New Year, New Horizons

New year, new challenges, same passion for experimentation.

Jan 10, 2025 Β· 4 min read

Welcome to 2025, dear readers! πŸŽ‰

This is first week of new year and very first article of many more to come. Whether you're a long-time subscriber who's been following my journey or someone who just stumbled upon this corner of the internet – I'm genuinely thrilled to have you here! If you're new and find yourself intrigued by what you're about to read, why not join our growing community? Just subscribe the designletter and get weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox. Trust me, we're going to make this year special together.

Before diving into what's ahead, let me properly introduce myself to our new friends (and maybe share something new with my regular readers too!). I'm Vijay Verma, though you might know me as realvjy across the internet. My story begins in a small town in North India, where dreams were big but resources were limited. I'm essentially a self-taught designer who fell in love with code along the way. While I don't have formal art training, I do hold a master's degree in computer science – a background that has proved incredibly valuable in my design journey.

My path wasn't conventional – I learned most of what I know through countless hours of tutorial videos, endless experimentation, and yes, plenty of failures that turned into learning experiences. These days, I run my own studio (Overlayz), collaborating with brands to craft their visual identities and design systems. But what really gets me excited? It's the pure joy of experimentation and building cool stuff that pushes the boundaries of design and technology.

Looking ahead into 2025, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on where I want to take my creative journey next. After immersing myself in the design space for years, I feel an irresistible pull to push my boundaries even further. The prospect of diving deeper into 3D and coding isn't just exciting – it feels like the natural evolution of my creative toolkit.

"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur

The 3D journey particularly thrills me as it perfectly bridges my design sensibilities with my technical background. I've been spending countless hours experimenting with Blender and Three.js, and I'm committing to dedicate at least two hours of everyday to mastering these tools. My vision? Creating immersive experiences that seamlessly blend traditional UI design with three-dimensional spaces. But what's really been consuming my late nights is game development. For the past two years, I've been quietly exploring this passion, diving into Unreal Engine and learning more and more about game development and it's mechanics. It's been an exhilarating journey filled with both spectacular failures and promising breakthroughs. Until now, I've kept this adventure mostly to myself, but I feel it's finally time to share this work with you – including all the messy parts and learning curves that make it real.

But beyond these technical aspirations, I want to stay true to the experimental spirit that's brought me this far. Growing up in a small town in North India taught me that the most valuable skill is the courage to try new things. Whether it's tackling a new programming language, mastering a design tool, or venturing into uncharted creative territories – I want to keep pushing beyond my comfort zone.

I'm also committed to being more transparent about my learning process. While tutorials and courses helped me start, I've realized that sharing our struggles and victories creates a powerful ripple effect in the community. That's why I'm dedicating myself to documenting more of my journey this year – both the wins and the setbacks.

So, let's make 2025 a year of boundless creativity and growth! What dreams are you chasing this year? Are you stepping into new territories? Share your thoughts and tag me on social media, or better yet, join our thriving Discord community where we can support each other's journeys.

Looking forward to growing alongside you all this year! πŸš€

stay hungry, stay foolish

-Steve Jobs

©realvjy✦vijay verma