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Interview with Colorcode |
Home > Designer Interviews > Colorcode |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Colorcode (C) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Colorcode 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?
C: I became a designer because I am highly passionate about creating beautiful things. Being creative and seeing things in different ways is a gift and I wanted to share that gift with others. Therefore, becoming a designer seemed like the best way for me to exercise my thoughts and creativity on a daily basis.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
C: Colorcode is a revolutionary creative agency based in Beirut, Lebanon, operating for more than a decade. Our extensive expertise encompasses the regional, national and global market with a young, dynamic and innovative team. From strategic planning to project delivery, our wide range of services includes: Branding, Concept Creation, Packaging, Advertising, Stands and Displays, Marketing Plan, Digital Strategy Formulation, Social Media Campaign Development, Website Design & Creation.
FS: What is "design" for you?
C: For me, Design is creating something beautiful out of nothing or transforming an old item to a new colorful and attractive piece.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
C: I love dealing with packaging designs, taking into consideration consumer attraction, branding, information and utility.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
C: My favorite designs are modern, specifically circular shapes and colorful textures which always catches my attention.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
C: The first thing that I designed for a company was a packaging design for bread sticks. It's an experience and challenge worth remembering.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
C: My favorite material is invercote, because it has a dimensional stability and flexibility and you can create countless possibilities through it. As for the platform, I usually use all Adobe softwares, specifically Adobe Illustrator, on an iMac.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
C: Doing something creative is associated with feeling happy, active and relaxed. I'm always on the lookout for the spark of a new idea in everything around me.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
C: The thing I most focus on during designing is attention to detail, because it helps prevent mistakes and makes success in the workplace easier. I always make sure to have the right energy, focus and time to really make get the project done perfectly.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
C: When I design, I'm always full of joy and passion, which makes me overcome difficult times and tough challenges and enjoy all the effort I put in.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
C: Every design has a story to tell and is a witness of a new creation. I feel overwhelmed when my designs are realized, because I accompany the process of its creation from scratch.
FS: What makes a design successful?
C: A successful design will be based on a strong concept and it is the result of carefully plotted elements, chosen to create a visual representation of the idea and the imagination. It's about creating harmony among the elements and having them come together in a final product that provokes feelings and emotions.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
C: The main criteria I consider when judging a design are its contrast, attraction and impression.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
C: Within the design world, the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment is defined as a design process that contributes to improving human well-being and livelihood.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
C: Design is evolving into a more simplistic field. The future of design will rely on machine intelligence and it will certainly be an expansion at a furious pace.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
C: We did not participate in any exhibition yet, but we hope to expand our presence in exhibitions annually.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
C: My main source of inspiration is nature. Its colors, contradictions and textures are a constant motive for my creativity. I also visit international exhibitions to enlarge my expertise.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
C: My design style depends on the type of brand and its audience. I usually go for a fun, playful and geometric approach. The fun and playful design style inspires fun and can be a non-realistic or semi-realistic artistic style of drawing. On the other hand, the geometric design style is characterized by heavy use of straight lines and shapes.
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?
C: I live in Lebanon. I usually get my inspiration from foreign countries and cultures, especially the European design style. Europe is a wealthy and diverse trendsetter in the world of design.
FS: How do you work with companies?
C: I take the project from scratch and follow up from A to Z on daily basis with the companies, to deliver it effectively.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
C: When choosing a good designer, I suggest companies to look for the following qualities: passionate, creative and always ready for a new challenge.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
C: My design process always starts with a deep research on a local and international level. It is then followed by a brainstorming session with all team members involved. After setting the ideas and right directions, we start with the concept creation, followed by the realization and finalizing the process with the production phase.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
C: My favorite 5 design items at home are: flowers, plants, curtains colors and texture, a limited edition carpet and a special lamp from Marrakesh, Morocco.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
C: A typical day in my life consists of meetings with current and new potential clients, as well as being actually present at Colorcode's office in order to be actively creating new concepts and following up with the team and the clients.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
C: My wisdom in life is "When there's a will, there's a way". As for my suggestions to young, up and coming designers: always be unique, work hard, never stop learning from new researches, don't limit yourself, enjoy what you're doing and be enthusiastic.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
C: The positives of being a designer is that we are always on the lookout to create new stuff which makes us feel satisfied. There are always new challenges and new things to create which never leaves room for routine. On the other hand, the negatives of being a designer are when the client doesn't give you freedom to work right and deliver the brand to where it should be.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
C: My golden rule is to always be unique and work hard with commitment and persistence.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
C: Graphic designers communicate ideas through texts and images. Therefore, communication skills are critical to the job. They also need to be creative thinkers in order to generate solutions for their clients through creative means. Moreover, they should be able to multitask, juggle multiple assignments over long periods and meet all scheduled deadlines.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
C: During design, we use all Adobe softwares on iMac, in addition to getting inspired by worldwide magazines, international exhibition participations, reliable websites.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
C: Most graphic designers are constantly juggling multiple projects at once. Because this is so common in the job, they have to have strong time management skills. I usually manage my time likewise: prioritizing, scheduling, keeping a to-do list.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
C: The duration varies between a project and another, depending on the size and importance of it. Usually, the concept creation and research process takes around 2 weeks, while the execution of the product takes a month or two between the design process and the production phase.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
C: As a designer, the most frequently asked question to me is: "How do you always have new ideas and concepts?"
FS: What was your most important job experience?
C: Our most important job experience was when we experienced a new country, Morocco, with our client O'dyafy. It was a challenging and interesting project that came to us without a concept, an identity or a name. Our challenge was to create a concept in an unfamiliar and new market while taking care of every detail, in order to bring the concept into life and stand out from the local competition.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
C: Our wide range of local and international clients include: eQuia, Global Foods, Al Forno Gourmet, Al Helbawi, O'Dyafy, Sandwich Inc., Liban Frites, Aoun Food, E-square architects, 1020 (ten twenty)...
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
C: I mostly enjoy packaging design because I'm interested by the process of creating the die cut, to digging into what will make the product pop on a shelf and catch a customer's eye. I believe that the way the package is designed is just as important as the product itself.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
C: Our future plans certainly includes expanding our range of clients in foreign countries and enter new markets.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
C: We always work as a team, who quickly became like family members.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
C: We are currently working for a huge veterinary clinic in Qatar. The project is still in progress.
FS: How can people contact you?
C: You can contact us via email: joumana@colorcodelb.com, via land line +961 5 458 067, via mobile: +961 3 420 431, via social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin): @colorcodelb
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
C: Thank you for this opportunity. Colorcode is honored to take part of this reputable design award.
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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