The meeting of graphic design, corporate identity design and advertising campaigns with graffiti, street art, wall decorations and various creative solutions, where professionalism is combined with just the right amount of boldness. We asked creative duo Imre Fork and Viktória Sz. Illés, the founders of Kreativ Werk about their work together. Interview!
Both of you strived to fulfil yourselves on separate paths in your careers up until August this year, when you founded your own business under the name Kreativ Werk. How and why did you made this decision?
Imre Fork: Our first joint project took place years ago: we redesigned the visual identity of Budapest Park with Filip studio. Even though at that time I was participating in the project as Imi Fork, the two of us were already thinking together behind the scenes. In the subsequent years both of us added something extra into more and more projects, and at some point we felt that we could do this in large scale, too.
I have been working as a freelance graphic designer for two years already when Viki decided to join me, and we started working together. We have ten years of experience, many exciting and sometimes hardcore projects behind us, which we are trying to benefit from now.
Viktória Sz. Illés: We wanted to have an extra service by all means, a new platform with which we can expand our design palette, and so we purchased our first laser-cutting machine. We created our studio in August shared with Bence, the founder of Ecohunt, where we have been creating ever since.
How do you divide the tasks: what are your strengths and how do you inspire each other?
I.F.: We are both graphic designers. Viki worked directly for clients previously, while I worked for agencies, thus we know how to serve and satisfy each type of customer. We consider it important to handle each client appropriately, may it be a smaller family order or a large project ordered by a multinational company spanning over several months.
V.Sz.I.: I am more competent in project management and more realistic than Imre, and so the production part of a business is closer to me. He has more routine in coming up with creative concepts, he has a thing for creating framework systems. Together we can structure our work in a more consistent and exciting way. We are a good influence on each other.
You not only form a duo in your professional life, but in your personal life too. To what extent can you keep a balance between work and private life?
V.Sz.I.: We are lucky because ever since we have known each other, we have had the same profession, and so it has always formed an important part of our lives. We have been listening to, criticizing and inspiring each other every day for eleven years. Essentially we do the same now, but at a different place.
Of course we try to make sure that both of us have time for ourselves. Now that I think of it, this is also a work we do together, but it seems to be working well.
How would you define the identity of Kreativ Werk: what makes your visual world distinctive?
I.F.: Our goal is for our clients to think of us as a casual, creative team that designs and produces the ideas of clients rapidly and effectively. We were always drawn to a more stylized, minimalist direction, but at the same time we also used loud and colorful solutions. Therefore if we are contacted to design a new visual identity or a creative gift, we will follow these styles when designing them.
Both your personality and previous past show in your business, so your services vary on a broad range. What kind of special requests can clients contact you with exactly?
I.F.: With every idea others said was not feasible, had no solution or only offered a solution if you ordered ten thousand pieces. Jokes aside… We have experience in a broad range of services, starting from the digital design of visual identities and illustrations to the implementation of entire campaigns. We don’t want to be a “know-all” small agency, we are much more a creative studio, where people with good problem solving skills do what they love.
V.Sz.I.: Currently our main profile includes digital graphic design services and designing and producing laser-cut accessories, but of course clients can also contact us with wall-painting jobs or the idea of a creative birthday present.
Your creatives designed for the show jumping race of the National Riding Hall express in what complex ways you work vividly. What was your job here exactly and what’s the story behind this project?
I.F.: The Secretary General of the National Riding Hall contacted me a few years ago and said they were looking for a graffiti artist to paint hurdles at a race. After a successful cooperation, the Hungarian Equestrian Association once again contacted us this year to redesign their entire visual identity and to design the visual identity of a large race of theirs held in the summer. We designed and created the main hurdles and the prizes of winners together with Ecohunt.
V.Sz.I.: Here we have consciously built a framework system that will work for years based on the concept, and can be renewed on an annual basis. We designed many online and offline campaigns for this year’s show jumping race, including merchandise and advertising carriers, and we are very proud of them.
What other projects are close to your heart from the ones you did together?
V.Sz.I.: It’s very hard to choose because we try to bring out the best of every project, add a smart solution, so we have a reason to love them all. Our jobs so far ranged on a broad scale, from logo design through workshops to commercial productions to painting on firewalls.
What are your future plans, what projects would you like to participate in?
V.Sz.I.: We would like to make as many creative products as possible and collaborate with creatives and artists that inspire us. We have already started a project of the kind, so stay tuned for the details!
Portrait photo:András Őrsi
Studio photo: Szilvia Gondos
The show jumping photos of the National Riding Hall: Krisztina Hajdu, Zoltán Balogh MTI
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