Who is Walter?
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Walter Costinak in the Principal, Creative Director, Designer, Illustrator, Typographer, Animator (and any other title that fit's the bill) of 2 Design & Communication. Walter (usually referred to as "Walter" because not many people seem to remember the spelling of "Costinak") prefers to be called "Walter" - not Walt, Wall, Waldo, Wally (Wally by close friends and family is okay). *This is not a big issue with me (Walter) but it is a bit of a pet peeve...and now that I have released this information, I will probably have most of you emailing me addressing it to Walt, Wally...well, you know. I tend to ramble on a bit when I'm writing, but I'm sure you will find this acceptable because it doesn't seem so dry and stuffy like some Online Bio's can be. Also seems to work as a character profile in a way (even though these days you can never tell what the person behind the keyboard is really like). Though I can assure you that I am a person who is honest, friendly, and pretty well rounded (this may also refer to my physique - I need to lose about 10-15 pounds). Boy, that one seems a bit too personal...but then again, I wanted to reflect my character is this Info/Bio/Profile/ ...whatever you want to call it.
Well. That's enough rambling (see, I told you I do tend to ramble
on) and now on with the typical specs on who I am. Less on the
real personal side and more on the information side. By the way,
if you've made it this far, I hope I've caught your interest and
I thank you for taking the time to read this. Okay, okay. I'll
stop. You'd be scrolling forever if I kept on with this!
Name:"Walter Frank Costinak"
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I was named after my father's two brothers (Walter and
Frank) who didn't have any children. I respect my father a great
deal for doing this (and all the other choices he has made in
raising me as a infant/child/teen.
I should credit my mother here too. She had a lot to do with the
whole process as well. Uh-oh...rambling again...but I thought you
may want to know this. *Technical Note...I do realize the my
"quotation marks" are not really quotation marks, they
are actually the "Inch Symbol". This was just a
conscious design decision...I prefer the upright look opposed to
the Sixes & Nines for this piece. Sure beats typing Alt-0147,
Alt-0148. What a strange place to mention this...but I had to do
it.
Age:"Thirty-Something"
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Actually I'm only thirty (at the time of producing this
Bio) but my birthday is September 25, (anyone wanting to send me
a Birthday Present is welcome to do so, I won't complain...a new
laptop would be ideal!) and I was born in 1965, so when you are
reading this you should be able to figure out how old I am.
Some people are leery about putting too much info about
themselves on the net, but I look at it this way: If someone
wants to know something about you, they'll find a way. I don't
really feel thirty. More like twenty-something. When I'm on a
creative bent, you could probably subtract another 10-15 years. I
feel I'm at the perfect age right now. Why? Sorry, I can't answer
that...this is the "WHO" section. But I can tell you
that some people think I am older than this for a couple of
reasons. 1) I have some grey hair. Okay, not some. A lot. I like
my grey hair...kinda Shaun Connery-ish. Better than Picard-ish.
2)Some people say that I act mature for thirty...is this
possible? I mean, from the text you're reading, do you get that
feeling. Nah! But then again I do loosen up a lot at the
keyboard...
Education:"Grey Matter Wrinkles"
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You probably realize by now that this isn't exactly a
point form Bio. Everything is bundled in tightly with my thoughts
on the subject matter...and that subject matter being me. I
prefer to represent myself this way. It's more ME, and less
Fluffy Inflated Stuff That Bores People Out Of Their Minds.
Rambling stopped. Okay, on with some F.I.S.T.B.P.O.O.T.M. (see
previous). I graduated from UCFV (University College of the
Fraser Valley) with a diploma in Graphic Design &
Communication at the top of my class. (Toot!) Made Dean's List.
(Toot-Toot!) And was the only student ever to receive the
Outstanding Achievement Award two years in a row. Click on the
piece of chalk below and you will see that I can also do complex
mathematical equations without breaking a sweat!.
I've also received other awards, the Netscape Grand Prize for the
"Go for the Gold" Web Site Design Contest ( I'm kinda
proud of this one). I also instruct at a design school (teaching
a vector-based drawing program)...I thought I would throw that in
here because it seems to fit. I could also list off all of the
design & illustration skills I have...but I would hope you
could sense this from the graphical portions of my site and this
Bio. I have also taught myself (since the age of thirteen)
computers and software. I had a TRS-80 Model I. I believe it had
4k of Ram. Yuch! Obviously I have developed all of the online WWW
material you are looking at as well. When it comes to explaining
how my creative process works, I guess I relate myself to a child
(a very large one), sitting on a floor with a pile of blocks,
arranging and re-arranging them until you run out of combinations
and possibilities, things start to "click" and the
ideas start flowing. Major rambling! I'll stop here. I think this
is enough about my education. *Even though I did start wandering.
Personal Life:"Important People"
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It doesn't seem right that this is appearing at the bottom
of my "WHO" section...my family is the most important
part of my life. (maybe this warrants a site devoted to them)
More extensive rambling. Alright. Back to the topic. I am married
with three incredible children. Two daughters, one son. My wife
(Sonni) is a very understanding & loving person who I have
been with since we were teenage sweethearts. Her real name is
Sonja, but she prefers Sonni.
Here's a little piece of info that's kinda weird....Sonja has a
German background, but her name is more Slavic....I (Walter) have
a Slavic background but my name is more German....Okay, maybe
it's not that weird. A little interesting maybe? Rambling stopped
again. My eldest daughter (Samantha) is very cool, the next
daughter (Cassandra) is feisty and very independent, and my
infant son (Matthew) is the cutest little guy you have ever
seen..and I'm not just bragging. That's all I'll say about them
because I respect their rights for privacy. If they want to
develop pages on the net when they are older, I'll help them out.
Even though by then I am sure they will be showing me a thing or
two about Internet Communications. My Mom & Dad are cool too.
Same with my brothers and sister. Same rules apply. I can't
permit myself to release info on them without their permission.
Okay, I'm done. Thanks for listening (looking?) Please select
another button.