Interview with Marko Stanojevic

I have always expressed myself visually, drawing, sculpting, making or creating something. Becoming a professional designer was a follow-up to what I was doing anyway as a hobby and for fun previously. The transition was pretty seamless for me.
Another thing is that growing up, our house was often packed with different kinds of intellectuals, creatives and artists that my parents were friends with. Looking back, I think they collectively influenced my choice.

Actually, Zero Bureau studio and design philosophy were built on several principles, three of which stand out the most:
- Clever is Beautiful
- Purity of Thought, or Brutal Focus
- Unexpected Discovery
These are applied without exception. Everything else is context based, used and applied or not case-by case.
More about Zero philosophy is available at zerrobureau.net under Values.

I sometimes focus so that I truly loose sense of my surroundings. There is pressure at this stage, of course, a good kind, followed by excitement and relief once the core-value is found and project unlocks and unfolds.

Other then usual experiences common to most creatives in their forming, the one thing that unexpectedly had an immense value for me was becoming a design teacher. Some things a designer does practically on auto-pilot mode, I suddenly had to break down and lay out for others so that they can understand and adopt them. This is a very different skill to have then just doing something. Also, very often the questions I would get were not expected and would trigger me to explore further. I got to think more deeply and analytically about what I do then I did before and eventually have a better understanding of it. Teaching others made me learn a lot actually.

I prefer working on radical innovation aiming for disruption, there is most room for creativity in those kind of projects. As a trade off, there is also a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty, but that is ok. I believe I thrive when not comfortable. I always hope to be doing projects of a different nature then the ones I did previously. Working with experts from different fields is always a good experience.

I have been working in academia as my second job since 2007. I have met so many talented young people that truly inspired me, I hope I did the same for them. The hard reality is that their brilliance will not always receive proper appreciation. On the other hand, they will not always be as brilliant as they think they are, but they might get away with it. All of this should be taken as a learning experience and in the long run it all ends up being fair. Be humble enough to leave yourself the room to grow, but also confident enough to get things done.

Learn to read the room, focus on decision maker, if needed make that person identify with your ideas and feel a sense of ownership over them. Project always comes first, find a way to make your client trust you and support you to get it done properly.

I work from early in the morning. Anything challenging gets done first. I prefer to work on several projects at the same time and jump back and forth between them.

Trends are a summary of current behavioral patterns and reflect dominant social paradigms. As such, they matter very much and need to be appreciated. In my view they are not a stylistic choice, which is a common misinterpretation. Style, or a personal signature should remain as it honestly is, but it can be applied in different ways across a cluster of trends that have been identified as relevant for the context.
There is more to this vast topic. For example, what if the project will have a long life on the market? Trends change over time, future ones need to be forecast with high probability or some room for project to evolve accordingly would need to be baked in the design itself. Geography has impact as well. I could go on, but I think the point I am trying to make is clear.

Evaluation across three layers would define if the design is good, in my opinion. In short - fitting the assigned context (appropriate, optimal), creating a clever twist/surprise (WOW) and the outcome appearing to be effortless (no-design design).
More down to earth criteria such as feasibility, follow up potential and others are taken into account of course.

There is a point when nothing is left to be added, nothing needs to be taken away. It seems like it always had to be done in that way. It is interesting and unexpected, but unassuming and non-pretentious. This is a good-case scenario.
Less fortunate option is that the deadline arrived. :)

Working in academia as design educator, designing designers. I am very proud of their successes and achievements, sometimes looking from afar.

There are many, but Achille Castiglioni stands out for obvious reasons.

I have been fortunate to live a nomadic life, practically since birth. I have been educated across different cultures and school systems, same goes for professional experiences. My cultural heritage is firmly European, but I feel it has been strongly expanded, even altered by various influences over time needing to adapt over and over again.
For the last decade I have been based in Hong Kong and have mostly been engaged in SE Asian markets with a very specific set of requirements and expectations compared to the West, for example. Design-wise, I see this part of the world as having a still not fully used, big potential. The key for this to happen, in my view, is stronger support and trust of the management, both in private and government sectors, aiming more at radical innovation then an incremental one. I would say that design level reflects maturity and sophistication of the society, although it does have an active role to play in this context as well.

