I always wanted to desgn. To be more specific, I wanted to be an Architect, but life had other plans for me. I studied Graphic Design in Greece, got a Masters degree in Multimedia and studied Product design. After working for many years in the Ad Industry, I decided move alone and do what I love to do. Design.
Matadog Design is a design studio in Greece specialized in branding, packaging and product design. Our goal is to provide unique solutions for our customers.
To be honest, I do not like the term "design styles". My point of view is that a designer should not have a certain design style aka "repeating himself" but to be open to new inputs, experiments reducing this way the risk to become outdated.
I live in Greece. I would say No, the cultural heritage doesn't affect my designs. Greece the last 8-9 years is in crisis so it is very difficult to design under these circumstances.
Companies should see designer past works. However there are upcoming talents that do not have a protfolio yet and deserve to be considered. I remember when I founded Matadog Design and the company had no protfolio to show and it was very tough to be considered as an option. So, companies should not disqualify new talents, it's risky though.
Actually, there are 2 projects that I love and will be published in the next year or so. The first one is Viupax, a patented revolutionary footwear packaging that is more sustainable than conventional shoe boxes and cost less to produce and transport. You can check www.viupax.com for more info. The second project is the design of a motorbike. Hopefully, by late 2018 will be in production.
I am a BA holder in Graphic Design, MA holder in Multimedia and have studied product design as well. During my studies in Graphic Design I was working in parallel as a graphic designer. As soon as I graduated I was hired as Art Director at BBDO Group Greece(Team Athens, Point Zero Athens) and then moved to McCann Worldgroup (Ashley & Holmes Athens) working for the most prestigious accounts in Greece before I Found Matadog Design.
I think "design legend" is an extreme phrase. Young designers should avoid following a design style and to pursue their own style, follow their dreams, work hard and above all beleive on their abilities no matter what.