In Focus: Interview with Sinan Imre, Creative Director at Studio Simpatico
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Sinan Imre
Sinan Imre is a multi-disciplinary designer who loves branding, grids, Dan Flavin, and sour beer. Born in Turkey, raised in Greece, and currently living and working in New York City, he is a man of many cultures and adapts to any and all new challenges.
Interview with the 2018 Muse Creative Awards Winner - Sinan Imre
1Tell us a bit about your business and what you do.
Clients often come to us with an idea, and one of the funnest parts of our
business is helping them flesh that idea out to see how it can manifest itself. We love making their problem our own and working on a solution together. It’s so gratifying to allow a client to see their own brand or product in a way they had not before, and magic moments like that only come through honest and transparent conversations. We don’t pretend to know what we don’t know, and we don’t shy away from asking (perhaps too many) questions. After all, we’re always in it together with our clients, from concepting, to design, to launch.
2Congratulations! As the winner of the 2018 Muse Creative Awards, what does winning this award mean to you and your team?
We are all super excited! It validates our design process which we like to keep
fluid and adaptive. While we know structure is important, we make sure to
address each challenge as a brand new one and are not afraid to alter our
approach for each new client. Being a small studio allows us to do that, and we’re grateful to see the fruits of this creative process be recognized.
3Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
I think the gap between socalled “thinkers” and “makers” will vanish. The handson aspect of creative work was what got me excited and led me to follow
this path. While I wanted to keep moving up on the traditional ladder of creative titles, I always had the fear that I would assume managerial and directive roles while losing the intimate relationship with making the work itself. This may be what I love most about Simpatico — everyone thinks together, and everyone makes together, and we find that results on more creative and honest work.
4What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
I love the diversity of the clients we work with, and how much we get to learn about their industries. Through this work, I’ve learned about alternative investments, FDA regulations on food and beverages, nonprofits about speedwriting novels, and how watermelon juice is made, just to name a few. I can’t ever imagine the work getting boring. My other two favorite things are Tamara, and Sean — the other two thirds of our studio! I can just hear them going “aww” right now. :)
5Who has inspired you in your life and why?
I have to mention my parents here. They’re really the perfect combination of “book smart” and “street smart” — my dad is one of the most intelligent people I know and my mom is a real gogetter. Especially being an only child, I’ve picked up a lot from them in the way I do things, both in daily life and at work. I wouldn’t be here without them.
6If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering a career in creative industry, what would it be?
Don’t let your judgement of your own work get in your way, and don’t live in your own head. One of my weaknesses was always that I would work through ideas in my head without ever trying them out. It was one of my professors at college that pointed this out, and I’ve actively tried to address this ever since. There really are no stupid ideas, so try, try, and try again. You never know where something great could be born.
7What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the advertising industry?
When it comes to learning about a new tool, the internet is your best friend. It’s how I learned to use Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Principle — really everything in my toolkit. They don’t teach you that stuff in school. But know that these are just tools, and look to the print classics for foundational theory. The Elements of Typographic Style, Branding in Five and a Half Steps, and Paul Rand’s manifesto A Designer’s Art are all great places to start.
8Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
I used to use two hands for the Save For Web shortcut on Photoshop.
9Finally, what is your key to success?
Your 90% is everyone else’s 100%. That 10% is what keeps you getting better
and better. Remember it’s always harder to judge your own work, and most likely the time to call it was 10 minutes ago.
Winning Entries
SAA | EVI Identity and Logo
When real estate development firm SA&A and investment firm EVI were looking to combine their companies and rebrand into one cohesive identity, they came to Studio Simpatico... (read more)
PromoteIQ B2B Marketing
Spotfront founder and CEO Alex Sherman came to us looking for a new website for his company’s premium product, PromoteIQ... (read more)
OK! Magazine
Studio Simpatico partnered closely with the in-house teams at American Media to identify specific goals for the website redesign: Improve the overall user experience for readers... (read more)
Sarah Cooper
Sarah Cooper is a former Googler-turned-writer, comedian, and speaker. She’s the voice and doodler behind The Cooper Review, a satirical online publication about the corporate environment... (read more)
Studio Simpatico
Studio Simpatico is a boutique creative studio with a knack for UX, UI, product, and web design as well as branding and corporate identities. As a compact studio of three people, job titles perhaps mean less to us than other agencies. I get to spearhead the visual side of what we do, which ranges from corporate identities to product interfaces — in essence I help create visual themes from our collective brainstorming.
The studio is an energetic and truly collaborative space. Shut your eyes and stretch out an arm, and you’ll likely hit a whiteboard. We love brainstorming together and quickly trying out things without the fear of having them fall flat, which is totally OK too. It’s a super creative place.