A lot of thinking, a lot of sketching, a lot of sparring-sessions with the team and other people. I like to share and be judged from various points of view as much as possible in the backstage, to make sure idea is truly ready once it is in the open. In general, it is a lot of doubt until there is no doubt. Sometimes the deadlines, best friend and biggest foe, can expedite this. That is why I like to have thick-skinned, passionate people on the team. Having talent and depth goes without saying.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, when hiring and assigning projects I always look at what one can be or do, a person's potential, rather then what they were and are. This is not a common approach in Asia in my experience.

In the past I have supported national cultural heritage projects in my home country that did not receive adequate government funding to execute what they needed to do properly. At the early stages of my career some pro-bono work was done for several animal shelters, and more recently and on the bigger scale, together with my students for an NGO in Hong Kong helping and empowering people with mental difficulties. I have done several lectures and workshops to a wider, non-professional audience as well. It was all very satisfying and I hope I helped on some level.

I truly do enjoy the awards. It is a stamp of quality given by one's peers, not much can beat that. Being a Designer of the Day just takes it even further.

I have always expressed myself visually, drawing, sculpting, making or creating something. Becoming a professional designer was a follow-up to what I was doing anyway as a hobby and for fun previously. The transition was pretty seamless for me.

Neither. I feel like I was always one, just not officially.

Lately it is mostly branding, due to nature of projects that come my way. I do aspire and hope to work with the latest and most advanced in hi-tech, but to be able to treat it as an at piece or poetry and focus on emotional aspects and opportunities.

Believe in themselves and stay humble and patient.

Depth. Meaning. Subtlety.

I came to my own formula over time to distinguish and evaluate designs. It has three layers, each of them complex in its' own right. In short and without going into details - CONTEXT, does the design fit it or does it create it properly, WOW EFFECT - does the design take an unexpected clever twist, is it a surprise, and finally does the outcome appear to be done in an EFFORTLESS manner, which is actually often the hardest.

If it is about investment, then it ought to be profitable.
Now, this can be a straight-forward issue, but sometimes it is not. For example, a good design can raise the value and improve the perception of a certain brand while not being profitable itself. This may boost profit elsewhere and more then make up for the loss. Or sometimes simply reposition the brand to a more favorable position which can be enough.
On a softer side, widely present and appreciated good design shows a more profound civilizational level of a society.

Anyone with a courageous and noble goal.

Grow Zero Bureau studio to its' full potential.

I never had any doubt if I am doing what I should be doing in life, I never compromised with the quality of any project.

There are many, but Achille Castiglioni stands out for obvious reasons.

All the designs that were seemingly a small thing at the time of making but have changed the world or perception of it. Like Juicy Salif or iPhone. I could also perhaps separate Ettore Sottsass and everything that Memphis Group did.

Working in academia as design educator, designing designers. I am very proud of their successes and achievements, sometimes looking from afar.

Think deeper today then you did yesterday, remain open minded and be ok to be insecure, let go of anything redundant that you may outgrow. Mature but remain curious. Draw a lot.

I never saw or considered another path for myself to be honest.

Thinking with a goal in mind. Focus on others.

Family and close circle of friends. Some of my teachers were truly an inspiration, recently my students as well.

I am not sure I am there yet. But to get to where I am now - people, communication, honesty, patience.

Lack of a road map :)

In a way that shows the design was not done on a whim. It needs to be clear that every little decision is made for a good reason, in an optimal and appropriate way. If this is done correctly, design outcome moves away from the binary judgement of liking or not liking it and becomes simply correct, regardless of the taste or preference.

That is up to my clients really.

The goal line keeps moving after each project, there is no ultimate goal. It is truly about the journey for me, developing, learning, contributing more.

Quality, understanding, depth, value creation.

Design's role has been misstated in the last decades, in my opinion. Designers are as responsible for a better society as anyone else in that society. Design is deeply embedded and intertwined with many things, it is not a separate entity that can do harm or good on its' own.

A fashion line. I never did one before. Never expected to do one actually.

The ones least likely to be successful that managed to end up as good designs.

Management is a crucial part in initiation of good design and its life on the market. Improvement in that segment would show most, I think.

In multiple directions at the same time. All of them will most likely result in the same principle - democratization of design process or any type of creative activity, due to AI advancement for example. It will enable a wider base generating more ideas. Not all of them will be of value, but still it is within reason to expect there will be more good ones than we have today.

It is based on the deadlines set according to the client's needs for the most part. It is so different from case to case. This is the reason I really do not like the model of charging-by-the-hour since it is fundamentally not a good fit for creative professions. Whether the outcome is reached quickly or slowly does not necessarily reflect its' quality.

