Joana Júdice

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Joana Júdice ("JJ") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

JJ : Well my background is a mix of a lot of things and I think that's exactly what caracterizes me the most. I think of myself as a Creative which has a lot of ideas and likes to execute them in a beautiful way. I have na undergraduation in communications with a major in Audiovisual & Multimedia. Besides that I have always loved design, photography and vídeo and that's why I keep on learning about webdesign, ux foundations and so many other fields related. Some of that knowledge was achieved by certificate and some of it by myself and with the experience & learning from people who have worked with me.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

JJ : We could all live without design, poetry, cinema and art in general but we wouldn't live so happily and with the passion we do when we are surrounded by art and beautiful things. I love the meaning behind each object, business, act, clothes, products... so I have always wanted to be part of the team who gives the meaning to each little thing that happens in the world. And those people are the creatives, the publicists, the designers... Design is about how to tell a story and how do you choose to make people live that story with you.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

JJ : I did choose to be a designer but I think I was already born to do it anyway.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

JJ : I have designed too many different things until now: a lot of corporate design which might seem more boring or restricted but it is actually a very interesting challenge to think how to be different and still be abble to fill in; I have done identity brand design and webdesign as well as mobile design. Interior Design is something that I love too as well as product design specially when it is about furniture because I do share a special passion about architecture too. From now on I wish I could be abble to focus my career on webdesign and brand identity because despite the designing part I want to be a Creative director and manage different solutions to different clients and challenges.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

JJ : Well I am not a legend designer but I hope to become one one day. This award is a first step to achieve it. But, as a young designer too, I do think that all of us should think about work hard, be very attentive to every little detail, do not be happy with just a médium result and always search for perfection in every job we take. It is important to know ourselves as designers and creatives; to be aware of what we do differently, what is the characteristics that define our work even if it is done in very different environments and for completely different clients. There's always something similar about what you do and everyone else should be abble to say "Joana did this" while looking at something that I did. To sumarize: give everything that you have everytime you do something and be different having always in mind what you are and what you believe. Never stop learning, search for more information and knowledge all the time and with everyone, be humble and accept opinions and keep yourself up to date and up to the work of other good designers too.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

JJ : For me, a Smart Design. The hability to put in your work more than one form of art. To know exactly what is the communication that each design is pursuing and give a product that fullfills the purpose and tells the right story. A designer that it is so good with colors as with words and combines it all in disruptive and completely different ideas.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

JJ : Well as I said before, each person has a different taste but in the end we can all agree when we look at a very good design because that design is serving the purpose of communication. It is not a great design if it is very beautiful but no one can understand the storytelling. Design is communication so it needs to be pleasant and beautiful but each aesthetic choice needs to be consistent and serve a communication purpose itself.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

JJ : Well let's say that one company is a life. One life is guided by the heart that pulses blood to your body and mind. If you take the heart the body dies. Design and Communication is the heart and soul of a company. If you don't invest in your soul and your heart the whole body will just die. Another way to put it (less deep but covering another important part of design role within a brand) is thinking about the expression "dress for the job you want to". The design or brand identity is the first impression of anything to the public. It is the possibility you have to receive extra communication from someone or to be completely forgotten. Do you want people to look for your brand, do you want people to say that your company is awfull or do you want people to don't even notice that you exist? All of this is promoted and achieved with good or bad design, good or bad identity brand.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

JJ : If I had time I would design to every little company and business which have no idea at all what this field is about, don't have Money to invest and actually have a product itself that it is good but simply don't know how to communicate it or promote it in a way that people can be interested enough to try it. I would design everything to everyone in order to make our world a better and more readable book.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

JJ : A very very big exhibition which combines photography, documentary, poetry, interior design and space concept... all conected in order to tell a very beautiful story about South America.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

JJ : I get very inspired by a lot of different Works which I search for every day but I don't necessarily look to the designer name who did it. But there's one designer that I follow his work and he has won one A'Silver Design Award too. His name is Luan Gjokaj and I find him so perfectly balanced and detailed. His work is always so clean, so clear and so focus. That is something that admire in him besides his amazing career and Creative spirit. He is a consistent designer and a solid Creative mind. Despite him there are some artists that inspire me in general not necessarily related with design but art: Shantell Martin; Vihls; Banksy; Marc Jacobs; Dominique Petrin; Sami Musa; Danny Ivan

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

JJ : Campo alle Comete Website; Confess Your Love 360 Website; Prime IT brand and website (Burocratik portfolio); Phive wesite - Balanced, dynamic, simple, focus on great image power, smart

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

JJ : I think my greatest design until now was the interior visual design I did for Smart Consulting by drawing all the vinils to our offices because it was a very Creative and challenged design to do which took a lot of my creativity skills. The final result is very balanced, with a great color panel, combining the main identity of the brand and a great disruptive storrytelling at the same time. (Among with that work it is this website which won a Golden Award) Why do I think it is the greatest? Because everyone that comes to the office never forgets our space and company anymore. And with a positive memory of it.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

JJ : Learn, learn, learn. Observe, observe, observe. Practice, practice, practice. Fail, fail, fail. Think, think, think. Try, try, try. It is all about the journey. You just fail if you try and if you fail you learn something already. Pick that lesson and make it usefull for your next work and for your career. Everything that you do is a lesson to learn and not a prize to keep forever. There are never finish jobs or perfect solutions. Design is something in construction and your work it is always in construction too. Make questions? Doubt about yourself and about your work.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

