Interview with Matteo Ruisi

My passion for design and communications was born while I was working in a supermarket after the high school, when I was still deciding what to study. I was surrounded by colours, shapes, advertising and typography for 8 hours a day, and I started thinking to get an education in that industry. At the time money was very tight, and I decided to keep on working to afford the stellar fee of an art direction degree to follow my dream. Currently I am focussing on using design and communications to engage people in the economy of the country.

• Research - understanding the context, the competitors, the trends in the industry, analysing all the possible aspects is fundamental to put the basis for a successful design work• Sketch and design - I mainly focus on the ideas, I like that my works aren’t just well designed but they have to be based on a solid creative strategy• Test - because testing shaves the opinions and rewards the efficiency

I like the Eureka effect, I really love when I finally solve a design problem.

I play guitar, I am a good cook (I’ve also been a contestant at Masterchef Italy!), I wrote a humorous book and I write songs. I think I can say that creativity is a huge part of my life.

I am building a clear path for my design career, that is focussed on shaping the way the financial companies and institutions communicate. When I started working with banks in the 2000s I was really frustrated I couldn’t bring any new ideas or any different approach both to design and communication, the banks were really traditional when coming to communicate something. Nowadays banks and financial companies are really opened to change the old rules, and there is room to test, improve and create meaningful pieces of communication.

My advice is to work as hard as possible, especially during the first years, designing every day for hours to understand what you like, what you don’t and what you are able to do really well, to be able to narrow down the possible career paths and start specializing during the next years.

There are plenty of valuable tips online about design, but something that might be missing or not enough explored is the personal branding. I've seen many CVs and portfolios in my career and it is incredible to see how many good designers design beautiful but weak CVs. There are a few rules that are worth it to mention: 1. Focus on your career goals - I don’t get why some designers with 15 years of experience have in their CV the very first experience explained in details. My suggestion is to leave the room for the most relevant and recent works, the ones that shape you as a designer. 2. Don’t be humble - A friend of mine, a really successful designer, asked me to review his CV and one of my first questions was: “have you ever won an award or have you been featured somewhere?” He immediately said no, but after making him think about it he came up with 10 recognitions among awards and featured projects.

As Creative Lead I manage the tasks among designers and I ensure the quality of the ideas and the output.

I usually look for visual inspirations online and from other designers, but I always want my ideas and creative strategies to be unique.

Talking about brand design, a good design is based on a solid strategy, is developed around a strong and unique idea, and the output is consistent and beautiful.

My works are ready when I think they are communicating the right thing in the right way, when the story is completed and I can just add details.

I’ve done two works I am particularly proud of, that are two brand identities I created for early stage fin-tech startups in the UK that are currently among the most successful companies in the industry. I spent months on those works, I’ve tested them and I got a very positive feedback since the beginning, and now it is great to see them having success and getting more and more clients.

I don’t have a design guru that I’m following, but there are many talented designers around to learn from

My culture surely influences my design and it can’t be otherwise. I am Italian and I am working in the UK, sometimes I say, do or design things that have a completely different meaning in their culture. I remember that one client told me that a logo I’ve designed was similar to the logo of a fictional company he’s seen in a British TV series back in the 90s. How could I possibly know that!

I like to have fun at work, I enjoy making jokes and I usually don’t take everything too seriously. I need to have kind and approachable people around, and what I really hate is working in an aggressive environment. A rude or offensive approach creates stress and doesn’t allow people to focus on the right things.

What I constantly do is try to engage the people I’m working with, organising in-house speeches, workshops, and personal meetings, to listen to what they have to say and give them the best possible impartial advice I can.

A’ Design Award was a great experience from the Gala Night, to the intensive PR campaign they did. Thanks to this award I’ve seen my work featured in different countries and I met designers I couldn’t meet otherwise. Thanks to this award, my work is now more popular than before and being the designer of the day is something I am really proud of.

I usually work in-house and as a freelancer

Quoting David Ogilvy, design is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Brand design is definitely my favourite. It's a mix of creativity, organisation, holistic vision, and communication.

As of 2022, my favourite brand design is from Spotify, designed by one of the best branding agencies in the world, Collins. The way that they have reinvented the market through a purely visual approach is remarkable

The first thing I designed was a logo for a resort in Umbria, Italy. I spent days on sketches and I loved the result: an oak leaf shaped as a B and as the number 3, because the name was Borgo 3 Querce (Three Oaks Borough)

I love Adobe Illustrator, I can't live without it, but I always start designing with paper 250gr, a B pencil and a Paper Mate Flair M.

I think it just happens. There are certain days that I wake up and I surprise myself with ideas of any kind

My focus is analysis and research. I then turn what I've learnt into a design strategy

I'm relaxed but extremely focussed

I wasn't sure I wanted to disclose it, but here you go - I feel emotional and almost tearful.

Good design is something you look at with a sense of curiosity, something that speak to you even if there are no words to read.

Creative thinking, proportions, aesthetics.

Accessibility has become one of my top priorities

Design is becoming more and more human-centric and less self-centred.

Inspiration comes from the in-depth study of the subject. There are plenty of stories a designer can tell when they have a thorough understanding of their subject

Pondered, simple, sharp

I'm living in London, a great city to meet people from all over the world.

It's hard to tell. Sometimes a good bond can put an average designer in the position of creating the best work of their life.

Every item in a home is a design item, even the home itself.

Team up with as many people as you can before others do it. Bring people onboard and let them feel a part of the process.