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Interview with Little Greta |
Home > Designer Interviews > Little Greta |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Little Greta (LG) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Little Greta by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
LG: I've worked in business development for various brand, creative and design agencies over the past 25 years. I've always found brand design's power to transform businesses incredibly interesting. Nuances that most pepole don't even register can turn a brand on its head and I think that's great. I wouldn't say I've always wanted to be a designer but I certainly wanted to get into marketing and advertising from a young age.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
LG: Little Greta originated in Zlin in the Czech Republic but now have offices in London, Edinburgh and another to be launched soon in Copenhagen, to cover Scandinavia. Jan & Tom, our two founders, started the agency in 2005 while still at University and to have grown into an international agency with clients throughtout Europe is no mean feat. We cover brand design, creative communications & digital (even in cutting edge areas such as virtual & augmented reality where we've delivered 20+ projects). Our clients range from up and coming businesses to international brands like Budvar, Google & Tinder. To this day we retain our links to The Faculty of Multimedia in Zlin through the work experience programme we offer to the brightest students.
FS: What is "design" for you?
LG: Design is the articulation of ideas and concepts. Whether it's product design or brand design, it's about taking the ideas and vision that's in someone's head and making it real, in a way that engages people emotionally.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
LG: I've got loads - the yellow Sony Sport Walkman I got for my 13th birthday in about 1985, the Matthew Williamson ecommerce site from 2010, the Stone Roses album covers, Dyson's V8 rechargeable vaccum cleaners - I could go on. I don't think it's possible to have one favourite because there are so many great examples out there.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
LG: Very early in the mornings after a cup of coffee, when everybody else is still in bed. That and in the shower!
FS: What makes a design successful?
LG: A successful design is one that solves a problem. Bonus points if it does so in a new and innovative way that improves on previous attempts to solve the problem.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
LG: The purpose of the design and the concept.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
LG: Designers have a massive responsibility to have a net positive impact on the world. Every organisation does. That means not working for companies that damage society or the environment. It means promoting positive messages across the whole range of areass we as a society know we need to improve. It means designing products that will last and using materials that don't harm.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
LG: I live in Edinburgh in Scotland, and most definitely Scotland's cultural heritage affects Scottish design. Scottish people have a fantastic dry, cynical, sarcastic and sometimes dark sense of humour and that comes through in much of the creative work that comes out of Scotland. You can see it in everything from Grand Theft Auto to The Snowman Irn Bru ads (OK not strictly speaking design). You can see that humour in Brewdog's visual comms, as you can in lots of other Scottish brands. The downside though is that Scottish people can be tight and you do also see design work that hasn't had the time and energy it needed invested because there was an unwillingness to spend the necessary money.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
LG: Collaborate. Take the time to explain your objectives, your obstacles, and challenges well, and work with the designer. If things don't work be honest but explain why and try to get to sometthing that does work. To find a good designer, look at their work, but also talk to them to understand the thinking behind their work because the why matters as much as the what.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
LG: Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum, Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge phone, Crybaby Wah Wah pedal, Sabatier Edonist kitchen knives and my Ledgie LED angled desk lamp which was actually only £25 and is amazingly well designed for such a reasonably priced product.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
LG: It is sometimes misunderstood and undervalued. Good design can transform business. It can dramatically improve sales and profitability. Bad design on the other hand can really hold a business back but it's one of those things that sometimes people don't realise is broken until they see it fixed, but fixing it takes time and energy, so people either avoid addressing it or don't realise it needs addressed. It can be frustrating - but as designers we have to always work hard to communicate the value of our thinking and our ideas to clients, and help them understand the benefits that good design can bring.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
LG: If it's bad design, bin it.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
LG: Communication, business knowledge, imagination, emotional intelligence, pragmatism.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
LG: It varies hugely - I guess it's like writing a song. Sometimes it flows, sometimes it's more difficult. What's important is having a robust creative process that results in an end product that meets the needs of the client.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
LG: That's not an easy question to answer so I think I need to pick two. First brand creation - there's nothing like creating a brand from scratch, something that will represent a company's mission and values and can help it achieve greatness. The other, because it's a new area that's rapidly becoming mainstream, is Augmented and Virtual Reality. Our sister company VR Cot has over 20 projects under their belts, which is really exciting because the possibilities for AR/VR and 360 degree video are endless.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
LG: At the moment, Little Greta's focus is on two areas: 1) We want to cement our place as one of the best design agencies in the Czech Republic and 2) Over the last couple of years we've opened offices in other European countries and our hope is that we can build their portfollios to be as strong as our work in the Czech Republic. We're passionate bringing together the best creatives in the Czech Republic, where we believe there is a rich vein of talent, and the most exciting brands in Europe.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
LG: A team of course! There are so many talented people in the Little Greta team that it would be madness not to collaborate.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
LG: I can't say too much but we're designing a new identity and experiential marketing concept and workign on the physical space for a Czech business location in central London. It's linked to beer, where we've worked with some great brands, and that's all I can say. We know it's going to make an impact when it launches, so we can't wait!
FS: How can people contact you?
LG: Via LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/johnpaulhughes).
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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