We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Ioanna Milopoulou ("IM").

Ioanna Milopoulou (Design Mi), is a freelance graphic designer and communications consultant based in Athens. She showcases a 15-year prior experience in Advertising from the position of Client Service Senior in advertising agencies such as McCann Erickson Athens, UpSet!. and in Marketing / New Products Development for retail brands in Greece. She incorporates strategy into every design project and these are primarily focused on branding, identity building and advertising. Clients are diverse: social networks, retail brands (cosmetics, fashion, food & beverage) as well as services (law offices, travel agents etc). She also co-operates, project-based, with design studios in Athens.

Ioanna Milopoulou Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Ioanna Milopoulou.

Designer Interview of Ioanna Milopoulou:

DI: What is "design" for you?

IM : Design is a process. The process of turning a conceptual message, feeling or idea into a visual representation. Aesthetics matter, yet they are so relative. For me the question is: Does design have to be beautiful or/and meaningful? I am thinking that if it is meaningful then it is functional and that means that somebody is taking pleasure out of it. This is why I aspire to color code so much: it carries feelings, extends beyond us, is a humanitarian code of conduct.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

IM : When there are no expectations. Working in a context of approval of my work and what I am doing, acceptance of the way I think and approach design problems. A design project is like a mathematical equation I have to solve. There is not only one right answer in a design problem. I need to work with people that are interested in my unique solution. I have to come up with my own answer. Time constraints don’t bother me really. In certain cases, they get me going. Ideas come up in a split of seconds. 24 hours.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

IM : Enthusiasm. And stress. Lots of it. Combined. While you design, you feel always under attack.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

IM : Satisfaction for a successful birth. Meanwhile, I keep seeing potentials that were not realized, keep questioning myself. Quite controversial feelings. Both useful.

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

IM : There is not one good designer for a company. Design takes two. The best, most acclaimed designer cannot work for one company, while can do miracles for another. It is a matter of professional skills, talent, personal taste, but most importantly of chemistry. It is after all a relationship, between client-designer, that has to be smooth, have respect, trust, goodwill and flow of information. Without information and trust, void results happen. The worst examples of co-operation come from lack of trust. You don’t have to pay me that money if you don’t trust me and think that you can do it yourself. Right? Would you interfere with your electrician’s advice? No. Well, it is absolutely the same.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

IM : There is a first off-computer stage and then the second one, on-computer stage. I personally value a lot the first. There is where basically the design style of a project and its strategy are developed. It is the stage of research, I read, I google, working on my note book, creating idea maps and coming up with key words. All on paper. I try to understand the dynamics of the project, the topic, the client’s expectations. I don’t do art for the sake of it, each design has to be functional and targeted. I evaluate different options and directions and then proceed to working on-computer. If the first stage is done correctly, then the on-computer stage is really creative and good things happen. I do the on-computer stage in doses; I take time away from each design and then return back with a cleared perspective. I refrain from presenting to the client multiple ideas, I stick to 1-2 ones. This requires a final stage of time-off, devoted to final evaluation. Many times, I ask for feedback from other designers that I value their advice. And all of the times I ask the opinion of kids. They see things that we don’t.

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

IM : I like the gallery style on home decoration, diverse prints and painting on the walls, all my house walls are full of them. A replica of a Cycladic sculpture. The most advanced form of art, for me. A wax sculpture, made by the design team Greece is for Lovers, Aphrodite of Milos, casually accessorized. A Venetian mask. A weird candle holder I brought back from a trip to Italy, made of red hose.

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

IM : Develop your personal style. Learn and study well what is it that your clients want to say, and then say it your own distinctive way. Don’t copy. Respect your clients and your work, time and effort.

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

IM : Overall, I have a good time management, I believe. It is a skill I learned not as a designer, but while working in the advertising industry for quite a few years. There, if you don’t have good time management and organizational skills, you are dead. Just think of deadlines!

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

IM : “Where does your inspiration come from?” or “How did you come up with this idea?” Basically, we live in a time when everyone has access to “inspiration tools”, such as Shutterstock for example, so some people try to understand why they cannot do a logo or a brochure or a poster by themselves. They miss the point that while someone cooks at home, that does not make him or her, chefs. As simple as that.

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

IM : Branding and print projects, such as posters or stationery for example, give me great pleasure. I love physical products, tangible, that I can see around me and have around me. Plus, the printing process is always a challenge, how to take something from screen and make it real. Paper is a fetish. Digital of course is also useful (and necessary), I do design websites, more so out of necessity (demand from my clients) rather than pleasure.

DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?

IM : Creative challenges come from all sort of directions, sometimes unexpectedly. One has to be open. I am currently preparing to participate in an art show in Athens (June 19, titled Stranger in a Strange Land), which is a very interesting exercise for me and involves co-operation with different artists (painters, photographers, performers) from different countries and cultural backgrounds. Quite a thrill. Working on various branding projects in the meantime (such as branding for a top law firm or for a business non-profit association) as well as other commercial/advertising projects for Food and Beverage, cosmetics and services.