WHO IS iBATES?
Born in the fall quarter of 1989, with the birth name Ian Bates, I have strived to be a designer and freelance graphic artist since right around my early childhood when video games had been introduced. I’m also the goofy kid that plays guitar, and blasts his music way too loud in the apartment or at home. But now, I’m tall guy, with only the greatest intentions of providing quality content and design to clients, I will always strive for the best to achieve both yours and my goals for a project.
Location
I currently reside on the wonderful Long Island, NY. Right on the North Shore in Fort Salonga, it is the second area in Suffolk county which I’ve lived – I grew up in Ronkonkoma.
Interests
Guitar. I have 4. No they aren’t named. Probably won’t be. One is a seven string. They are all “professional” level equipment. I wouldn’t want to buy anything less. I’ve also been known to play bass, and drums, as well as that trombone thing. People say I’m pretty good at it. Design-wise too. I did all the work for my band’s image, as well as co-produce our songs.
Hobbies
I love to spend time on the computer. Anything from surfing the internet, tinkering in the Adobe Creative Suite, to laying down some tracks for song ideas. I also adore my Playstation 3 – quite possibly the best HD experience in video games. Also, I’ve spent some time playing PC games, either on my PC, or through Boot Camp. But yes, I do go outside. I’m not a basement dweller, despite that is how it may appear in writing.
How it began
The days of video games have brought many a young boy to drain hours of his life into the somewhat mindless machine we call video games. This however, triggered more than just a brain-drain. It led me to creating one of the most ambitious and successful websites I’ve ever dedicated to a video game (and I’ve only made one gaming site… hence the “most successful”). How could video games trigger anything other than spontaneous violent outbursts you ask? Well quite some time ago, the game SOCOM: US Navy Seals hit stores, and so did Gameshark. Gameshark was a cheating device, and so did the vast world of codes to enhance gameplay. I had crafted my first website showcasing all of the popular codes, maps, screenshots, and anything else related to this game to bring the best gaming resource for the particular series. I kept up with the first three games in the series until the codes became more scarce.
My Rig
All design related work is done on my late 2007 MacBook Pro. It was all decked out at the time, 160GB – 7200rpm hard drive, glossy coated screen, and 4GB of RAM. It’s been upgraded to Snow Leopard OSX and still flies. When “parked” it connects to a Western Digital MyBook Studio 500GB drive, mainly for backup, but also the occasional overhead for large files. When at home, It’s connected to a Samsung 24″ P2570HD monitor for added screen real estate, HDMI connections, and multi-PC screen sharing. Don’t fret PC lovers, there’s one at home too, also connected to the Samsung and an additional Samsun 223BW, and thats a workhorse as well. 3 Screens, 2 comupters… it’s incredible.
JOB HISTORY
I have worked, and currently work at Ocean Printing as a graphic design intern, now full-time on-site employee. It was a full hands-on experience for me, as Ocean Printing is a full service print shop. I was able to work in an environment where my future resides (Yay!). Aside from that, some more client work can be seen in my portfolio. Don’t wait to contact me, I’ll do a job anytime. Want to be added to my clientele? Request a quote and I’ll draft up a proposal with excruciating detail.
CURRENTLY
As of now, I’m a recent graduate of York College of Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design. I’m typically tinkering in Photoshop or any of the other CS3 programs, but also expanding my knowledge of scripting languages (PHP, jQuery, ASP.net). I crave design work, and have a knack for web design. Check out some of my web work, but more importantly, let the portfolio speak for itself. Away from my design world, I also experiment with audio production, which has helped my friends and I produce a full-length album or two.
