A Year Working at Disney
Disney Digital Books
Today marks a very special day for me, a year working for Disney doing what I love. Many, often wonder what I do at work, but to make it short and sweet, I am what Disney calls a Digital Designer for the Disney Digital Books at DCP in Glendale, California. A DD is basically a UI Designer with abilities in illustration. (uff, that’s lot of D’s!).
So how did a person from the beautiful city of Bogota, Colombia, make it all the way Los Angeles, California and was able to work for Disney? There’s a really long story, but lets just say its a lot of hard work, and involved the help from family and good friends. Amazingly, an incredible artist/friend (and now coworker) that I have always looked up to and inspired my personal work, was the one who trusted my abilities and recommended me for the position.
For a year, I have been bringing an extensive background in user interface design and illustration to digital books and activities for kids all around the world. We focus in creating great user experiences that resonate with kids by bringing to life Disney and Pixar movies and characters to familiar devices such as the iPad, iPhone and Android.
Three projects that I am very proud to have worked and collaborated on are Monsters University, La Luna: the Story Project and Palace Pets.
Monsters University Storybook Deluxe relives the Disney/Pixar film in a fully animated and interactive storybook app with fun activities and a really engaging story.
La Luna: The Story Project is a interactive storybook experience based on the Academy Award Nominated film La Luna. This app was awarded as Innovative Kids App in the United States and Canada for the Apple App Store’s Best of 2013!
And the Disney Princess Palace Pets which is bringing joy to many many kids. With this app kids learn how the pets met the princesses, discover their unique talents, and treat them to a delightful day at the Palace Pet Salon!
Working in these and other apps I’ve really learned a lot. Each app is a collaboration with super talented leaders, designers, animators, producers, sound engineers, editors and developers that bring to life amazing Disney experiences.
We are really making a difference with all of our apps, and we are constantly pushing ourselves and challenging our products to make them even better, more intuitive and more entertaining!
So far It’s been an amazing journey, one that I have no regrets. My main takeaway this entire year, is that we should always be in love with what we do, and when you have the opportunity to do it, be thankful. Take that time as often as possible to look at your situation, be happy, and always look forward to a brighter future.