Watch Face Designer Interview: MIKEOB
MIKEOB is a relatively new designer on Facer and is already an incredibly popular designer on the platform. With over 13K followers, it’s clear that his background in architecture and design as well as his passion for new technologies has translated into an exciting watch face design style that resonates with all kinds of smartwatch wearers.
We recently caught up with Mike to hear about his background and his approach to watch face design.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
New technologies have always been an exciting topic for me. Critical and analytical in many aspects of my life.
I am a design director and conceptual art director. I taught design classes at the University of Architecture, Designer of residential and urban furniture. Currently, I build houses that are for safe and for clients only through recommendation.
I was born in Querétaro City, 250 KM north of Mexico City. It is a combination of a colonial and cosmopolitan city. It has a booming economy and a high purchasing power, among the highest in the country.
I am married with 3 children. The oldest already has a master’s degree in acoustics, the other 2 are currently studying at University. I am 52 years old and have a young spirit.
What got you interested in watch face design? How did you find Facer?
My first smartwatch was an Apple Watch (gen 1), but it was not what I expected. In October 2018 I acquired a Samsung Galaxy watch, this little one had what it takes to convince my critical eye. It’s robust and powerful; the latest in technology.
As a designer, I needed to customize my smartwatch; I looked at the options the market offered. That’s how I met Facer, a platform that has new and more polished designs. Initially I bought 2 watch faces and gave many likes. However, I wanted to do it on my own.
I experimented for two weeks with Facer Creator and it turned out to be quite nice, with a 3rd of the work. In December 2018, I placed my first free watch face online. I had many expectations. Throughout 2019 I was building a new variety of watch faces and to my surprise, they started to be successful. I adopted this as a hobby, it was something I liked to do, to design in spare time.
It was satisfying to see more people using my designs, and it became addictive. By the end of 2019 I had the call to become a partner. From then on I have been looking to constantly improve my designs.
Tell us about your watch face design process. What tools do you use? How do you get inspired?
My design process, inspiration comes from almost anything that can be adapted to a watch face, from a landscape to the most complex face.
Innovation is basic, my perception is that people are looking for something out of the ordinary. Even the simplest face can have more acceptance than any watch face no matter how complex it is to achieve this. I rely on the basic rules of design; shape, background, color, and balance. Complemented by the scale, background, symmetry, shape, hierarchy, etc…
The concept is fundamental in the process. It contains the initial idea, where you are going to go and what feeling you want to get.
Tools I use:
- Initial design and layout in the Autodesk Sketchbook app on the Surface Pro.
- Once the sketch is done, the drawing starts in Adobe Illustrator to vectorize all the components.
- Lighting and shadows are done in Photoshop.
- Finally, in Facer Creator all the vectors and images are imported to complete the project.
Which of your watch face designs are you most proud of and why?
The design that I feel most proud of is, well… all of them, haha. Of course the first one (i.e. STEEL HEART), gave me the guidelines to continue experimenting. Another of my favorites is MINT, for the simplicity in the design and detonated in the great acceptance.
One that I love is SECTOR 13 because of the possibilities that it can offer the platform adapted to a design.
What are your favorite designs by other designers? Which have you been wearing the most these days?
Two designs caught my attention when I entered Facer and I immediately made them my favorites.
- RZ Rocket PRO by RZwatchfaces (one of my favorite designers).
- X600M by GRR (for the contrast and proper use of color).
I use my watch faces on a daily basis because I need to test new concepts. The one I use most is the MB103 because of its simplicity and ease of reading. Another is Yellow GAUGE. A very attractive color.
Any tips for new designers? What do you wish you knew when you started?
A tip for new designers is to always look for their center, where they feel comfortable. That is to say, the design of the watch face should fill your senses. Innovate with it, show your capabilities (Facer provides you the tools for that). Perhaps the most difficult things at the beginning as an initiator is to implement the complications and formulas that exist to make it work. For that you can rely on the community. There, you will find many answers to your questions. Try it!
I take this opportunity to thank all the people who with their support make it grow personally and professionally.
Thank you Facer!
Mike
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☞ Interested in joining Facer and start creating your own watch faces? Go to www.facer.io
