Interview with SATA Airlines

My company has 8 years of activity as Ivity Brand Corp and stands as the most awarded in Portugal with the most relevant brand projects in its portfolio. However, our core team is a long term partnership from my previous design company, one that created a “school” and a design standard in Portugal since 1985.

Design is mainly a way to add value to a product, company or service. It focus on the best side, takes out the most of advantages and builds an engaging story. Design is a way to boost economies, simplify our lives and provide pleasure, information and good navigation in the modern geography of brands.

Creating a new brand or adding a new life to an existing one. Using knowledge, experience and gut feeling, is quite fun (and extremely challenging) to shape a brand’s personality and life story that will define its values and strenghts for a future life.

The new brand for Portugal’s flagship airline. After almost 10 years, it stands as fresh as before, a contemporary reflection of Portugal in all the major airports, and one of the best designed in terms of aesthetics and longevity.

I think it was an insurance brochure. I used a simple visual concept to illustrate a boring health insurance product. It worked very well-in terms of sales of course- and I was very happy and encouraged to repeat the simple method.

Difficult to say, but i guess it must be the brain. We deliver solutions to different technologies and platforms, most of it will be developped by third parties. After brains, my favourite material are hands.

When i have nothing to do (laughs). Ideas come easier with no stress, but unfortunately, this is a paradox. I force myself to be creative everytime i have a problem to solve.

The story behind the design, by far the most important aspect. Without a good idea, simple enough to be understood, no design process really begins.

I usually curse the deadlines. And sometimes i change it, if we really need it.

Of course is rewarding. It is the result of team work, a collective achievement, and that’s the best you can get.

A brand story rich enough to provide directions to everyone who works on it, for a very long time.

1- is this engaging? 2-Is this relevant? 3- Is this well performed like a good theater play?

Deliver an honest output, don’t lie, don’t overestimate, be transparent, lucid and optimistic. Relating to the environment, don’t be cynical. Use paper if you have to, don’t be extreme about the digital world; human beings need things to see and touch. But be creative and use smart materials that could generate new ideas.

The future of design will always be the field of ideas. Designers with no ideas but only decorative skills will be a disposable commodity, abundant and with low value. Clients need ideas to generate more business, as simple as that. They don’t need fancy and subjective drawings.

It was about a year ago, in Lisbon. We had hundreds of arty noses across an entire zone of the city, celebrating the Lisbon unique smell. It was a great urban Project involving street wall and traditional shops.

Inspiration comes from knowledge and information. You never create from nothing. We study and research a lot before starting to think.

I have no particular design style. My projects are for different clients and style will come from the story we will tell. I work with many people that have many personal styles. So every Project is like a casting process.

Portugal. When is relevant heritage should always be reflected on design. The past is a rich stream to feed ideas and perpetuate national equities in a contemporary approach.

In a very intimate way. Strategic projects must be share with high level decisions as marketing directors and members of the board. We don’t design simple leaflets

Corporate companies with one designer? That seems too restrictive unlesss to do daily design stuff. For serious design projects, an outside team will certainly pay off.

Passion, commitment, hard work. Simple as that.

A piano, a vintage synthesizer, a buda wood head, a wood dining table (made myself) and a sofa.

Wake up. Half hour of music in my car, work, lots of laughing with my team, problem solving, problem solving, laughs, more problem solving, going home, half an hour of music, dinner, family, tv or a movie, study music, sleep for 6/7h.

Be humble, you don’t know nothing. Talk less and hear more. Open your eyes to everything, think and be very critical. Don’t ask for more money if you have a chance to learn in a good design company. Never wait for a briefing, invent one and start working. Be fast, curious, friendly, happy person and never, but never, let anyone think you might be lazy.

A good designer has the power to build a part of a better, smarter and nicer world. A bad designer, the opposite.

Every project must be condensed in one image and one headline. This will be the ADN and starting point for the story. It must be immediately understood.

I answered that in 25

Brain, team, discussion, google, adobe illustrator, photoshop and cinema 4D, basically. More than enough.

Design is not a science, so it can’t be predictable. We try to manage timming due to costs, but usually that’s not enough. Our clients usually support us with an extra time. Sometimes we take an extra effort and work all night long to finish a presentation.

Depends of the object (laugh) i think nowadays no one wants to take more than one month or two. You could always ask China to do it (more laughs).

Usually comes from a friend : “ i need your help, you are a creative so it be so easy for you”. F... them. Being a designer is a paid profession, not a free blessing from the gods.

Building two great design companies, so far.

Fidelidade Seguros (insurance), Multicare ( health), EDP (energy), SONAE ( retail ) among many others.

I believe i’ve answered that... creating or redifining a brand.

Keep working with my neurons. Design is an Alzheimer’s natural enemy.

Team. Always teamwork. A single designer working alone can never be self sufficient for more demanding projects.

I can’t talk about it

paulo.rocha@ivity-corp.com

Yes. Clients should face the hard economic times as an opportunity to clean the house and invest for the future. They must trust more than ever in design for their brands.