What brought me here? What’s my story?

My name is Jacob Silvanus Da’Costa, as I child I always wanted to be an explorer. I drew for countless hours, read comics, I loved film and art. After a trip to Barcelona and discovering the work of Antoni Gaudi I decided I wanted to be a designer.

After years of study as well as courses on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash, Figma I settled in a job as a creative designer for a central London publisher. There I honed my creative skills and was able to work with international clients on books as well as digital products like augmented reality, licensing which utilised all my skills as a storyboard artist and UX/UI. In that time I created services that made approval processes easier while analysing the pain points. I loved the collaborative aspect, examining touchpoints as well as forming strong relationships with stakeholders and being a pioneer. It was here that I used my skills as a Service Designer.

As Creative Lead with Intrepid Books I was able to work as a Service Designer as well as Art Director. I love design and I realise that using design processes and creative thinking can 
improve the user’s end-to-end experience which for me is key. I bring to my Service Design I bring an ability to think objectively, draw storyboards quickly, use colour theory and hierarchy of text. I have been creating prototypes both physical and digital. I love conducting User Research interviews, collating data through surveys and learning people’s stories.

Recently my mother passed from Pancreatic Cancer. In the last few months of her life where I focussed on her care she said she felt I should to use my interpersonal skills, my willingness to help others, my ability to infect people with boundless enthusiasm, my tenacity and 
patience beyond the publishing arena and help those who need it the most. Make changes 
in actual lives. I can empathise and be a champion for those who need help the most.

This is my vocation, marrying the two. Through Service Design I am an explorer!