FACEBOOK, Apple, Google and Airbnb have something in common.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve all been clients of global creative agency, Ueno, originally launched in Reykjav\u00edk by Haraldur Thorleifsson, and now Ballarat\u2019s about to experience this innovative Icelandic touch.<\/p>\n
As part of Melbourne business and creativity festival, Pause Fest, Mr Thorleifsson will present at the Art Gallery of Ballarat on Monday, 3 February about all things branding and his area of expertise.<\/p>\n
When asked to describe what he does, Mr Thorleifsson\u2019s simple answer was, \u201cI make apps and websites.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably how my dad would answer that question,\u201d he said. \u201cBut while that\u2019s factually true I think it tells a very small part of the story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my job, at its best, helps people feel connected, to bring feeling to what many people think of as lifeless things.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ballarat attends his talk, Mr Thorleifsson hopes they take away the notion that technology \u201ccan and should make you feel something.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be bland or boring… It can help us be more human, not less,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hoping I can help them think a little bigger about what is possible if we think about technology differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be my first time in Australia. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing the country and meeting the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
He loves collaborating daily with clever, dedicated creators and groups who make technology \u201cfeel human.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to work with some of the most innovative companies in the world and I get to help them bring new ideas to the world. I think that\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the changing, contemporary, globalised society, Mr Thorleifsson said design is very important.<\/p>\n
\u201cDesign to me is the soul we add to our tactical solutions. It\u2019s the practical version of art.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can inspire and elevate the mundane, it can add emotion to something that would otherwise be just a thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n