Damir Midzic

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?

Graphic design was something that fascinated me from my childhood, but then, of course, I did not know the meaning of it. I graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. My professors Amra Zulfikapasic and Bojan Hadzihalilovic, both infamous and world recognized designers, made a great impact on my education and training. I was also fascinated by the principles of Bauhaus, a famous German design school. But for me, end of my formal design education was just a beginning of further exploration and development of my design skills.

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

Damirdesign & Co. is a boutique design studio based in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Having gained years of experience by working on various graphic design projects, we create effective visual communication for small and medium enterprises, as well as cultural and public institutions. We provide services in the fields of corporate identity/branding, design of books, brochures and other publications, advertising of products/services and information graphic.

What is "design" for you?

"Design" is conceptual thinking in the first place, followed by effective communication between the sender and receiver of the product or message.

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

I try to focus on all aspects of design but my favorite graphic design discipline is typography (many find it the hardest one) so I always spend some extra time polishing it.

What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

A very wide range of emotion: there is a scale from frustration to ecstasy :)

What makes a design successful?

I will quote Milton Glaser: "There are three responses to design: yes, no and wow! Wow is the one to aim for". Wow is achieved if the design communicates in brilliant and excellent way.

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

Designers can make the world better place and their responsibilities are huge. It is very important that they must not always be driven with money, especially not with dirty money.

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

Design follows the technology and has to evolve like everything else. In today's world we are overwhelmed with images that make people more resistant to them. The challenge is how to find new ways to make your design stand out.

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

Creativity is often the matter of experience. The more design experience you have, the more pictures, symbols and concepts you archive in your head. Then you put out the certain items from your archive and combine it in a new way. Sometimes the approaching deadline can enhance emerging of inspiration :) Outdoor activities can sometimes help too.

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?

I live in Bihac, town with population of 60.000 placed in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. We experience a global village in this age so the influences are much more global than local. Being a designer in relatively small town has pros of living in a stress-free environment and cons of being somewhat isolated from bigger city centers where all the major things are happening alive.

What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

Companies should carefully explore which designer to hire because not all designers can respond to all tasks equally. It is good to know what is certain designer's specialty.

Can you talk a little about your design process?

Thinking, sketching, making concepts, then grabbing the tools and getting the job done. Sometimes it's just grabbing the tools and getting the job done :)

Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

I think permanent education is essential. Socializing as well. There's a saying - It's not what you know, but who you know. Having the both things is a road to success.

Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

Adobe CS and a lot of design books. Books are better than surfing the internet because from the books you memorize the things more easily.

What was your most important job experience?

My first regular job at the printing press company. The smell of machinery and paper. You can see how the teamwork is applied.

Who are some of your clients?

Bihac Brewery, University of Bihac, Austrotherm, Una National Park...

What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

Posters. It is most challenging for every graphic designer I guess.

Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

I am a team player, and most of designs I develop with my team. However there are tasks which I design by myself only.