Ikon Arts Foundation

Sensus Design Factory, established in 2001 by husband-and-wife team Kristina and Nedjeljko Spoljar, has an impressive resume for such a small operation. SDF works with a variety of clients on projects ranging from print to exhibition and identity design, and their work has already appeared in over seventy publications. Nedjeljko recently took some time out to tell us more about Sensus Design Factory, what makes good design, and where he and Kristina plan to go from here.

When did you form Sensus Design Factory? What did you do before that?

Sensus Design Factory as a ‘studio’ was founded several years before we actually started working in our own space. It has existed since 1996, while I was still working at an agency, and Kristina, my wife, was finishing her studies. As I always did freelance work and strived to work completely on my own, establishing our studio was the natural move. Kristina and I started in 2001 with only one regular client and a 3-year-old baby, but had some reputation for the work we’d done, so soon things started rolling. The ‘Factory’ is of course ironic as the studio is really small, and there are only two of us permanently … It’s essential to us to keep it cozy and comfortable … We receive our guests, make our coffee and answer our phones ourselves.

In terms of teamwork, who does what? Do you each have particular strengths?

As Kristina has a degree in Economics and Marketing, and I don’t have a degree of any kind, there was an obvious breakdown of work into “serious” stuff (for Kristina) and less serious stuff (for me). So, I am responsible for the visual and creative part and Kristina takes care of managing the studio, accounting and finance but also does copywriting for our projects. We have two kids so she finds it more suitable to work from home — and most of the time I am alone in the studio, which is perfect. We have a pool of freelance associates, who work remotely and whom we occasionally hire depending on the size of the project … but the majority of the work is done by us.

Marc Chagall Monograph

What do you believe constitutes good design?

Good design is a less expected or totally unexpected visual solution that addresses the problem in a different but appropriate way and looks fresh, innovative and appealing. And it strives to stay fresh for some time, which means it doesn’t depend on the current, fashionable style. It all requires great typographic skills, meticulousness in handling the details and a trained eye for photography and composition.

Tell us a little bit about your process. How do you develop a concept?

The majority of the ideas [begin as] sketches in my notebook, in a local café from about 8 to 10 in the morning, or in the studio at night. I’m just not a daylight person, and I can’t recall any good idea that came during normal working hours. The most wonderful and productive time in the studio is at night — with coffee and cigarettes, music playing in the background, it’s dark, and most importantly — the telephone doesn’t ring. Sometimes the concepts are thoroughly deliberated but sometimes coincidence and intuition play an important part in our design. For instance, if you paste something onto the page and it falls at an unexpected, but just right place — or you accidently move something to find out it’s much better that way — I consider it a sign! Don’t touch, just leave it that way!

Where do you look for inspiration?

Perhaps you wouldn’t tell from the work you see from us, but the most inspiring things — apart from coffee, cigarettes and lots of music, of course — are found objects such as vernacular packaging and information graphics. Our collection of old books also gives me a great creative kick to look at. The oldest book we have is from 1757, a collection of sacral texts, and it’s fantastic to study the typesetting they used those days with all the tricks we could also apply today, only if we were clever enough.

You mentioned typography, which features prominently in your designs. Tell us more about the role of typography in your work.

Typography is an important aspect of graphic design and it’s an element that distinguishes the quality of different pieces of design. Even when you have an interesting subject and great photography or illustration at your disposal, there’s always the possibility to ruin it all with the wrong choice of typeface or bad typesetting. We invest time and effort in choosing and fine-tuning the typographic elements, and in many of our pieces the typography is a key element. Sometimes it corresponds with the material, and sometimes it elegantly solves the problem of a low photography budget. However, we are very fond of letters!

Ivan Picelj Monograph

What is it like being a designer in Croatia? Are there any particular challenges or advantages? 

Croatian graphic and (increasingly) product design are pretty successful considering our size, population and economic power … I believe Croatian designers, apart from the athletes, are internationally more recognized than any other profession. We have a rich design history that goes back to the ‘50s when Zagreb was one of the centers of modern art. Several contemporary designers regularly appear in design reviews worldwide and get awards from the most respected design competitions. We are also very proud that our colleague and friend Iva Babaja has recently been elected as the president of ICOGRADA.

Unfortunately, many of the Croatian businesses, and particularly the government, still don’t see the potential and benefits of good design. Or worse — we even had a case when [a potential client] stole our annual report design… But things are not so bad — apart from some of the design-aware cultural institutions there are a handful of private entrepreneurs that value the importance of design.

Is there a type of project that you particularly enjoy? 

Not exactly, in fact we enjoy doing as many different projects as possible … Over the years I have started enjoying the work that others would perhaps find boring or uninspiring, such as information graphics and charts, or technical data design, which is probably related to my technical education background. Or it is because I find it more challenging trying to solve more difficult problems or refining the details nobody else cares about.

Are you currently working on any new projects that you can tell us about?

We have just finished designing the annual catalog for Prostoria, a thriving furniture manufacturer that makes its way into international market with their beautiful, modern pieces designed by some of the best Croatian product designers … We’re looking forward to … rebranding and identity redesign for an important art gallery in Zagreb, a website for a famous Croatian painter/designer, and the design for an exhibition of Ivan Picelj’s graphic work.…We would like to work more abroad, for the international clients. This is a part of our “ten-year plan.”

First Shot 2012 poster

Interview by: Elaine Ritchel (@elaineritchel)