How do you channel your creativity for making the right logo? We talk with Logo Designer Fornarel about his logo tips, super powers, and alien invasions!

At age thirty-four, Fornarel is happily married with two beautiful children. He speaks Bahasa and a bit of English. He has a thorough portfolio with a keen eye for connecting shapes. We sit down this week with Fornarel, also known as Andika, to learn about his life and experience.

LOGO DESIGNER INTERVIEW WITH FORNAREL

Glad to speak with you Andika! So what’s your family like?
Well, I am married to a woman that is always patient and faithful to me 🙂 Her name is Yuliana. Together we have two little angels.

Awesome, that’s good! How is life where you are from?
I grew up in a small village named Pamulang, located in the Banten Province, South Tangerang, Indonesia. Born and raised, I’m still living there now. It’s great because the air is clean and the people are very friendly!

How do you spend your free time?
Mostly hanging out with my little family, but I enjoy movies quite a bit. I really like big, colossal movies like Troy, The Lord of the Rings, The Last Samurai, NFS all series. They teach me the meaning of loyalty to brothers and the state. And of course Marvel movies.

Every Saturday night I like to hang around in the city, or go out of town with my friends. We take motorcycles. I have a Kawasaki Ninja 150rr, which I bought after winning some contests at 48hourslogo!

Well since you like Marvel movies I expect you to be prepared for this one: what super powers would you choose for yourself?
I would choose powers like Professor Xavier, this way I could know exactly what clients have in mind for their logo designs!

Do you enjoy any particular type of music?
Dangdut is the music of my county, LOL, but I enjoy reggae and county too.

You have anything exciting waiting for you in your refrigerator right now?
Nasi Kuning, an Indonesian dish, with a sprinkling of eggs and some onion fries, yeah that’s very yummy!

Let’s say you get to choose the title for your biography, what would it be?
Life is not Easy… yeah because to have a good life you have to fight, to work hard and all that.

Which idea frightens you more, an Alien Invasion or a Zombie Apocalypse?
agh, probably a Zombie Apocalypse. Aliens usually invade to look for their children, a’la E.T. Plus aliens wouldn’t be after our special brains.

ABOUT DESIGN

Tell us a bit about your background as a designer.
I’m an autodidact, but I’m still learning from my fellow designers at 48hourslogo. They are amazing! Six years ago I was working as a graphic designer at the Helmet Factory. After two years there, I transitioned to a company named RONita Digital Printing. I’m still there now, so I spend my evenings working on 48hourslogo.

What influences you as a designer?
I really like flat designs. Seeing my my children grow up and being healthy always gives me inspiration.

Do you have any favorite fonts?
I like using Century Gothic, Trajan Pro, and Helvetica.

Are there any habits that get you in the designing mood?
Yes, coffee and a cigarette always freshen up my mind, haha!

Do you prefer any particular types of contests?
Not really, I’ll look at the brief and contest name, then if I’ve got a good understanding of it I’ll participate in them.

Are there any favorite logos you’ve designed through 48HL?
Fortball Digital, Edges, Extra Bike, Make Worx, tags bags, clever rhino consulting, alignzen, Goodgut Solutions, Mimi Pretty, Contractor Jungle, Clovenskies, Reset.io, A Diva Difference, Sound Estate Solutions LLC, and Tree Tees.

In your opinion, can you think of any modern brands that need an update or redesign?
Yeah, I think Marlboro needs a redesign. At least an update to the font, it’s very old in my opinion, could use a modern update.

Is there any advice you would give to designers or clients reading this?
To designers, keep trying and never give up!
For clients, filling out the contest brief thoroughly is the most important thing.

How would you briefly describe logo design?
Clean, simple, and clever.

ABOUT 48HL

Tell us what let you to 48hourslogo.com.
I was just a busy person before, working in the office. One day a friend of mine suggested that I participate in contests online (thank you Aditya Krupuk!). I found 48hourslogo through a Google search. That was almost four years ago.

What do you like the most about 48hourslogo?
It’s much faster than other contest sites. Really like the Design Community – they’re great and talented. I get to meet new friends which before I would never have known. Thanks guys 🙂

Has your life changed at all since joining the site?
It’s very much better than before, especially financially.

Do you have anything you would like to see improved at 48HL?
I’m just a little confused by the latest rules revisions, but overall it’s very good.

WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT FORNAREL

“Excellent designer. Great to work with. Accommodated all our special requests and changes. Definitely went above and beyond. Would highly recommend. Will without a doubt be a requested designer for our next project. Thanks fornarel!!! We are extremely satisfied with our new logo. Nailed it!”

“The work and attention to detail was fantastic – coming back very quickly with alterations whenever requested…..a great designer, would recommend fornarel to anyone!!! Thanks”

“It was a pleasure to work with you. You responded to our requests promptly, and knew exactly how to make the changes that we wanted to see. I would be happy to work with you again.”

“Really excellent experience, from initial design comps to revisions to the final version. Couldn’t be happier, thank you!”

“Creative, innovative, and super easy to work with. Love our new logo!”

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If you would like to see more of Fornarel’s work, check out his portfolio! There’s plenty of customer feedback too.

Andika, I love that you’re a big movie guy, cause I’m one too! If we get the chance, we need to re-watch a good Marvel movie sometime, geek out together. You pick the movie, I’ll bring the popcorn. Thank you for taking the time for this interview! Best wishes to you and your family. We all look forward to seeing more of your incredible work!