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Today's featured designer is Matteo Ruisi. Matteo Ruisi is the creator of iconic designs such as Sizes. |
We had the rare opportunity to interview the exalted designer Matteo Ruisi who was recently announced as the Designer of the Day by the A' Design Award and Competition. Matteo Ruisi is the creator of iconic designs such as Sizes. We got exclusive answers to our questions about Matteo Ruisi designs and design philosophy. |
Matteo Ruisi, how did you become a designer?
Matteo Ruisi : My passion for design and communications was born while I was working in a supermarket after the high school, when I was still deciding what to study. I was surrounded by colours, shapes, advertising and typography for 8 hours a day, and I started thinking to get an education in that industry. At the time money was very tight, and I decided to keep on working to afford the stellar fee of an art direction degree to follow my dream. Currently I am focusing on using design and communications to engage people in the economy of the country.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
Matteo Ruisi : • Research - understanding the context, the competitors, the trends in the industry, analysing all the possible aspects is fundamental to put the basis for a successful design work • Sketch and design - I mainly focus on the ideas, I like that my works aren’t just well designed but they have to be based on a solid creative strategy • Test - because testing shaves the opinions and rewards the efficiency... |
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Matteo Ruisi, which emotions do you feel when designing?
Matteo Ruisi : I like the Eureka effect, I really love when I finally solve a design problem....
Matteo Ruisi, what particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Matteo Ruisi : I play guitar, I am a good cook (I’ve also been a contestant at Masterchef Italy!), I wrote a humorous book and I write songs. I think I can say that creativity is a huge part of my life.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what is your growth path? what are your future plans? what is your dream design project?
Matteo Ruisi : I am building a clear path for my design career, that is focused on shaping the way the financial companies and institutions communicate. When I started working with banks in the 2000s I was really frustrated I couldn’t bring any new ideas or any different approach both to design and communication, the banks were really traditional when coming to communicate something. Nowadays banks and financial companies are really opened to change the old rules, and there is room to test, improve and create meaningful pieces of communication.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what are your advice to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
Matteo Ruisi : My advice is to work as hard as possible, especially during the first years, designing every day for hours to understand what you like, what you don’t and what you are able to do really well, to be able to narrow down the possible career paths and start specialising during the next years.... |
Matteo Ruisi, you are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Matteo Ruisi : There are plenty of valuable tips online about design, but something that might be missing or not enough explored is the personal branding. I've seen many CVs and portfolios in my career and it is incredible to see how many good designers design beautiful but weak CVs. There are a few rules that are worth it to mention: 1. Focus on your career goals - I don’t get why some designers with 15 years of experience have in their CV the very first experience explained in details. My suggestion is to leave the room for the most relevant and recent works, the ones that shape you as a designer. 2. Don’t be humble - A friend of mine, a really successful designer, asked me to review his CV and one of my first questions was: “have you ever won an award or have you been featured somewhere?” He immediately said no, but after making him think about it he came up with 10 recognition among awards and featured projects. ... |
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Matteo Ruisi, what is your day to day look like?
Matteo Ruisi : As Creative Lead I manage the tasks among designers and I ensure the quality of the ideas and the output....
Matteo Ruisi, how do you keep up with latest design trends? to what extent do design trends matter?
Matteo Ruisi : I usually look for visual inspirations online and from other designers, but I always want my ideas and creative strategies to be unique.... |
Matteo Ruisi, how do you know if a product or project is well designed? how do you define good design?
Matteo Ruisi : Talking about brand design, a good design is based on a solid strategy, is developed around a strong and unique idea, and the output is consistent and beautiful....
Matteo Ruisi, how do you decide if your design is ready?
Matteo Ruisi : My works are ready when I think they are communicating the right thing in the right way, when the story is completed and I can just add details.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what is your biggest design work?
Matteo Ruisi : I’ve done two works I am particularly proud of, that are two brand identities I created for early stage fin-tech startups in the UK that are currently among the most successful companies in the industry. I spent months on those works, I’ve tested them and I got a very positive feedback since the beginning, and now it is great to see them having success and getting more and more clients.... |
Matteo Ruisi, who is your favourite designer?
Matteo Ruisi : I don’t have a design guru that I’m following, but there are many talented designers around to learn from...
Matteo Ruisi, would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Matteo Ruisi : My culture surely influences my design and it can’t be otherwise. I am Italian and I am working in the UK, sometimes I say, do or design things that have a completely different meaning in their culture. I remember that one client told me that a logo I’ve designed was similar to the logo of a fictional company he’s seen in a British TV series back in the 90s. How could I possibly know that!... |
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Matteo Ruisi, would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
Matteo Ruisi : I like to have fun at work, I enjoy making jokes and I usually don’t take everything too seriously. I need to have kind and approachable people around, and what I really hate is working in an aggressive environment. A rude or offensive approach creates stress and doesn’t allow people to focus on the right things.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
Matteo Ruisi : What I constantly do is try to engage the people I’m working with, organising in-house speeches, workshops, and personal meetings, to listen to what they have to say and give them the best possible impartial advice I can.... |
Matteo Ruisi, what positive experiences you had when you attend the a’ design award?
Matteo Ruisi : A’ Design Award was a great experience from the Gala Night, to the intensive PR campaign they did. Thanks to this award I’ve seen my work featured in different countries and I met designers I couldn’t meet otherwise. Thanks to this award, my work is now more popular than before and being the designer of the day is something I am really proud of.... |
Matteo Ruisi, can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
Matteo Ruisi : My vision is to bring humour, curiosity or fun in every piece of work, because I think is one of the main keys to get to the people....
Matteo Ruisi, what kinds of works do you like designing most?
Matteo Ruisi : I love stories, so every design that allows me to tell a story.... |
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Matteo Ruisi, what was the first thing you designed for a company?
Matteo Ruisi : The first thing I designed was a logo for a resort in Umbria, Italy. I spent days on sketches and I loved the result: an oak leaf shaped as a B and as the number 3, because the name was Borgo 3 Querce (Three Oaks Borough)... |
Matteo Ruisi, what is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Matteo Ruisi : I love Adobe Illustrator, I can't live without it, but I always start designing with paper 250gr, a B pencil and a Paper Mate Flair M. ... |
Matteo Ruisi, when do you feel the most creative?
Matteo Ruisi : When I'm smoking. A cigarette gives me the time to think in relax.... |
Matteo Ruisi, thank you for giving us the opportunity to interview you... To learn more about Matteo Ruisi and check more designs by Matteo Ruisi as well as to see more Matteo Ruisi designs such as Sizes visit designeroftheday.com/?143986 |
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We hope you enjoyed our interview of Matteo Ruisi. This interview was made possible by the contributions of A' Design Award and Competition - The World's largest and most influential design accolade. A' Design Award is an annual, international design award open to both concept stage and realized works by designers, artists, architects and brands worldwide. A' Design Award and Competition aims to create a public awareness and understanding of good design by promoting the best designers such as Matteo Ruisi and their design works worldwide. Visit designaward.com to learn more. |
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:
https://competition.adesignaward.com/designer.php?profile=143986 https://competition.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=37429
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