Paulina Grondal

I haven’t thought about being designer until High School. I was always picturing myself more as a journalist or someone who work in media communication. But the moment I realised designing is also communicating I decided to become a full time designer. I have graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. I have Bachelor Degree in Animation and Master Degree in Typography and Editorial Design. I also attended a year course of Sculpture. During university years I had been involved in teaching animation, preparing workshops and participating in Animation and Film Festivals. I gained my first professional experience working on TV and Digital Campaign n in-house advertising agency. All this previous experience gave me confidence to start working on freelance projects as a side gig.

I work in a field of motion graphics, so of course my main area of expertise is animation, motion graphics, and live footage. But I am truly passionate about illustration and art direction too. I wish to work more on brave, experimental projects, that combine different techniques e.g. live footage, found footage, stop motion, clay motion etc.

Once I worked on new TV commercial for trivago. I was a creative, responsible for the storyline, art direction and creative direction. Together with a great team of people we shoot a commercial casting ballerinas . It was the most beautiful, soft and charming piece of advertising I have ever made

I try to feel the emotion that my design wants to convey. Music helps.

Is it understandable? Is it new? Is it interesting? How does it make me feel?

If you work for a gasoline company charge double and give back half to charity that tries to save the world.

The future of design is in hybrid content - relentlessly mixing styles, from memes and high quality productions and media, from print to VR to produce pieces of content that possess unique language.

Whenever something makes me to stop I try to investigate and try to understand what's in there.

I do not like to have one style. I like to find a suitable way to represent the concept. I always try to bold which means to embrace pink sky or black and white composition.

My design culture is a safe harbour where I can always come back but I have been living abroad for years now so my approach to design is a multicultural mix.

I ask questions. I try to learn and understand they culture and craft design as the result of two ways conversation.

Trust a designer as a professional and do not hire someone only to replicate what you already have. Companies can select a good designer by exposing him to the problem they want to solve and not only by looking at his portfolio pieces.

I design with my hands. I physically attached post-it to represent structures.nOnce my room is covered i try to organise and describe my thoughts.

Chopsticks, it is a design you cannot improve. Vinyl spinning never fails to mesmerise me.Wooden speakers and lego mini figures.

What ties together all of my days is staying curious, keeping a lot of post-it and visual diary.

Positive is the chance to apply your knowledge to a great variety of projects and different endeavours. Negative aspect is having to explain all over again how design is not there to only make things pretty.

I am setting up monthly, weekly and daily goals and try to achieve them.

Same as I was asking other designers : " How to find next client?"

My most relevant job experience was to work as a creative lead in advertising in house agency. I was responsible for whole video ad production cycle, from preparing storyboards, working with copywriters, through supervising art during shooting , to hands on post production and final delivery to channels.

I have been working for global brands like trivago, for companies representing game industry like Zeptolab, small design studio and independent producers.

I am truly passionate about illustration and art direction. I love to work on courageous, experimental projects, that combine different techniques e.g. live footage, found footage, 3d, stop motion, clay motion etc.

For now I am focusing on opening my own motion design studio, where I could hire talented people from all over the world. After achieving that I will set up next goals.

I work alone, occasionally with some trusted partners. I think co-working is difficult, especially in the field of art and design, where sometimes might be difficult to find objective arguments in discussion. But if you menage to find a great partner that complements your skills you literally won a lottery

I am currently working on couple projects but they are all on a very early stage.

I have graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. I have Bachelor Degree in Animation and Master Degree in Typography and Editorial Design. I also attended a year course of Sculpture. During university years I had been involved in teaching animation, preparing workshops and participating in Animation and Film Festivals. I gained my first professional experience working on TV and Digital Campaign n in-house advertising agency. All this previous experience gave me confidence to start working on freelance projects as a side gig.

I believe we all should be more involved and aware of current global problems. By using all tools we have , we should focus on improving life quality . For me design became that tool. I hope that through good design I can reach wide audience of people and I can communicate and educate them about importance of topics such : women empowerment, sustainability and equal access to education.

I chose consciously to follow Art path in my life. Motion Design is just one of many tools I am suing to pursuit it.

I work in a field of motion graphics, so of course my main area of expertise is animation, motion graphics, and live footage. But I am truly passionate about illustration and art direction too. I wish to work more on brave, experimental projects, that combine different techniques e.g. live footage, found footage, stop motion, clay motion etc.

I think what helps to grow is a lot of sleepless night, plenty cups of coffee and occasionally feeling hopeless and in despair. Frankly speaking - a lot of hard work.

Good designer executes well someone’s ideas and great designer understands them and make them better. But no one is born a great designer, it is a long way to go there. I think we are all born as pretty bad designers.

First impression. A good design makes me think ¨oh that is pretty¨. It gives me a real pleasure to look at it or experience it. Great design gives me goosebumps and leaves me speechless. Message. Good Design makes me to understand the message immediately, without doubts. Great Design do no let me to forget about it.

While evaluating design I ask myself these questions: 1) Is it understandable? 2) If it is understandable is it also interesting? 3) Is it also new? 4) if this is new, how does it make me feel? There are so many reasons, why we should invest in good design, I do not know where to start. First of all designing is communicating. If the design is not good, the correct message will not be deliver. Secondly to prevent from sinking in the ocean of ugly billboards commercials on every corner. I strongly believe it hurts not only your eyes but also soul. Finally a good design is like a good art or literature. You have to instantly keep educating people about it.

A documentary showing women role in different parts of the world

Of course some classic like Walsh & Sagmeiser, but I also follow bunch of motion design studios like The Marmalade, Parasol Island orSehsucht, and many young freelancers on instagram, dribble and behance.

I always like projects where the line between reality and CG is really thin

Once I worked on new TV commercial for trivago. I was a creative, responsible for the storyline, art direction and creative direction. Together with a team full of talented people we shoot a commercial casting ballerinas. It was the most beautiful, soft and charming piece of advertising I have ever made.

Never settle down for the first idea you have. Only third or fourth shows your real potential.

If I weren’t a designer I would become a journalist. These professions are not so different. Both designer and journalist are creative, they both serve people, and they both tell stories