Interview with Thanatos Digital Agency

Thanatos Digital Agency ("TDA") interviewed on Monday, 4 May.

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

TDA : Thanatos Digital Agency is an independent, fast and constantly evolving creative agency based in Rome, Italy. We believes in the strength of collaboration and it combines research, intuition and strategy with design and technology. Thanatos is specialized in branding, web design and creative solutions. We are official digital partner of “Eliseo”, Italy’s national theatre from 1918, in Rome. Also, Thanatos has been working with brands like “Cia - Agricoltori Italiani” (Italian Farmers Confederation). Now we are in our fifth year of activity.

How did you become a designer?

TDA : - Dario: I started drawing as a child, and I have cultivated this passion over the years as a hobby. Growing up I went from traditional to digital drawing, and from here I started to get interested in the various forms of digital art, then went on to choose a design school for university. I decided to become a designer after seeing a friend's older sister design the cover for a video game; I remember being amazed not only by the result, but also by the creation process behind it, and so I realized that I also wanted to create things that would amaze those who looked at them. Then during my studies I changed my goal several times: at the beginning I fell in love with editorial graphics with its layout cages, then it was the turn of the codes to develop front-end sites and finally my last love was 3D . After some time I realize that, although different from each other, these things all have a common thread: I became a designer, because I liked working on the structures that shape what people see every day, be it a book , a site or a suggestive image. - Roberto: As a child like all children I dreamed of becoming a superhero or an astronaut I never imagined becoming a designer. For sure I have always had a creative vision and with a few simple components I built my spaceship or costume. Growing up, I became more and more passionate about the world of design, I started my studies already in high school, I continued at AANT in Rome and then I never stopped because in this dynamic world, you never stop learning. I decided to become a designer when I understood the importance of this professional figure in a world like ours, everything around us is design. Design can influence our choices, even the simplest ones. For example, at the supermarket between two products of the same price we will always choose the one that is most "beautiful" for us, this aspect has always fascinated me a lot. I'm not talking about the influence or sales aspect, it pushes me the idea of creating something that makes people's lives better. Because one tomato sauce is worth the other but if it has a nice pack life is less gray for everyone.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

TDA : During the process, combine analytical and purely technical phases with moments of exploration guided by intuition. This allows us to create something new with a solid foundation. Our work often begins with sketches on paper, but subsequently we rely on specific software for each type of work. We often create mockups, both static and dynamic, to be attached to our presentations, to ensure that the customer fully understands what the final result will be.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

TDA : - Dario: Leaving aside the frustration of some works... I think one of the most rewarding feelings is the satisfaction you feel when you draw something, and the result is the same as what you had imagined in your head. - Roberto: Honestly, it's something I've never thought about. I don't think I can identify a single one, it's more a whirlwind of emotions that can vary from project to project.

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

TDA : - Dario: The ability not to give up, always pushing me to the limit of my ability to always achieve a better result, and above all a strong dose of self-criticism that always makes me question (in a positive way) every choice I make. - Roberto: I am a determined and constant person, this certainly helped me. Then of course all the professionals with whom I came into contact, for better or for worse all contributed to my experience.

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

TDA : In these five years we have grown a lot, both as a designer individually and as an agency. We often had to clash with people who didn't believe in us, or who didn't think we were "big" enough to deal with a certain project; but this hasn't stopped us. We continued to advance on our way, learning from our mistakes, experimenting and always doing a little more, and this path eventually paid off for our efforts: after many years, some customers who had refused us have returned from us because they have seen our path of growth, and have decided to grant us the trust they had once denied us. We are a constantly evolving reality, in the future we want to make better and more innovative things; one area in which we would like to work in the future are the interfaces for touchless technologies.

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

TDA : - Dario: Try, experiment, make mistakes. It may seem like the usual banal discourse, but if you are not wrong, it is impossible to learn: the important thing is not to be discouraged for having made a mistake, but to learn and do better the next time. - Roberto: Very difficult question, I don't know if I feel ready to give such an important advice. I can suggest that you cultivate your professionalism in the same way as your skills. The level of professionalism for me gives the thickness of the designer. For the rest I would like to quote Yoda from Star Wars "Do or do not. There is no try.”, dare with conviction and learn from your mistakes without seeking unnecessary excuses and easy loopholes.

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

TDA : - Dario: There is no miraculous formula for becoming a good designer, unfortunately the answer is the oldest and most boring of all: study, study and more study; in these years I realized that without the technical bases that the academy gave me I would never have been able to do everything I did. - Roberto: I feel that I have yet to write the most legendary chapters in my story. I can suggest that you cultivate your professionalism in the same way as your skills. The level of professionalism for me gives the thickness of the designer. For the rest I would like to quote Yoda from Star Wars "Do or do not. There is no try.”, dare with conviction and learn from your mistakes without seeking unnecessary excuses and easy loopholes.

