About Me…

My name is Richard Pocock and I've been an interactive designer since leaving University in 1998 with a BSc in Media Lab Arts. Far more than a straightforward science degree, this pathway enabled me to study traditional media-related subjects such as art, photography and video production alongside new media technologies, computers, digital equipment and artificial intelligence etc. My work has continued to encompass many different elements, drawing on various cultures, industries and ideas, and my company name - a combination of AQUArius from western astrology and raBBIT from chinese astrology - illustrates this. This approach has had a powerful influence upon much of my design work, which combines old and new, traditional and modern, conventional and digital methods and styles.

My career began at 'Zone Group' - a small London based new media agency - where I was fortunate enough to work for some leading companies, including Orange, for whom I built in-store kiosk content, and Sony Playstation Europe, for whom I created web-based games and mini sites to promote new console titles for the original playstation. Having gained several years of valuable experience in this role, I decided to go freelance. It seems to me that in the contemporary era we've become used to fast broadband connections and web based content, although it was not so long ago that we worried about issues such as file size, small resolutions, limited palettes and content via CD-ROMs. When I first entered the industry, the internet was in its early developmental stages, and the initial skills that I mastered involved Macramedia's Director and lingo programming, creating CD-ROM and kiosk based content. Eventually, given the increasing popularity of the internet, I converted to Flash. Since I began working as a freelancer, I've been employed by a small number of agencies and contacts, who were highly impressed with my efficient use of Flash and, as a consequence, I have worked on many high profile projects with companies including Intel, O₂ and Sky Italia.

In recent years my work has not just been for corporate clients, but has developed to include other artistic fields. My passion for music has opened up new creative opportunities, enabling me to develop my design skills, creating and building brand new projects, and seeing them through to completion.

I have also become competent with some of the newer technologies, including HTML, CSS and JQuery. My ability to adapt quickly, work efficiently and communicate well with clients has helped me to establish an excellent professional reputation in the field: I have been commissioned by some great musicians and bands, creating websites, artwork and posters, as well as putting together promotional videos and EPKs.

My additional creative interests include fantasy art: this originated with a serendipitous discovery of a book by Roger and Martyn Dean, entitled Magnetic Storm. The book contains a stunning collection of Roger Dean's glossy prints: Dean is of course well known as the album/logo creator for 1970s bands such as Asia and Yes. His fantasy worlds and landscapes introduced me to an entirely different genre of art and, as I explored the field further, I began to discover other great artists: the work of Brian Froud (the artist behind Jim Henson's Dark Crystal and Labyrinth) was particularly influential at this time, and inspired me to develop my wider knowledge of art, literature and film. Certain elements of these artistic creations continues to inflect my own creations, where it is often combined with the influences of more modern genres - steam punk, for example - and it is this innovative approach that lends a truly unique style to my work. This, alongside my technical competence in design, illustration and coding enable me to work across a diverse range of creative fields, and to fulfil the corporate and artistic requirements of clients, catering to their various demands accordingly.