Interview
Moloko Creative Agency,, United States
Dzianis Misiulia is the founder of Moloko Creative Agency, author, marketer and an aficionado of creative things who has written numerous commercial materials for companies!
1 Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.
I'm the founder of Moloko Creative Agency (mlk.global), winner of two Red Dot awards, the Korean Adstar award, and author of evidence-based design methodology. As well as a marketer, writer, and lover of creative things. I have written several thousand commercial materials for companies of various levels during my career: from small businesses to international corporations. I'm great at assembling creative teams, and I know the secret to manage them to create a great product that helps businesses.
2 What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?
Good ideas change the world. My way of thinking and analytical skills led me to this profession. I saw that I could give companies great ideas that make businesses better, help consumers, and bring happiness to the teams that work on those ideas. I work more as a farmer in the creative field in my job. This allows me to get a great crop of ideas from the team at some point.
3 Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
Moloko is a creative design agency. We have our methodology by which we work in branding - evidence-based design. I have developed it to strengthen the analytical stage and find stronger and bolder ideas. Evidence-based design methodology allows us to consider competitors in detail, analyze strengths and weaknesses, find free niches in the visual range, and many different things that make impeccable branding for our clients. Our agency's work has won awards such as the Red Dot, Adstars, Design It awards, etc. In 2022 we became one of the 15 best agencies in the world according to the Clutch platform in the field of logo design.
4 What does “creativity” mean to you?
It's limitless possibilities in creating ideas when you can use hundreds of materials, and dozens of types of information presentations. Any creative project is like a chef's dish. Combining imagination and knowledge allows you to create unique projects for companies and people. Creativity is an opportunity to find the right form to affect the feelings of others.
5 To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?
It's an opportunity to find an interesting solution to a standard problem that works great and scales easily. In this case, creativity or design helps the business make money, and consumers only benefit because they get more convenient and interesting solutions that make their lives better.
6 Tell us about your creative and/or design process.
Our creative process is built on in-depth research using evidence-based design methodology. We have a very good understanding of the market, and competitors, analyze their communication in addition to design, and consider how design works in various marketing activities. The in-depth research phase allows us to gather an excellent base for further ideas. By the time the team starts working on ideas, everyone has enough information to weed out any unworkable options, and to think through how the proposal will close all of the client's goals. Working through the evidence-based design methodology allows the ideas phase to answer many questions that may arise in the future while working on the brand.
7 What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?
The moment when an idea is born, and you are ready to defend with all your might in front of the client. This is the moment when on adrenaline you can develop the idea to infinity when you see how it solves the client's problems and when you see its simplicity and uniqueness.
8 Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.
This is a design based on data and system design. Our work is primarily based on the analysis, data, and actual features of each company we work with.
9 Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?
Absolutely. We have a high sensitivity, which allows us to look for ideas that evoke similar feelings to the ones we have.
10 Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
This means that not only do we as a team of professionals see the value of this work, but also the professionals from the two companies and agencies. It says that if we were working together, we would offer this work to the client because it suits them.
11 Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
SunSource is a company that manufactures, installs, and services solar panels in the United States. The logo contains statistics on the number of sunny days in each state during the year and the amount of sunlight time between sunrise and sunset (the average for the year). The logo is built from facts and can even change in the web version depending on data changes (once a year). And the ray lines provide an excellent opportunity for any visualization. As a result, we got 2 statistics from 50 different states and converted them into the form of the sun. CTDev wanted to update and emphasize its uniqueness to reflect the full power of the company in a Smart style. That
12 What was the biggest challenge with this project?
Find a simple and easily scalable solution that can be used further in communication.
13 How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
So far, nothing. It's all ahead of us. Any award is to help the agency with its marketing. It's our extra reason to spread the word about the project.
14 What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Speaking of branding, it's a constant evolution. It's a change that always needs to have time to adjust to. You have to keep your finger on the pulse all the time so that you don't miss the new wave. This is an industry where dozens of new ideas are implemented every day, and you need to know exactly what is important to the market and clients to create good projects. It's a constant evolution and finding new tools to help you achieve your goals.
15 Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Lots of solutions that use big data. Design teams have plenty of tools with artificial intelligence. It's all about finding strong ideas and making the brain think faster. The foundation will remain the same - strong teams. Machines will help strong creative teams become even better and show even more interesting ideas. Of course, the design process will seriously accelerate. Many things are already automated today, and they will become even more automated in the future.
16 If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
Run the project on a basic check - simple, clear, easy to tell, how scalable, and whether there is a system. If there is a positive answer everywhere, then you can think about submitting the work.
17 What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?
Watch and analyze more. All your free time should be devoted to observation. It's like building your library. You have to spend a lot of time in bookstores, leafing, reading, and looking, to find the books you will have in your library. It's the same with branding. You have to be well aware of projects and ideas that have come before to create something new.
18 Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
Design studios don't just create projects that win awards. In studios, there's a lot of other work, and designers should know that.
19 Who has inspired you in your life and why?
My grandmother, wife, daughter, parents, creative team, business partners. All of them are inspiring in their time of need.
20 What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
The ability not to show what is not worth showing. Killing ideas that can't work. It's very important to learn to leave ideas that aren't worthy of seeing the light in a dark box. It is very difficult, because more often than not you want to give a choice, to show all that you have come up with, but it is not the choice that is important, but the best solution to the problem, the maximum elaboration.
21 Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Any creative work in our business is a team, where there are two sides - the agency and the client. And the merit of successful projects is the close interaction between each other, a clear understanding of goals and objectives and not shifting responsibility. We do great work together, which then helps the business. I am glad that such clients choose us.
Entrant Company
Moloko Creative
Category
Corporate Identity - Logos
Entrant Company
Moloko Creative
Category
Corporate Identity - Corporate Identity / Other___
Entrant Company
Moloko Creative
Category
Corporate Identity - Corporate Identity Redesign (NEW)