apart to see how they worked or to make a repair. Later on, I became obsessed with computer software, questioning what it could do and how easy it was to use. It was also evident that I possessed an artistic streak, with a knack for visualising ideas and transferring them to paper or canvas or even to the walls of my room.
I believe that these traits led me to study Industrial Design where I could explore my passion for mechanics, ergonomics and design. Right from the start, I was immediately hooked by the problem solving challenges given to us by our lecturers. I always asked myself ‘how can I solve this problem in an interesting and unique way’.
Inspiration
My earliest design inspiration arrived while at University in the form of lectures about the history of design. Of course the subject that made the strongest impression on me was and still is to this day, the Bauhaus. I mean, how can you go wrong with lecturers like Kandinsky, Gropius, Van der Rohe, Itten and Moholy Nagy etc. I still can’t believe how much of an influence they have on the designs of today.
The next major inspiration in my life was computers. I bought my first real personal computer at the age of 15, which kind of sounds like I was old in comparison to today, but it was quite young in the early 80’s. I can still remember it – an IBM XT PC running MS-DOS. Next came an Amiga 1000, then an Apple Mac SE, then a Mac Colour Classic and so on. To this day, the things I like best about personal computers are operating systems, design applications and games.
Other sources of inspiration include painters from the Cubist, Futurist, Surrealist and Impressionist movements. I love Art Nouveau, Art Deco, films by David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick, novels by Tolkien, Frank Herbert and Carlos Castaneda. I also adore product design by Mario Bellini, Joe Colombo, Ettore Sottsass and architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto just to name a few.
Career
After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design at Victoria College in Prahran, I thought I would try my hand at various other design disciplines and gained employment as an Exhibition Designer, Architectural Renderer and Graphic Designer. During this time I returned to study at Monash University to complete a Bachelor of Technology in Design, where my passion and interest in the human and technical side of design was once again ignited.
The focus of my career is now graphic and web design. Currently I am self employed and also work as part of a collaborative studio called Mosaic Creative. Previously I was employed at a number of design studios and agencies in various roles ranging from Studio Manager at MYOB Australia to Senior Designer at E-Advertising to Production Manager at TMP Worldwide.
Over the last 15 years, my work has led me to specialise in marketing and design services for the real estate and property development industry. I have been providing design and marketing services for most of Melbourne’s leading estate agents such as Marshall White & Co, Kay & Burton, RT Edgar, Gary Peer & Associates, Bennison Mackinnon and Woodards just to name a few. I have been providing innovative solutions for branding, advertising both in print & in digital form and signage and corporate websites. In fact some people like to say that I single-handedly revolutionised design and marketing for the real estate industry.
Interests and Skills
I have a real passion for UI and UX Design and make a real effort to implement its processes and techniques into digital projects. I understand HTML, CSS and JQuery and am proficient with all Adobe Creative Suite applications. I have a great eye for design & detail and can hand sketch in 2D & 3D clearly and quickly.
I have a young family and my current hobbies & interests extend to walking/running, reading both science fiction and books on technology as well as playing & designing strategy board games. I constantly try to challenge myself in various ways and if you ask my wife about me she will tell you that I think too much! I am a quick learner, adapt easily to new working environments and enjoy being part of a team.
Things that I would love to do at some stage of my life are to be involved in interface design and development for video games, design a movie set, write a science fiction novel and paint.
Thanks for reading.
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