Duane Fernandez is a student of his environment. Born from a Danish mother and Filipino father, Duane’s diverse ethnic background towed him from his birthplace in Los Angeles, California to numerous corners of the world throughout the years. Guided by his travels abroad, Duane developed an appreciation for a diverse visual aesthetic, reflecting influences extracted from many different cultural environments. He spent most of his childhood and adolescence encountering hundreds of foreign cities and millions of indigenous people, but no one thing inspired him more than the streets of an urban metropolis.
It was through this exploration of the concrete landscape that he conceived his ideologies about life and formed his artistic sensibility. Skateboarding and graffiti cultures have influenced him most; elements of both can be found in every project with which Duane has ever been involved . These two areas were fueled by the untouchable graffiti artists he witnessed, and whose art inspired him in Copenhagen Denmark, and by the close friends he grew up skateboarding with in the streets of Los Angeles and Manila, Philippines.
Post-industrial, contemporary, modern design would take center stage for this young adult’s vision. Once dreaming of becoming an archaeologist, Duane found himself broadening his interests, becoming his own archetype of the sociological anthropologist. Every path he followed and every decision he made has brought him to where he is today: a marketer, entrepreneur, painter, photographer, skateboarder, talker, manager, creator and student – coloring life in every sense.

Design
Duane Fernandez is the Creative Director for an international design studio Black Ops.
Black ops is a global design and innovation studio that works with clients to produce positive outcomes for people and organizations. The foundation of our work is human interaction and experience. We identify with a brand then build a product that is honest, engaging, inspiring, unique and memorable. It is our goal to create distinctive and inspired user experiences that are not forgotten. We build and facilitate creative strategies throughout industries and across media types. We create relationships.

Photography
Duane Fernandez has been shooting photos his entire life. What began as a way to document his travels and adventures lead to a successful professional career in publication. Duane has had the opportunity to photograph Elton John, Billy Joel, Pharrel, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Dave Mathews, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Lil Wayne and many more.

Left Field Project
Duane Fernandez started Left Field Project in 2001. He set out on this journey to try and understand what makes people successful. With a series of interviews, Left Field Project captures what drives the world’s most progressive designers, artists and creators. Left Field Project began as an inside look into the mechanics of inspiration, searching for what drives an individual to create. The end result was something far more fascinating.
www.leftfieldproject.com