[SON] Hello Radim, run down the profile who, what, when, where, why and how?
[RADIM] Hola, my name is Radim Malinic and I am a freelance designer & illustrator working under the name of Brand Nu. Most of the times I am very happy individual, the rest of the time I am even happier. Quite easily amused too. Tell me a shit joke and I will no doubt laugh. I turned 29 a few months ago and my girlfriend got me a nice cake. No candles though. Actually I need to find out why. I’ve a got a little website at www.brandnu.co.uk where I am hoarding the work I am most proud of. I design mainly for print, but of late I’ve been working on a range of interactive tools. Although, CMYK colour space is where I am most at home:) Pantone book is my bedtime reading. I started up doodling and creating visual mishaps some 14 years ago, but never really thought much of it. Playing the bass in a band and djing was back then taking most of my time. Helping out with screenprints at my mother’s design agency was possibly the nearest I got to the world of design. It was fun, but possibly I needed time to really make my mind up of what to do.
Having worked freelance for years and years, I decided to quit my daytime job of 5 years as a Senior Designer in March this year. It was the right time to go on my own and I love every single day of it. I had to juggle two more or less full time jobs and it was getting a bit tiring. Now I have had the pleasure to work on the ‘big gun’ projects, but also on the smaller ones, where going against the rules was quite enjoyable and rewarding. People put up websites as soon as they’ve got one or two decent pieces to show to the world. It took me more that 3 1/2 years to get myself to put some of my work online. Not sure if it was a good move or a bad move because since the day I put my portfolio online I haven’t really had a day off. It’s nice to see how people put my stuff to their judgment on their blog sites, some young designers slug it off but mainly, my work is attracting new clients coming to me for their ‘Brand Nu’ artwork.
[S] Now that thats clear, you mention that work is starting to flood. How do you manage time and what is some advice on juggling several projects at a time?
[R] Get three time planners! One for whole year, one for the weeks only and one where you plan a day’s workload. I know it sounds bizarre but it damn works. Working freelance is about putting more hours in and about breaking your sleep patterns. It’s all about planning your time. Don’t promise your clients to get their work done in a breakneck timescales when you’ve got already a pile of new jobs to get on with. To me really, the most ideal project are the ones where you can work from start to finish in one go. I find it most exciting to come up with new ideas as I go along, you can experiment with new techniques and get stuff done. Some people work on a poster for a week or more. I definitely admire them for their patience. In the commercial design industry work gets done pretty fast. Very rarely I work on something for more than a day, well, unless it’s an album artwork etc. It keeps the variety going through and things don’t go stale.
[S] What technologies make things easier?
[R] It’s quite scary how much we depend on the computers these days. Eight year old kids get their homework given online to email the answers to the teacher. How mad is that? I mean don’t get me wrong the computers has made it easier for most of us to do this or that at some stage, but it’s getting a bit too much. People are getting messed up because their broadband connection drops off a bit. 10 years ago there was no fast connection and every one was happy and the work got done. I’ve got a Quad Mac with 4GB of RAM and it’s like my twin brother. Well, I don’t talk to it, but it does everything I need. If the computers didn’t exist I am sure I would be doing the same work, only via a bit more time consuming and dirtier process. The computers do make it easier …. a lot easier. The internet has made everything to ‘blend’ together too. It’s great to send your files to printers in Japan, talk to client in Thailand via IM and get new brief from your client in the USA, all done in the same time of the hour. I think we are living in quite exciting times. What makes me really laugh, is the so-called ‘designer public’ who get themselves a stolen copy of Adobe Photoshop, a cheap laptop and claims he’s got a design studio. Yay! Those people think it’s even easier than that.
[S] What media outlets do you use for marketing? Do you decide what work you do?
[R] I haven’t really explored the many various marketing channels available out there. My website attracts the right kind of audience, my previous work does pull in a lot and the trusted word of mouth does the rest. Indeed I take the decision what I take on, what client I would like to sack. I like freedom on my projects. It’s normal to work on a few various projects at a time and I’m very careful what I take on board. Also, it’s nice when the client listens to what you’ve got to offer to them. Some of them keep rambling about their crap idea and expect you to just artwork it for them. Agencies take on jobs to make money, but I am sporting an opinion; that if I can do a good job, let’s take it on.
[S] Is there a difference between work and a personal life for you?
[R] My girlfriend would like to think there’s a difference between the two, but being very passionate about the art and design I never really switch off. You get inspired wherever you go, whatever you read or see. Whenever we travel abroad, I tend to take pictures of textures, banisters, facades and all sorts of random stuff I later implement in my artwork which Japanese tourist never thought of taking pictures. It just shows I never really leave my ‘work’ head at home. The plumbers might have it easier in what they do. I bet they don’t look at the water taps in Italy and point out to their better halves the position of the toilet flusher, maybe. Living is about interaction with the world around you. Your work reflects your personal stuff as well as your normal life is infused by the time spend cracking an odd job brief.