I seek the core value that will resonate with audience/clients and identify the optimal design opportunity in execution.

Clever is beautiful.

Mostly, design will reflect the times. It's a snapshot in history, perhaps in a way like any other form of art. Very rarely it becomes an instigator, but it does happen.

It is a tool that takes some difficulties or limitations out of the picture, sometimes even an enabler of more profound things.

Industry standard 2D and 3D software, nothing special. I do care about having a good quality monitor. On the traditional side, I still like to use my markers, small sculpting tools

Depends on the context of the project, from being crucial to being irrelevant. There is no universal fit-for-all recipe.

Nothing. I hope they understand why it's done the way it's done without explanation or questions.

I still get an overwhelming sensation of admiration when I witness human ingenuity and true creativity of any kind. I never got bored with this or stopped being excited about it.

Yes, when it is a good match. I am flexible, I don't mind being in the passenger seat if I trust and respect the driver, don't mind driving either.

For some reason, it was the time and the place for me. My years spent studying and working in Milan, Italy seem to have unlocked what I do now and a lot of people influenced me, some of them probably without knowing it. It was the first time I was let in the backstage of the design world and as a result started to form my thinking and use it above pure instinct, talent or luck.

The End of Print, works of David Carson.
Again, I think it was about the timing. Everything I was taught in school someone disregarded or shattered, and the projects were better for it. I was impressed.

Perhaps with clear focus on project quality and what will bring it about.

A brilliant mind from a distant future.

I truly do enjoy the awards. It is a stamp of quality given by one's peers, not much can beat that.
I am not famous nor would I want to be. On the other hand, I wish great fame for the projects I take part in.

White, home, salmon, autumn, running shoes, Zero Bureau.

This is a hard one actually. I have many good moments, but a funny one does not come to mind easily. I had a lady biting my design at an exhibition recently and walking away, never understood why.

I enjoy new projects, the bigger, the better. Turning nothing into something. That's all I need to be motivated.

It was obvious I will be doing something along those lines. My toys were Legos, pencils and paper, toys I made out of playdough and other materials later on. I was always doing visual communication, without knowing what it is or thinking about it.

We become multiplanetary species and deal with issues too remote, great and complex to see or understand at this point.

Please visit and browse https://zerobureau.net/ and let me know what you think via email office@zerobureau.net or through WhatsApp +852 56865826
Feel free to add me at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markostanojevic/

Zero Bureau is a creative collective founded in Europe in 2009, having a base in Hong Kong SAR since 2019. The nature of Zero collective is multispecialized, with branding design & visual communication at it’s base as a staring point, leaning as much on technology and commercial trends as it does on art. Zero Design approach is, simply put, about creating optimal value in the simplest way possible, regardless of the nature of the task. Disciplines, as they are viewed in the traditional sense, come into play after that step, and they are just about various ways of appropriate execution of the unlocked and established core value across the spectrum of media and platforms.

Fundamentally, I would say it's turning nothing into something (with value for others).

More complex the challenge and more demanding and difficult the task may be, higher the satisfaction. With that said, it is an ideal situation for a designer, in my opinion, is to create a project from the very beginning and then have a chance to nurture, develop and branch it out further over time. So I'd say, long-term multidirectional projects with many stages.

Next project, always.

As a 1st year student a friend told me about a logotype design competition for a local fashion house. Not knowing how much I don't know, I took the project on and ended up winning a 2nd place among 600+ applications. It was a big incentive to diversify design skills.

These are all means to an end. No particular preference.

When working on a self-initiated projects, no compromises and no excuses. Actually, I would rather say most honest then most creative.

Not overdesigning.

I sometimes focus so that I truly loose sense of my surroundings. There is pressure at this stage of course, a good kind, followed by excitement and relief once the core-value is found and project unlocks and unfolds.

Recognition by others. Expert peers on competitions, wider audience on a real market.

Parameters are always firmly or loosely set by the client, or by creative team after research. They can sometimes be revisited on the fly, but for the most part they remain as they were before the design stage started.
More specifically, three layers would make a good design in Zero Bureau approach - fitting the assigned context (appropriate, optimal), creating a clever twist/surprise (WOW) and the outcome appearing to be effortless (no-design design).
More down to earth criteria such as feasibility, follow up potential and others are taken into account of course.

Same as any other person/profession. The world we all make together is the world we will all share.

