Simona Stanciu Antonescu — Design matters and covers everything.

Simona is a graphic designer that covers multiple working areas, with a specific interest in visual language and visual identity. She graduated from the National University of Arts in Bucharest – Design Department, where she currently lectures. She has continued her studies through masters and doctoral programmes and completed her PhD in Visual Arts in 2012. Simona has extensive professional experience in design and management, mainly linked to the worldwide renowned McCann Erickson advertising agency where she led the design department. She is the author of numerous high-profile projects for local and international blue-chip companies.

Simona interviewed by Red Dot

Red Dot: Why did you become a designer?
Simona: From the age of six, I studied in an art school. Things evolved organically at the design department of the University of Arts in Bucharest. It was a wonderful and enriching experience and a natural path to becoming a designer.

What does design mean to you?
Design is a complex field. I love design for its multifaceted, multidisciplinary character. For all its subtleties and contextual refinement. For the problem-solving challenge and the suspenseful work process. For its significant role in society and the value and quality it brings to our daily lives. It’s a constant enhancement.

What makes your work unique?
I always aim to create something distinctive and authentic. I play with shapes and colours in order to create the best visual language in a specific context. With every project, I adopt both an analytical and experimental approach, but my instinct also plays an important role alongside professional knowledge and expertise.

Which three adjectives best describe your award-winning project?
Distinct, vivid, memorable.

Please describe the concept of creativity against the background of your award-winning work.
Starting with a briefing is paramount to understand the context and set the proper course for the next steps. This information aids me in visualising possible creative directions and solutions. It is a complex process, but there is always a solution that stands out from the rest as the most appropriate and legitimate one. The Nativia project is no exception. The primary condition of the identity created was to distinguish itself in a unique, suggestive and empathetic way, while avoiding the numerous visual clichés typical of the targeted category of services.