A teacher once told him that he could end up working as a waiter. Now designer Duncan Bone is having the last laugh.

"My guidance teacher at secondary school told me that if I chose to go to the Art and Design Centre in Valletta, I would end up working as a waiter for the rest of my life."

For designer Duncan Bone, it started with a kiss. Or rather, with the dream of one.

"One day," he recalls, "an older friend of mine introduced me to his beautiful English girlfriend who was on holiday in Malta. I was 12 years old and she was about seven years older then me, and I was very eager to listen to whatever she had to say. She told me how she was studying graphic design in London. Although I was aware of design in general, this is when I first realised that you can actually study design and make a living off it. I followed the girl (and my friend) around for the rest of her holiday. I could say it was because of my interest in the subject."

Duncan lived in Gzira until he was 24 years old. After studying at St Augustine's College, Junior Lyceum Ħamrun and the Art & Design Centre in Valletta, he moved into advertising. For the past 10 years, he has been living in Shoreditch, East London, where he leads a multi-discipline career in design.

"I was always interested in the creative side of things," says Duncan. "From a very young age, I always loved to draw and create things. After getting over the idea of becoming a fighter pilot rather quickly, I wanted to become an architect, an idea influenced by my uncle's career."

"I also grew up on a rich diet of Japanese cartoons on the Italian TV channels - the robots featured in them were fodder for my inspiration to draw and create my original robot designs. This eventually turned into a passion for technology and respect towards a well designed product - my family never had to read a manual to learn how to operate any new gadget around the house."

Duncan's multiple interests are reflected in his present pursuits - he goes from directing music promos to advertising campaigns and directing an interactive movie for The Getaway Black Monday (PS2).

 "I started drawing on paper," says Duncan, "but thanks to my loving parents, I had my first computer when I was eight, my first 35mm stills camera when I was about nine, and my first VHS camcorder when I was about 15. My parents are not artistic themselves, but always did their best to see us happy. Moreover, they recognised what I loved."

"I started writing code to generate images on my first computer - I still have a copy of an illustration I did on an old Atari and printed out on a dot matrix printer. I also have suitcases full of negatives and old VHS tapes back at my parents' home."

"I have always bounced from one medium to the next. I studied Industrial Design, then got into advertising, where I got to art direct, design and shoot stills for campaigns. I also worked on a couple of hand drawn animation TV ads before moving to London. Here, I moved into digital media and now still move across different mediums."

"My initial approach to such diverse projects is similar," says Duncan. "It always comes down to understanding what your final goal is and what the best way to get to it is. Experience makes this easier, but every project opens new ways of working. I always make sure to remember to keep the client, audience and yourself happy. With all three in line, you know you've done a good job."

"This year has been another mixed bag of projects and experiences. I've worked on projects for Microsoft US, Apple Computers Japan, Asics International, and some fashion films. I also shot stills on a feature film in Cuba, art directed a shoot for Nokia in Toronto and was involved with the launch of a new vodka brand at the Cannes Film Festival."

"For the fashion films I worked with John Lindquist and Can Evgin, two very established young photographers who shoot regularly for Vogue, Dazed & Confused and other publications. One of the films was picked up by the art director Jaime Perlman of British Vogue for her new project called Test Magazine and screened during London Fashion Week. The other film was picked by Hector Castro for Ten Magazine."

"In Cuba I was working with Lucy Mulloy on her first feature film, Una Noche, which was awarded The Spike Lee Production Award. We filmed in some of the most beautiful yet poorest parts of Cuba. The film is coming out next year and is based on the story of three street kids, played by real street kids, trying to escape from Cuba to Miami."

"On a very different scale and tone was the re-brand for Swisscom, the main telephony provider in Switzerland. The time spent on the project and the scale of it alone made it a very interesting experience."

"I keep an eye on what's happening back home. I believe that in Malta, design is not given enough recognition or push by the government and educational system. However, in the past 10 years, I see that people in Malta are getting more accustomed to better design while appreciating the work involved. It would be great to see more new talent and more help from others to nurture this talent." 

"My guidance teacher at secondary school told me that if I chose to go to The Art and Design Centre in Valletta, I would end up working as a waiter for the rest of my life. I hope this mentality has changed and newer generations will help develop a better market for both client and designers."

Duncan also worked with local group Beangrowers and directed their music promo Not in a Million.

"Over three days, we shot thousands of photos," says Duncan. "We wanted something that could be shot with hardly any budget and that would work virally online and it did. The video won the Best Music Video award in Malta and was selected and played in festivals and on TV in New York, LA, Toronto, the Leeds and Reading Music Festivals in the UK and other festivals internationally. We never pushed this ourselves - YouTube mainly did all the talking and once on there, people started contacting me and the band."

Duncan moves on to his current projects.

"At the moment I have a few re-branding jobs on. I just finished three fashion films for Warehouse with John Lindquist and am working on another edit for another film. That's just my schedule for this month."

Despite being away from the island and travelling so much on work, Duncan still feels that there is only one place he can call home.

"After 10 years in London and living in the same apartment for three years, when I walk in through my front door, I'm home," says Duncan. "But coming to my parents' house and having my mum's food and sharing a good story and a laugh with my dad, that is my real home and nothing will ever replace that."