Love at second sight
Good bye Architecture — hello Graphic Design
Written by Francesco Moreal
Creative Intern at VBAT
Hi! I am Francesco, an Italian graphic designer, born and bred in Sardinia. I graduated in Architecture and Design at the University of Sassari, ready and excited to spend the next six months in VBAT.
I arrived here in Amsterdam in September 2016. After spending the summer in Sardinia, I had to say good-bye to the sea and the warm temperatures, and to welcome canals and crazy weather in my life.
I instantly fell in love with the Amsterdam, the first month I felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland, saddling up the bike, discovering beautiful neighbourhoods and great parks with dreamy eyes.
It did not take long for me to figure out that Amsterdam was the right place. I have found a city full of art, creative people and plenty of opportunities for a designer.
And here I am, at VBAT, in an amazing studio, surrounded by great designers, where well-known branding and design projects already have been accomplished, and many more still are to be realised.
It was a bumpy road that led me here, and not everything along the way was perfect. You know, we like to say that each past experience allows us to become the person that we are today. Long story short, first my passion was interior design, I started out at a university for Architecture, and then I finally fell in love with graphic design. Yes, bumpy.
I had the good fortune to study in Alghero, at one one of the best Universities in Italy, where I could learn and practice all these fields together and where I found my real passion.
During my studies I had the chance to live one year abroad, in Istanbul. That was an amazing experience, where I discovered a beautiful city, with a culture rich of history and a strong propensity towards the future. I studied at the Istanbul Technical University, where I improved my knowledge and passion for graphic design and where I returned to one year later for my first traineeship (you never get tired of Istanbul). Unfortunately the City is going through a really tough times, and my wish for the Turkish people is to find peace and safety soon.
In the last years I had the great chance to work on some projects in Sardinia, which I am really proud of — exhibit design, editorial and branding. That encourages me to come back one day and give my support to this beautiful Island, rich of creative people that often are forced to leave in search of better opportunities.
And now I am here at VBAT. Almost one month already passed, and I feel every day more comfortable and glad to have this great opportunity to shape my career. Here everybody is really friendly, there is a nice atmosphere and above all there are great and inspiring designers. During the day I walk around the studio, surrounded by people working on amazing projects. It feels a bit like being behind the scenes of a movie. At the end of the day you go out, and you find all those ideas, sketches and processes on the streets, in the stores, completed, and every day around the world people can benefit from them.
That’s what I like about this job, and I am happy and proud to be part of the design world.
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written by Francesco Moreal
Creative at VBAT
edited by Connie Fluhme
PR at VBAT
