About

Nicolas Totma

Hey there! I’m Nico, a UX/UI designer with a knack for transforming complex ideas into user-friendly experiences. Skilled in research, critical thinking, and adapting to new challenges, I excel in UI and have a deep passion for motion design - something I found my passion for while making 'frag movies' in the past.

I currently focus on creating digital products - whether web, mobile, or VR/AR - I want to make design beautiful, but also fully serve the people who use it. I’m committed to inclusive and accessible design, which I’ve been focusing on in advocacy work, e.g. Today for Animals.

Considering key factors like socio-economic constraints (which resources do people have to participate?), geographic limitations (are there barriers to reaching in-person engagement?), and accessibility challenges (how can we create volunteer tasks that are inclusive?) has helped us keep our projects open and accessible, regardless of the users’ background or circumstances.

Common Guava fruit - Photo by Robert Crosnier, @bebopeloula on Flickr. Used with permission.

Landscape photography showing the mountains of Reunion Island.

Cirque de Mafate, photo by William Martret, @Willdwind on Unsplash.

Why Red Goia?

My brand - Red Goia - reflects my heritage. It is inspired by the common guava fruit, in French and Reunionese Creole “goyavier”, which grows abundantly in my home - the French island La Réunion. My big sister makes some amazing Goyavier jam that I could eat all day!

The Goyavier is vibrant and appealing, but only accessible to people when harvested in a certain, cautious way. Weather conditions during harvest are crucial, and the berries need to be patiently hand-picked, as not all fruits on each branch will be ripe, yet.

In the same way, great design also needs to be carefully put together, not just to be visually appealing, but also to become practical and accessible to everyone. Let’s make some great design jam together that all can enjoy!

Why the dream of becoming a designer?

As a young kid, my interest in creating art and animation was vivid. I doodled and sketched constantly and participated in friendly drawing competitions with my cousins and at school, pushing each other to improve our skills. I was lucky to live near a culture and art center where I took classes in animation, sketching and drawing. Although this was my passion, I didn’t really connect it to my career ambitions, quite yet.

After college, where I had studied foreign languages applied (for law and economics), I initially started working as a computational linguist, with several designers on my team. I quickly became super excited about the work they delivered and realized: That’s what I need to be doing! Some years of self-studies and mentorship later, I finally took the leap to quit my position to pursue my dream of becoming a UX, UI designer, full-time, and to give this goal my undivided attention.