Hailing from Romania and one of the pioneer Graphic Artists with 48HoursLogo.com, Catalin‘s visionary designs bring flavor and excitement to each and every contest he enters. At thirty-four years old he is married to his beautiful wife and together they have a restless little princess of four years old. While Catalin clearly speaks a visual language, he’s fluent in English, Romanian, and a little French. He has taken time today to let us get to know him a little more and offers some insight to his creative process.
48: How long have you been with 48HoursLogo.com?
CA: O-ho-ho… Since this site was born! I’m from the old guard, alongside Arabz, Vicafo, Masjacky, Jhox, littlejoemayo, dhe27 and many others. We are the 48hourslogo.com pioneers. But now the competition is much more serious. There is a lot of very good designers, like Jaize, foxcody, ingepro, moomoo, jones12, sgt. trigger, Rick, and so many others. It’s incredible!
48: What caused you to pursue a position as a designer at 48HoursLogo.com?
CA: I tried to make something with this talent, perhaps even some extra incomes with it, because I was always pretty good in graphics. And I love to be involved in everything from the beginning.
48: So what’s kept you active with us?
CA: The community! It’s awesome! There’s no place like 48hourslogo.com!
48: Is there anything that has changed your life since you’ve joined?
CA: I began to believe in my talent, which is very important.
48: Are you self taught or do you have any formal training?
CA: Yes, I’m a self taught. In fact, I’m an energy engineer, this is my profession. I have my own company, an energy services company. I do consultancy and energy analysis for industrials. But I’ll always be a graphic designer as well; I guess it’s a blessing.
48: So how long have you been involved in graphic design?
CA: Well, it’s difficult to say… My first experience was in college I think. But I do logo design since 2008.
48: What kinds of hobbies are you interested in?
CA: I love to watch movies; I’m a big fan of this industry. I’d die for fishing, I love to spend my time with my friends, to play snooker and, of course, to make logo design – my favorite hobby.
48: Where do you look to for new ideas or inspiration?
CA: That’s an interesting question… I don’t know… I guess I’m always attentively with everything around me… Anything could inspire me.
48: What advice would you give to other designers who are inspired by your work?
CA: Think out of the box, that’s the most important thing in logo design. Don’t be afraid to try a completely different approach. And never stop practicing!
48: What is your thought process like when you begin working on a logo? Anything you always start with?
CA: A lot of things, God know which one is the best! Anyway, I always try to apply things learned from previous experiences.
48: Are you drawn to any particular type of contest?
CA: No, I’m drawn to contests with a bigger award – he-he… like anyone else I guess.
48: What kind of feedback do you like to see in the Contest Briefs?
CA: I love when the client offers details as much as they can, including design inspiration, color choice etc. This helps me a lot!
48: If you could speak to someone starting a contest with 48HoursLogo.com, what would you tell them?
CA: I’d ask them if they really want the best logo, because we (designers) are ready for that. Are they?
48: Catalin, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you, thank you for your time and candor!
CA: Anytime, my pleasure.
Catalin has won over 200 logo contests to date and been involved in over 1,400 contests! Accolades include:
“Excellent design, excellent designer! Very easy to work with, co-operative, helpful and polite.”
“Thank you again for your prompt replies and revisions. We are all very happy with the end result.”
“Excellent design concepts and was fast to update our suggestions! I would definitely work with Catalin again and refer others! We love our logo!”
If you have any comments or further questions, let’s hear from you in the comments below! Check out more of Catalin’s portfolio here and feel free to invite him to your contest. I’m confident you’ll be pleased with his professional and refreshing work!