Since I became a designer I believe I witnessed four so-called (r)evolutions. Creativity is still there just as much as ever, although many see it otherwise. I feel it is just reshaped, redirected, used and engaged in a different ways and over different platforms that might not have existed yesterday. We face a more complex and loose future with more possibilities and better tools. The role and position of a designer in the grand scheme of things has shifted and it will be more and more competitive for many reasons, more hard, but on the flip side more fulfilling for the ones who can keep up and it will create better outcomes for the users/clients/audience.

Actually, my first solo exhibition took place just recently in August of 2023 in Guangzhou, China. It was a self initiated project that evolved into an art-collection of 111 narrative visuals called Backstory, for this occasion turned into a street-fashion line of art-to-wear hoodies and t-shirts.
Looking forward to doing it again as soon as the right opportunity presents itself.

I never had the need to find some kind of fuel or a secret sauce for what I do. It's just there. I don't think I would be interested to do anything else.

Clever is beautiful.
It took me years to realize this. Seems very obvious now.

I have been fortunate to live a nomadic life, practically since birth. I have been educated across different cultures and systems, same goes for professional experiences. My cultural heritage is firmly European, but I feel it has been strongly expanded, perhaps even altered by various influences over time.
For the last decade I have been based in Hong Kong and have mostly been engaged in SE Asian markets with a very specific set of requirements and expectations compared to the West, for example. Design-wise, I see this part of the world as having a still not fully used big potential. The key for this to happen, in my view, is stronger support and trust of the management, both in private and government sectors, aiming more at radical innovation then an incremental one.

Zero Bureau nurtures something I call "collaborative mode". Whenever possible ZB works with someone rather then provide service for someone, which is to put it simply simply - deeper. Communication needs to be very much alive and not forced, I guess like in any good relationship. That is always best done in long-term, multi-project engagements when understanding can be built to a high degree with time.

Regarding the collaboration it is all about trust, shared excitement and common goals.
When selecting a designer/studio, my advice is for the company not to merely judge previous projects at face value and ask for more of the same (which is often the case), but to try to understand processes behind the creations and look for potential. Design is about creating new values after all, not replicating old ones.
At least that is how I look at, evaluate and select creatives.

A lot of thinking, a lot of sketching, a lot of sparring-sessions with the team and other people. I like to share and be judged as much as possible in the backstage, to make sure idea is truly ready once it is in the open. In general, it is a lot of doubt until there is no doubt. Sometimes the deadlines, best friend and biggest foe, can expedite this.

Awards :)

I like to kick things off very early and I am immediately highly productive and get most of my important work done then. I do not shine in the afternoons without a big boost of caffeine.

I have been working in academia as my second job since 2007. I have met so many talented young people that truly inspired me, I hope I did the same for them.
The hard reality is that their brilliance will not always receive proper appreciation. On the other hand, they will not always be as brilliant as they think they are, but they might get away with it.
All of this should be taken as a learning experience. Be humble enough to leave the room to grow, but also confident enough to get things done.

As with any calling, if it is one's true calling, all these do not matter. It is a part of a package.

It is only finished when an outcome is out of the arbitrary zone and can't be judged on like-it/don't-like-it base, and when there is absolutely nothing left to add and nothing left to take away.

Nimble mind, curious spirit, brutal execution.

Specific tools are not relevant. Most important for me are long hikes actually, that is when answers previously out of reach pop up on their own.

I prefer to work on several projects simultaneously, I find it good to "reset creativity" now and then. I just mind the deadlines and work within those constraints.

It is so different from case to case. Again, it is based on the deadlines. This is the reason I really do not like the model of charging-by-the-hour since it is fundamentally not a good fit for creative professions. If the outcome is reached quickly or slowly does not necessarily reflect its' quality.

Is the project finished?

Actually, it was at an academia - working in School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Other then meeting many great people and learning a lot, this experience unexpectedly spilled over to my professional and private life and made me choose Hong Kong to be my home.

I would rather say collaborators or institutions I worked with/for. Most notable names would be Siemens, Shiseido, Cassina, Tecno SPA, Extravega, JTI. Regarding academia, Politecnico di Milano, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Institute of Design, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

I prefer working on radical innovation aiming for disruption, there is most room for creativity in those kind of projects. As a trade off, there is also a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty, but that is ok.

The goal is always the same - to expend the client base and to work on completely new challenges on as big of a stage as possible.

Not at the moment.

I can always be reached via contact section on my website zerobureau.net or directly by email office@zerobureau.net or through WhatsApp +852 56865826

Questions were quite thorough, thank you.