For the month of May, we chose to feature one of our talented Book 10 judges, Alex Tass. With more than ten years of successful graphic design experience, and with more than eight in logo and identity branding, Tass has earned his title as a “design guru”
Tell us about yourself: who you are and how you’ve come to be.
Hello, I am Alex and I am a graphic designer specialized in logo and identity design. Most of my life I have lived and had the chance to travel within Europe and I think this somehow influenced my visual style. I am a self-thought designer and it took me about 2 years just to learn some of the basics. I felt it as a very slow learning process and for many reasons even today, 12 years later from my very first interaction with graphic design and 10 years later since I am doing this as a profession, I still consider myself in the learning process. Electronic music played and perhaps still plays a major role in my life and evolution. I have developed an interested into graphic design, web design to be more specific because of my passion for this music, trying to help a DJ friend by creating a website for him. From this, 2 years later I had the chance to create posters and flyers for parties and events, and at some point later, I have discovered logo design as well by creating logos for clubs, DJs, festivals. I have designed artworks for this industry for more than 8 years, but somewhere on the road I got more and more involved, curious and passionate about logo design so just a few years later from my starting point I have decided to focus on logos and use all my graphic design skills developed from the clubbing related graphics to develop identities and branding projects.
What makes you stand out from other designers? What about your design aesthetic makes you different and unique?
I find it difficult to say what makes my work stand out from others. Usually my friends, other designers, clients describe a style that I have, they say that they recognize my works when they see them in context. For me, as strange as it may sound, at least for the moment, I cannot see these things. I like to work a lot geometrically, to follow basic rules, like symmetry, balance, alignments, I try to pay a lot of attention to small details, things that I think may not be perceived in the final result, but I consider that small details make the difference. I also like colorful visuals so you will see in my portfolio many colorful, bright and vivid logos.
What do you find to be “the good, the bad, and the ugly” when it comes to design? What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the job?
As mentioned I involve a lot of geometry and logic into my logos. I find good and I respect seeing this in other designers’ creations. Of course, there are amazing logos based on calligraphy or on more organic and fluid approaches rather than logical / geometrical. I would consider all these are “the good.” The bad and the ugly somehow go hand in hand and I would include here logos with many elements that fail to form a whole, strange color combinations, strange mixtures of different styles of elements. My favorite part is the pride I feel when I feel that I have created something new, something that I hope to be unique. The least favorite part is when sometimes I fail to understand the client intentions or decisions, when I feel that something is a good direction, but he has a different vision.
Can you tell us about the moment you knew a career in design was right for you?
I was fascinated by this domain since I first encountered it. Perhaps even before I knew the right name for it. I desired to be able to do this, but I never dreamed to have a career in design. I just noticed time passing by, projects gathering to my portfolio, so it somehow just happened without knowing that this is the path.
What was the hardest, but at the same time the most rewarding job you can remember? What work or works are you most proud of?
I recently had the chance and honor to work on a few projects for Google and I must confess that I am really proud of the process and results. It was very challenging and interesting to work with Material Design - Google’s own visual identity language and guidelines, it felt like learning a new vision, a new direction which contributed a lot I think to the satisfaction felt regarding the final results. The hardest and rewarding, hmm, well, it would be working 8 years for a client in the clubbing industry. Hard because I had a huge level of work that needed to be provided and it wasn’t always an easy collaboration, rewarding because it was close connected to my passion for electronic music. It was in a way like living the dream, being part of the scene, of the phenomenon. But, there are many projects that I am proud of and it feels very difficult to pick one or just a few. At a psychological level I am very fond and attached to my personal logo, to my bat.
How do you do to get out of “designer’s block?”
I explore, explore and explore some more. As Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
What and who, (designers or otherwise), inspires you the most?
I was and I am still fascinated by the works of M. C. Escher (Maurits Cornelis Escher). I have first discovered his creations when I was in high school, but I still have moments when I like to admire and get lost in his creations. There are many contemporary designers, agencies, studios artists that inspire me. I try to stay up to date with everything that they create and post online. Deividas Bielskis is one of my closest friends that I have meet while working in this design industry. Him and Dalius Stuoka, another designer that I can call today a friend are besides my colleagues and former design partners 2 of my inspiration sources. On a different level, everything around me inspires me. Traveling, movies, reading, various experiences. Music has a big role as well if not the biggest since it is usually involved in a way or another in all the others.
What/Who would be a dream project/client for you?
LEGO because I am a big fan and collector. There are many industries for which I haven’t worked yet and I would love to - for example aviation or automotive industry. At the moment, I would say that any client related to my hobbies is a dream client / project, but life is full of surprises and usually shows you something that you may have never imagined, so I know that they are out there, but we just didn’t encounter, yet.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in the world of design? What advice would you give to someone who has been in this biz for years?
For someone who is just starting I would say to experiment as much as they can. To read and understand any available resource, be it digital or printed (books, blogs, tutorials) and try as many ideas as possible. To stay connected and interact with the design community. All these things lead to a very much needed constant evolution in the personal development as a designer. For someone who is in this biz for years? Well, that I would not know what to say, because it depends on so many things.
Lastly, can you tell us anything about the logos you’ve judged for LogoLounge Book 10? Without giving away too much of course Did you enjoy the process? And will this be our best book yet?
For me this was the first time when I was involved in this process and it was a very new and interesting experience. I have seen a lot of amazing creations that I am sure that will make Book 10 a very inspiring lecture. With such a special promotion, with more entries than usual and with an extended jury, yes, I bet this will be the best book yet! :)
To see the collection of logos that Alex Tass has uploaded to the Lounge, simply click here. To view the rest of his incredible work, you can visit his website here. Stay tuned this May, as we bring another designer superstar to the LogoLounge “Center Stage.”