An introduction + creativity in small-business practice
Hi there. Let me start by first introducing myself: My name is Luke Kovacs. I'm a 24 year old (at the time of writing this) graphic designer living in South-Western Sydney, Australia, and working at a small design and print firm.
I’ve set this blog up not just as a platform to gas about the things that inspire and interest me; but also to open up a dialog and discuss topics related to creative work and how it can help businesses better communicate and engage with their audience. Hopefully also serving as a journal of sorts for myself about my creative-process and projects as they evolve over time.
The work I tackle is mainly through our small design/print firm, as well as various side projects I pick up now and again (mostly through word of mouth or friends-of-friends). Most of our design briefs comes from small to medium business, start-up companies and the like.
Working with small-medium business is a very interesting kettle of fish. In that while it doesn't often allow you to work with the biggest budgets, it does afford an opportunity to see the real people driving their businesses and putting in the effort to make it work! More often than not these kinds of people are very willing to sit down and share with you their ideas, the direction they wish to head, and speak about how creative strategy and its deployment can help them achieve their goals.
It is this fact that makes it a very rewarding experience to create and exist in long term relationships with these kinds of clients. 51 year old Jack Ma, founder of the international Alibaba Group, has a particularly interesting (and quite touching) take on this; in which he stresses the importance of “following someone” and learning the “passion and dreams” from those trying to carve their own mark in the world:
When you go to a small company you learn the passion. Your learn the dreams.Jack Ma
The best creative results come from striking harmony between the creative and the client; and to understand those passions, dreams and expectations are an important part of the early creative process most designers tend to neglect from time to time. It’s certainly allowed me to work with some brilliant people and businesses over a long period of time. And in the end this attitude simply results in a more positive and enthusiastic work ethic. It’s nice to have your work signed off by a client. But it’s even nicer to maybe crack a cold beer and have a laugh together straight afterwards!
As this site develops, I plan to also talk about and link to some of the amazing, inspired blog pages that I follow regularly (COLOSSAL is definitely on my list at the moment), as well as engaging creative work.
Generally anything that gives me a strong pang of clever-envy!
Your friend,
Luke Kovacs