JJ : Design is an open window in a world of closed doors.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

JJ : My parents

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

JJ : Work hard and never be afraid of beeing myself and putting myself trully in what I do.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

JJ : Bad sallaries and a lot of hours of work

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

JJ : How they would present themselves.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

JJ : I'm finishing a very big Project of webdesign for a beautiful Social Organization. In the future, expect something big, I want to change many pre-concepts and revolutionate the world in a way that people will find themselves in the middle.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

JJ : Change the world.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

JJ : To make their life easier and more pleasant.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

JJ : Making it simple and usable.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

JJ : The website I told you about.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

JJ : Every Project that I did because there's always something special in each client and Project and it is always a interesting challenge to be abble to find what other person (or people) want and deliver a good solution to eachh situation. I really liked to create my own logo and right now I am working on my personal website and that's an exciting Project that will be out soon on www.joanajudice.com

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

JJ : I think design as everything else has stages and in each stage everyone follows the same rules at the same time. Despite the creativity of each designer to make it personal and different to each cliente I think we should have less orientations and become the trip more free and open to everything. Also, I would like to see less companies and designers offering free Templates so that we wouldn't have so many equal designs and each design would be thought for each cliente specifically and we could achieve a more exclusive stage in design field.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

JJ : In the interaction with the user in a way that even the user will be abble to interfere and create different environments in his usability of the product. The design path is following maximum customization and user interaction with the platforms and products.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

JJ : It can be one hour, one day, one week or months. It depends how big it is the Project and how complex the challenge. But I am very very fast having ideas and giving life to them.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

JJ : I start by understanding who is the public which is going to consume my design; what do I want to communicate and After I am sure about all of that I have to understand if my cliente as already any idea of what he wants or not. Listen carefully to what he says to me and just after that I start my brainstorming to design/sketch some ideas and find solutions to the problema presented.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

JJ : Keep calm and don't think you have your final product ever because you will change it so many times and you will find after (sometimes) that it got better!

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

JJ : Both. Everth art form is part of the process of changing the world and follow the change around.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

JJ : To make it possible and alive.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

JJ : I use Adobe Creative Cloud at home and at the office. At home I work as a freelancer with a mac, at my work (office) unfortunately I have a Windows laptop.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

JJ : A huge role. Color is the life and the soul of design and the materials are the difference between something cute or something very very good designed. The materials set the profissionalism of your work and the ambient is vital for the consistent mensage and good communication. If you fail in the ambient you can't create a strong and consistent identity brand and your design will fail.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

JJ : Anything but "What did you want to express with your design?" or "What did you want to communicate?"

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

JJ : Rainbows; stars and colors... I feel very happy.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

JJ : Yes I think it is a very rich way to achieve very good designs by putting together two Creative minds that are compatible and complimentary. For me someone that doesn't get offended, knows how to think and how to share he/she's thoughts, is abble to think before doing and is open to brainstorm and find the best solution despite if it was his/her idea or not.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

JJ : My father.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

JJ : The design of everyday things

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

JJ : By trying but specially by thinking before doing it.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

JJ : I have two different directors who I would love to meet, talk and discuss with: Roberto Benigni and Dan Fogelman. Why? In very different ways they have created a masterpiece that is so human, so deep and so beautiful that has to come from a genius and very beautiful and rich mind. I am talking about the movie of Roberto Benigni "Life is Beautiful" and the TV serie of Dan Fogelman "This is Us".

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

JJ : I don't consider myself famous but someone who Works a lot and had the deserved recognition for her work. If it is hard? Well, this interview was quite hard to finish but despite that it feels mostly good to be recognized and to see my masterpiece being validated by a lot of people that are much better and more experienced than me.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

JJ : Blue/ West Coast in Portugal/ Sushi/ Summer/ Watch/ Zadig Voltaire or Diesel

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

JJ : If you give balls they want squares when you give squares they now want balls. So basically they don't know what they want but they need to tell you something to change to seem that they are in charge. In that cases, just do all your design and then put a visible mistake by purpose on that. The client will see the mistake and ask to change it and after that you have your design all aprooved easily!

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

JJ : By working hard in what I love and giving all my heart to what I'm doing.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

JJ : The magic is about finding the journey day after day so, I do see people walking upside down, cars flying high and buildings being completely controlled remotely by technology. I do also see some changes that I might not like that much as kids looking to computers and don't even noticing people around, fatter and without any focus or passion about human life. But do we know what's coming next? No, we can predict and it is our right and duty to balance the progression in order to make it better and better and without loosing important achievements that we have made already.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

JJ : What I do need my fans to know about me or my work is: Be good to each other, take care of people around you; don't ignore the presence on your side; don't focus only on yourself; work hard and expect to be recognized by your work and effort and everytime you have the chance to choose: choose right! It is more difficult, it will be harder and more exausting, it might even seem that it is worthless, it's not! It is why you are here and that's how you are gonna be not a good designer but a great designer. Design for people and if you do that you will be the best. In order to do that you have to see the people! :) Be Smart!