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Interview with Hristo Bino |
Home > Designer Interviews > Hristo Bino |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Hristo Bino (HB) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Hristo Bino 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?
HB: My journey began 15 years ago. It started with Adobe Photoshop and simple, surreal photo manipulation. I always wanted to be a designer. However, I never had a formal education in my field until recently. In other words, I'm a self-taught graphic designer.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
HB: At this moment, I'm a freelancer, but I am working on my new design studio. It's just around the corner, and it will be located in Thessaloniki, Greece.
FS: What is "design" for you?
HB: For me, the design is visual communication and inspiration for the future. I can visualize the future through the design or the other way around.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
HB: I would say creative paintings and photo manipulation for my personal projects. For commercial purposes, I prefer designing icons and brand identity.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
HB: If I had to choose only one, I would say, "Sleekons." Sleekons is a project where I spent almost two months of work. A set of 2800 pixel-perfect icons separated in 70 categories. It also helped me to win an Iron A' Design Award last June.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
HB: It has been a long time since my first design. I think it was a logo and a business card.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
HB: I love creating icons and logos using Adobe Illustrator. It's my favorite application and, most of the time, the platform I use to create commercial projects.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
HB: I love landscape photography. I find my self observing elements in nature. It boosts my creativity even if photography and design are not very similar.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
HB: Geometric shapes or organic. How shapes are interacting, and what concept do they have. Also, I love colors and materials including papers and DIY materials.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
HB: I feel relaxed and blissful. Sometimes stress is there, especially when time is running out. In these situations, relaxation music saves the day.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
HB: Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied, especially when the design is what I expected.
FS: What makes a design successful?
HB: I think practical and modern design has more chances to be successful. There are other elements, too, but I prefer to focus on these.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
HB: I think the technical aspect is secondary. If a design meets its intended purpose and sends the right message, then I believe it is good.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
HB: Usually, trough great design, we get a glimpse of the future. Designers are responsible for how the final products look. It also means that the materials we use are connected with the environment. Great design is responsible for environmental sustainability.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
HB: I believe the design is part of the future and inspiring creativity. Digital transformation continues, and I think the design is evolving alongside.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
HB: It was a few months ago in my city, Thessaloniki. I don't have anything on my schedule yet, but I don't need one. Design is always a priority for me, and it will not take long for my next exhibition.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
HB: I always relax and boost my positive energy, trough landscape photography. However, for my projects, I get inspiration from exhibitions and the web. Also, there are plenty of successful and inspiring artists featured trough A" Design Award competition.
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?
HB: The modern minimalism is the way I approach design. I also believe it serves well the environment. Fewer materials for the final products, practical, and straightforward visual communication are some of the critical aspects of modern design.
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?
HB: I live in Thessaloniki. A beautiful town located in northern Greece. A country with stunning landscapes, plenty of light, and immense cultural heritage. I never feel a lack of inspiration.
FS: How do you work with companies?
HB: Straight forward communication is an excellent way to deliver great work. I try to understand how companies communicate with their customers and how my designs can help trough visual communication.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
HB: I believe it should be a balance between creativity and practicality. With that in mind, a company can select a designer that will deliver excellent designs.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
HB: After I pick the project, inspiration is the first ingredient. A quick sketch or plan is what follows. The organization is essential, so I try to don't miss the first steps. I work on the design, and as a final stage, I try different variants. Last but not least comes the presentation.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
HB: I would say the computer and the office desk. My coffee mug, the wall clock, and the pen holder.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
HB: I start my day with a morning walk, followed by a nice breakfast and coffee. Sometimes it follows a second coffee before I read my emails. I start working on my projects. After lunch, I work on secondary projects until the afternoon. I like to spend my free time traveling, photographing landscapes, and talking with family and friends.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
HB: I would say to follow your style. Feedback is critical, but the ability to express freely is also an essential ingredient in great design.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
HB: As a designer, you can express your creativity, and this is great. Creativity allows a designer to get appreciation and peoples following your work, which is priceless. You also get an inner satisfaction of having created something beautiful and useful that other people use daily. In the negatives, sometimes, you lose the sense of time and work in extended periods of time that force you to stop following the daily routines. Being a designer requires learning new techniques experimenting with new ideas that may not work.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
HB: I don't have one, but I will repeat that you can't go wrong with a practical and modern design that is visually appealing.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
HB: Fantasy and visualization are essential to create unique designs. Technical knowledge is also critical because it helps designers focus on their creativity.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
HB: I use Adobe products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightroom CC. I search on the web for inspiration and great artists. Also, I love photography, and I own a DSLR, a few lenses, studio lights, filters, etc. Of course, acrylic colors, marbling materials, brushes, DIY materials are not missing from my toolbox.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
HB: I must admit that it is easy to get lost in the world of design. Time runs out fast, and sometimes a day is not enough to complete the tasks you wanted. Organizing my workflow is the only antidote that works. Last but not least is my free time, which is very important and helps me be more creative.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
HB: It's different for every project. A small project could take three days, and a big one can take two or three months. I prefer to work at the same time on small and large projects.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
HB: How and when are the most frequent questions. While working on a project, I get asked when the project will be ready and how it may look. Time is always important.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
HB: I had a collaboration with Adobe, and it was the best experience so far. It allowed me to learn how a great team works and communicates.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
HB: I don't like the word client, but I had a collaboration with individuals, small firms, and large companies like Adobe. It was a pleasure to work with them and deliver templates for Adobe Stock.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
HB: As a graphic designer, the most common task is brand identity. However, I enjoy working on stock design assets. The freedom to design anything at any time is priceless.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
HB: Trough my new design studio. I will try to boost my creativity and work. Also, I would love to collaborate again with great designers and firms. Design is evolving rapidly, and I'm excited to be a tiny part.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
HB: Most of the time, I work alone, but things may change soon. Collaboration is crucial, and a team with vision is always best.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
HB: I have a few brand identity works in line. However, one of the most important projects that I'm working on is a new website with premium graphic design assets for the digital world. Its hard work, but I will do my best to deliver practical, modern, and visually pleasing work.
FS: How can people contact you?
HB: Trough my website (dreamstale.com) or directly through my email address: chris@dreamstale.com.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
HB: Last June, I participated in the A" Design Award competition gala night in Como, Italy, and I want to share my experience. It was amazing to see so many great designers receive their awards and share their work. A significant event in the design world that I would like to recommend to any great designer.
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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