Illustrating grit with Dustin Iver Go

When NIRAS' Manila-based graphic designer Dustin Go sits down to work on an illustration, he is guided by one resounding principle: get the job done efficiently. His design process is a no-frills, straight-to-the-point kind of effort. Whatever the client needs — whether it be the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland or a NIRAS tender manager in Tanzania — he is sure to deliver. Sometimes at superhuman speed. 

“I know I’ve done my job as long as the intended audience understands the complex concepts,” he said. “In my work, I have to deliver a message in its entirety, concisely, without losing anything in translation.”

Dustin has been with NIRAS since early 2021. He joined the company as a Graphics and Communications Specialist, fresh out of the advertising industry. Since then, he has created digital art for a variety of communications outputs — from graphs for bids to logos and posters, and cover art for reports.

He even became a non-key expert for the Asian Development Bank project “Strengthening the Transition of Vulnerable Communities Affected by the Malolos-Clark Railway Project” where he served as its graphic designer tasked to create engaging materials, including information, education and communication brochures.

Today, Dustin is a Senior Visual Communications Specialist on NIRAS International Consulting’s COMMS team, which has staff in Manila, Nairobi and Brussels and works with experts around the globe. He is the go-to art guy for colleagues across the company.

But even with this experience and a diploma in multimedia applications, he would be the first to tell you that he is not a creative person.  

“That’s the surprise. If people asked me, I’d tell them I’m not the most creative person,” he shared. “I’m just good at translating people’s needs. For me, knowing how to draw is one thing; knowing what to draw is another.”  

Instead of a creative, Dustin considers his role more akin to that of an implementer or a translator.

The nature of his work always requires two things: to transform technical concepts into understandable illustrations and to turn these deliverables in within a limited time. And while many may find this task daunting, he is — mostly — unfazed by incoming requests. 

“I learned to be flexible when I was working in advertising,” he said. “I worked with clients who had clients of their own, so I had to know who these people were and what their internal approval structure was like, to help me tailor the way I sell to them. I had to know where to focus my efforts.”

At NIRAS, Dustin is often associated with speed, a sharp memory, and efficiency. He can tell you who the head of a business unit is without checking his TEAMS.

You can give him what he calls a “spaghetti” of a diagramme and he can impossibly untangle it to make it clear and visually appealing.

If you need a presentation to look aesthetically coherent, he can deliver the revised file to you the next day, or even within the day, depending on the urgency – and the number of slides.

“Dustin is a lifesaver! He transforms dull bid documents into captivating and visually compelling tenders,” Manila-based Bid Manager Gheila Famorcan Selosa said. “I can confidently say that he plays a vital role in our pursuit of sustainable development."

An expert he has worked with also lauded him for his efficiency and work ethic.

"We engaged Dustin to create assets and a campaign identity for the project Plastics Recycling Collection Pilot on the Island of Guimaras, Philippines,” said expert Natasha Poole who has been working with GOPA Infra in partnership with NIRAS for the project. “Dustin responded immediately to the changes we needed while also offering guidance and advice throughout the creative process. The campaign design has been well received and the pilot campaign is now underway. Working with Dustin has been a pleasure and I look forward to collaborating with him on future projects."

That Dustin excels in what he does is beyond debate. “Dustin is very talented for sure, but what I appreciate most about him is his reliability and attitude of always being willing to help, no matter the request or the time of day,” said NIRAS International Consulting Communications Director Lisa O’Donoghue-Lindy. “We struggle a lot in the business unit with short deadlines and have to deliver sometime in chaos. We also work on diverse products, so a lot of versatility is needed. Dustin is a wonderful colleague and also a great mentor to the other graphic designers on our team.”   

But while many at NIRAS now know him as the graphic wiz, job-hunting for him had not been an easy pursuit. Before joining us, Dustin sent out over 30 emails in four months to companies in different industries, meticulously ensuring his application fit the job requirements.  

He would receive calls that ultimately led nowhere, with one specifically looking for his bachelor's degree.  

“The Philippines has a very credentialist labour market. There is a bachelor's degree requirement for almost every job, even for cashiers, which is absurd when you think about it,” he noted. “It’s become ingrained in our HR culture, and it’s not exactly helpful. Technically speaking, I’ve been to university, but I didn’t finish it; I’ve been to an art school but for a technical/vocational diploma. So, HR tended to focus on my not having a degree.”

"I gave NIRAS a try because it’s a foreign multinational company, and companies servicing the local market do not pay well,” he shared. “Businesses in the Philippines don’t have a widespread appreciation for the value of good design. So, I applied for NIRAS and just went for it. But I bombed the interview.”

The next thing he did would not even cross the minds of many applicants. After accepting the interview had not gone well, Dustin noted the email addresses of his interviewees — Lisa and then Manila Office Director Antti Inkinen — during the call.

With nothing to lose, he emailed them restating why he was the right person for the job and took the opportunity to answer the questions he had stumbled over.

“I remember getting that email,” Lisa said. “It was honest and articulately written. Dustin had performed really well in the graphic exercises we had given him and was just very nervous on the call. Frankly, the interview was a flop. We thought he deserved a chance, and I cannot say how happy I am we made that decision.”

The rest, as they say, is history.