Aldo Padilla
What do you like best about being a designer?
Aldo: We get to create things! We are makers, inventors, artist, builders, architects, guides, experimenters, explorers, tinkerers… And as ‘Designers’ we get involved in the entire mix of things that it takes to make something come to life. Whether the audience is ourself or for a client we use our minds and tools to craft something tangible whether it’s digital, physical, or combined. It can be on a screen or in our environment. On the journey creating things we think, experiment, look for inspiration, learn, un-learn, and a lot of the time we communicate our journey with artifacts of this ‘process’. No one thing we make is the same, no one person we make it for is the same, but the outcome always says “This was designed”. At Automattic I get to collaborate with extremely talented designers. It’s impossible to not learn from them and their talents to rub off on you.
In short, what I like best is the journey, the output, the collaboration, and what we create together, the magic ✨ This is what I like best about being a designer.
What’s an aspect of design that you are really into?
Aldo: I am currently really into a couple things. I am deep into everything AI. All aspects of design that are dancing with generative AI interest me from verbal design, visual, motion, spatial and so much more. Lots of what we do is being complemented by this new tool. We’re in a revolutionary time and so many interesting things are being created very quickly. I am all about it. Sorry, John Connor. It doesn’t have to go the way you predicted.
The other thing I am into in my time away from the screen is the DIY home design and building world. I balance screen time with working with my hands, drawing builds with pen & paper, and getting my hands literally dirty. The trend that I’ve been on the last few years has been high tech self-sustained off-grid tiny home builds. They marry beautiful design, functionality, tech, comfort, and my all-time fave, nature.
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself recently that has really helped you?
Aldo: Recently, I’ve been traveling for inspiration for both work and my side projects. In my trips I look for inspiration in as many places as I can. Inspiration is not difficult to find when you’re looking, but it’s also important to look broadly from museums of the new & old worlds to the most modern works and most humble crafts. My travels reminded me so much about the importance of empathy for people who will look at work or use what we make. It reminded me of how it is to feel when beautiful art, design, and craft overcomes you with awe. It reminded me that there are endless versions of what beautiful and right design or craft looks like.
What I learned about myself is that the longer I go without looking outside of my world, is that the world shrinks. To make it big again I have to go outside of it.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU, ALDO?
Aldo: Sharing and helping are two things I try to do as much as I can when I have free time. The people that have helped me out the most in my career and life were also like this. So now I am paying it forward. I mentor some designers. Helped people with their build projects. I’ll be speaking at my alma mater about tech and design in advertising soon. The most meaningful conversations and interesting opportunities have come from the most unexpected places. I try to stay attuned to these.
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