Mucca Design

By Heidi Trost

Both laugh-out-loud funny and candidly informative, this month's Spark NYC event gave us an inside look into the studio of Mucca Design. Founder Matteo Bologna explained his progression from his first project using a computer (it involved taking a photograph of the computer monitor to send to the client) to the success of NYC studio Mucca Design. Matteo was quick to admit the challenges involved in forming a studio, dealing with clients, pricing, and balancing work and life. Matteo offered the following advice:

1. With branding work, start with a positioning statement. This will guide your own work as well as give you leverage when you explain the design to the client.

2. Don't be afraid to get creative with fonts. Alter type or create your own to ensure typography embodies the "voice" of the project.

3. Balancing work and life is tough but it's ultimately your responsibility. If you want to take a month's vacation every year to recharge, set the expectation and follow through.