Ganada Made Graphic Designs

Designs

Ganada Made Graphic Designs is not just digital graphic designing company, I also work with wood, glass, and limited edition prints. My name is Bert Azak and this is my portfolio.

All Designs are subject to copyright.

Wood Designing

Wood designs and projects come in many forms. These include frames for glass and mirrors, bentwood cedar for cradles and bentwood boxes, as well as large bentwood box base drums. Cedar may also be burned or carved designs.

Glass Designs

Glass vases, bowls and mirrors are the main materials used for etched and sandblast designing. The designs are original but may also be applied to multiple materials as well, which would require third party participation.

Limited Edition Prints

Designs are created on tracing paper and refined before transferring to final draft, then the design is transformed into an original design. Designs may take days, or even months to create.

Portfolio

As a Graphic Designer I, Bert Azak, design in many different mediums. Below are samples of my graphic and original art works.

Graphic Design

Under Armour Booklet Through Adobe Indesign

Original Designs

Original to Graphic design through Adobe Illustrator

Cedar Creations

Hand made cradles and other bend wood pieces that are hand painted with original Nisga'a designs.

Etched Glass

Etched designs on mirrors is another form of original Artwork that I do. I have designed for sandblasted designs in the past but the blasting process was done by third party and was very expensive.

Drums

Drums are created with wood frames and tanned hide. The hide is then painted with an original design chosen by the person purchasing the drum.

Venice, Italy

The floating city,
Paradise on water. This pamphlet was created with Indesign to showcase compilation of information to showcase pamphlet creativity.

Nisga'a Territory

Nisga'a maps can be recreated through Adobe Illustrator in digital graphic design, click on map to see the transformation.

Photo Conversion

This Adobe illustration is of my granddaughter Selina. I wish I had the original photo but unfortunately the photo was on an old phone that broke.

Layout and Design

Five basic principles of layout created in Adobe Indesign. The pop-out window is another one of my designs, a feather with an eagle head, designed in the early 2000s.

Original Designs

Original to Graphic design through Adobe Illustrator

About

Hi, my name is Bert Azak and I have been designing for over 40 years.

1973 to 1982

A very early start

As a young boy growing up in Port Edward, I was introduced to First Nations art through an art program in grade three. This art program is where I learned to draw shapes, put those shapes together and create spirit animals. These animal shapes were the cultural identity of my cultural heritage, Nisga'a.

At a very early age, I drew my inspiration from my father who was an artist and carver. Later on in life my inspiration came from my father in-law who was also an artist and carver. Learning of the art and the storied that the art pieces created brought the art piece to life. It had meaning in the creators voice and story.
1982 2000

A new beginning at home in Gitwinksihlkw

I moved to Gitwinksihlkw, my father's original home community in the Nisga'a Territory, Nass Valley, Northern BC. I continued in my highschool education while living with my sister Julia, but my other siblings, Arthur, Phillip, Lorna, Ethel, Millie, Richard, and Bev were also living in the Nass Valley. My mother was originally from Gitlaxdamix, so I consider both Gitwinksihlkw and Gitlaxdamix to be my home. In a much broader perspective, I consider the Nisga'a Territory as home.

I became a truck driver later on in 1987 and the following year was married. Driving logging trucks and having a small family took up a lot of time. My designing took a back seat to my very busy schedule. Self governance and Politics were also a part of my busy schedule later on in the mid 90s. I worked for the local First Nations Government Nisga'a Tribal Council, now Nisga'a Lisims Government, as a front line worker and then later on in the 90s I entered into the political arena.
Spring 2000

Transition to Vancouver

My family and I moved to Vancouver shortly after my short political career. I started a new career with Correction Service Canada. I spent many hours on the road and very long hours working in a prison, where the shifts were 7 days in a row with three days off, while cycling through day, evening, and graveyard shifts. This added to the strain of not being able to be creative with my art work, but I continued to work on many new designs. Because of my hectic schedule, some of my designs took months to complete.
Sept 2006 - July 2020

Many years in prison before retirement

I spent some time away from work due to a car accident but when I returned to Corrections I was returning in a different capacity. I was a plain clothes officer in social development, still in the prisons, which led to my being headhunted for Aboriginal Initiatives (now Indigenous Initiatives) at Kent Institution, a maximum security prison.I continued in this capacity when transferring to other institutions and eventually transferring to community parole.

An opportunity came to work at Regional Headquarters on assignment for a year as Project Officer. This led to the though of retirement as I had reached a milestone in my Correctional career, MANAGEMENT, something I had hoped for in my dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, owning and managing my own designing company.
A New
Beginning
Starts Here!

Ganada Made Graphic Designs 2021

Designs