What is your day to day look like?

TDA : - Dario: Working remotely I always tend to wake up as late as possible, then a quick greeting to my furry roommate wich when I get up goes to sleep, breakfast on the fly and then I run on Skype from my colleague Roberto to find out together what wonders await us that day. The first thing we do is read the emails and decide how to set the day, then work until lunchtime; after eating something I allow myself a little relaxation with a book or a comic to take my eyes off any screen. After the lunch break, work begins again between calls, endless emails to write and projects that must always be ready ahead of schedule. At the end of the day I divide myself between the gym, love life and every now and then I can even see some friends who are now starting to doubt my existence! - Roberto: I am fortunate to often work remotely so I can usually wake up at 8 am and go outside with my dog Jimmy. I have time to have breakfast calmly to allow the brain to start gradually. Then I connect with Dario on Skype, check the emails and set the day's work. At around 1.30 pm, as in “One Hundred and One Dalmatians”, Jimmy makes me understand that it's time to go get another breath of air. If he were not there I would lose track of time and space immersed in work. At lunch I try to keep myself light and take time to get my eyes and brain recovered. Then I go back to work until the evening, I force myself to do physical activity every day to compensate for the time spent on the PC. In the evenings and weekends, I divide myself between relaxation and trying to maintain a healthy social life.

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

TDA : - Dario: I draw my inspiration mainly from social networks. I am a very curious person by nature, so whatever I see I analyze and dissect to understand first how it was made, and then how I could reuse that information to create something completely different. - Roberto: My main source of inspiration are the people, the colors, the infinite variety of stimuli from the world around me. I also spend a lot of time on sites dedicated to designers like Behance or Dribbble, I think you can learn a lot from the work of others. This helps me to look at my work more objectively without taking anything for granted.

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

TDA : For us, good design is functional design. We always use "it works" and "it doesn't work" as an objective judgment meter, we would never define a design beautiful or ugly, these are too subjective and unreliable points of view.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

TDA : We are almost obsessive perfectionists, so if it were up to us we would continue to work constantly on a project to make it better and better. Unfortunately, however, in the world of work, time is a luxury that is often lacking, therefore the best result must be achieved in the shortest possible time.

What is your biggest design work?

TDA : It is not easy to choose one, we are satisfied with many projects and collaborations that in some ways have allowed us to get where we are today. But surely MAG Bistrot has marked a turning point in our journey, it was our first multidisciplinary project curated completely by us in all phases. Initially the road was uphill but then we also had fun, it allowed us to meet professionals from various sectors and have the pleasure of integrating classic analog and digital technologies and more innovative solutions. This time we felt that the customer was not only satisfied but had fully understood the importance of our work.

Who is your favourite designer?

TDA : We were lucky enough to have real legends as academy teachers. Listing only a few certainly Fabio Timpanaro with his artistic sense and an unattainable level of technique, the speed of thought and the vision ability of Gaia Zuccaro, Pietro Bartoleschi has transmitted to us the value of professionalism and the moral depth of a true designer and Emanuele Widenhorn who made us understand how humility and simplicity are fundamental to always be ready to improve. We continue to follow them and feel inspired by their advice and their work. Among the Italian agencies we love the courage, the work and the approach of Carosellolab that is making its way among the big names with concrete and fully acceptable topics. On behance we often follow the work of the Graphéine agency in Paris, for us they are real geniuses. Then there would be an endless list of very good designers that we also follow on Dribbble or Instagram.

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

TDA : We live in Italy, based in Rome. Objectively, our country has a huge historical and cultural background of design. There should be a popular culture that makes it a paradise on earth for every designer, but unfortunately it is not so. Over time it has lost ground in particular in digital and the market is very difficult, we would like to be among those who sooner or later will contribute to making “made in Italy” synonymous with digital excellence.

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

TDA : We are professionals who believe in coworking, we like to be able to interact with professionals from every sector to improve ourselves personally, and offer the customer the best possible result. I don't know whether to call ourselves people with whom it is easy to work: we are very demanding and picky, especially when it comes to quality and professionalism; but if you are a serious professional, then you will have no problem integrating into our team and feeling part of the family!

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

TDA : A designer alone cannot obviously change the world, but we can be a powerful awareness tool for associations that are committed to the forefront on many fronts to which the right attention is not paid. Then in our small way we always respect the principles of usability and advise our customers to always consider accessibility and sustainability. For the rest, the designer is a normal person who, like everyone else, must behave responsibly and sensitively towards social and environmental issues.

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

TDA : Taking part in this competition was certainly a new and exciting experience: being judged together with many great talents makes you feel very proud to have reached this point, but there is also a certain amount of fear. Being able to win a prize during our first participation is great, and we are sure that being part of this international competition will lead us to grow both personally and as an agency.

Thanatos Digital Agency Profile