Interview with Matteo Ruisi

Matteo Ruisi ("MR") interviewed on Monday, 26 March.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

MR : I have started working in the advertising industry back in 2003, and after 11 years working for advertising agencies in Milan, I moved to London and I started working as Brand and Creative Lead for several fintech startups. I am currently Creative Lead at the Bank of England and freelance Creative Director for clients such as Yahoo, Leo Burnett Group, Tesco, Moneybox, BT Mobile and others.

How did you become a designer?

MR : My passion for design and communications was born while I was working in a supermarket after the high school, when I was still deciding what to study. I was surrounded by colours, shapes, advertising and typography for 8 hours a day, and I started thinking to get an education in that industry. At the time money was very tight, and I decided to keep on working to afford the stellar fee of an art direction degree to follow my dream. Currently I am focussing on using design and communications to engage people in the economy of the country.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

MR : • Research - understanding the context, the competitors, the trends in the industry, analysing all the possible aspects is fundamental to put the basis for a successful design work• Sketch and design - I mainly focus on the ideas, I like that my works aren’t just well designed but they have to be based on a solid creative strategy• Test - because testing shaves the opinions and rewards the efficiency

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

MR : I like the Eureka effect, I really love when I finally solve a design problem.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

MR : I play guitar, I am a good cook (I’ve also been a contestant at Masterchef Italy!), I wrote a humorous book and I write songs. I think I can say that creativity is a huge part of my life.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

MR : I am building a clear path for my design career, that is focussed on shaping the way the financial companies and institutions communicate. When I started working with banks in the 2000s I was really frustrated I couldn’t bring any new ideas or any different approach both to design and communication, the banks were really traditional when coming to communicate something. Nowadays banks and financial companies are really opened to change the old rules, and there is room to test, improve and create meaningful pieces of communication.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

MR : My advice is to work as hard as possible, especially during the first years, designing every day for hours to understand what you like, what you don’t and what you are able to do really well, to be able to narrow down the possible career paths and start specializing during the next years.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

MR : There are plenty of valuable tips online about design, but something that might be missing or not enough explored is the personal branding. I've seen many CVs and portfolios in my career and it is incredible to see how many good designers design beautiful but weak CVs. There are a few rules that are worth it to mention: 1. Focus on your career goals - I don’t get why some designers with 15 years of experience have in their CV the very first experience explained in details. My suggestion is to leave the room for the most relevant and recent works, the ones that shape you as a designer. 2. Don’t be humble - A friend of mine, a really successful designer, asked me to review his CV and one of my first questions was: “have you ever won an award or have you been featured somewhere?” He immediately said no, but after making him think about it he came up with 10 recognitions among awards and featured projects.

What is your day to day look like?

MR : As Creative Lead I manage the tasks among designers and I ensure the quality of the ideas and the output.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

MR : I usually look for visual inspirations online and from other designers, but I always want my ideas and creative strategies to be unique.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

MR : Talking about brand design, a good design is based on a solid strategy, is developed around a strong and unique idea, and the output is consistent and beautiful.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

MR : My works are ready when I think they are communicating the right thing in the right way, when the story is completed and I can just add details.

What is your biggest design work?

MR : I’ve done two works I am particularly proud of, that are two brand identities I created for early stage fin-tech startups in the UK that are currently among the most successful companies in the industry. I spent months on those works, I’ve tested them and I got a very positive feedback since the beginning, and now it is great to see them having success and getting more and more clients.

Who is your favourite designer?

MR : I don’t have a design guru that I’m following, but there are many talented designers around to learn from

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

MR : My culture surely influences my design and it can’t be otherwise. I am Italian and I am working in the UK, sometimes I say, do or design things that have a completely different meaning in their culture. I remember that one client told me that a logo I’ve designed was similar to the logo of a fictional company he’s seen in a British TV series back in the 90s. How could I possibly know that!

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

MR : I like to have fun at work, I enjoy making jokes and I usually don’t take everything too seriously. I need to have kind and approachable people around, and what I really hate is working in an aggressive environment. A rude or offensive approach creates stress and doesn’t allow people to focus on the right things.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

MR : What I constantly do is try to engage the people I’m working with, organising in-house speeches, workshops, and personal meetings, to listen to what they have to say and give them the best possible impartial advice I can.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

MR : A’ Design Award was a great experience from the Gala Night, to the intensive PR campaign they did. Thanks to this award I’ve seen my work featured in different countries and I met designers I couldn’t meet otherwise. Thanks to this award, my work is now more popular than before and being the designer of the day is something I am really proud of.

Matteo Ruisi Profile