Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
For eight months now young Sarajevo designer Goran Lizdek has been working in Munich based company with only one client – BMW. After passing the test stages, Goran got the permanent gig.
Here he speaks about the reasons why he left Sarajevo, about the differences in the processes of work in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany, about what is most important to him in the new job, about what creatives should change in their work and attitude towards work …
Media Marketing: You’ve tried for a long time to get to America, and you ended up in Germany. What happened?
Goran Lizdek: It all happened suddenly and unexpectedly, like the bolt out of the blue. One day I received a call from a German company DE Automotive, which works exclusively with BMW, looking for a graphic designer and I had been recommended. I wanted to pursue my carer outside of B&H, and it all happened rather quickly – in August last year, two months after the initial call- I spent a month working on a trial project in Munich. BMW were very pleased with my work, and then I signed contract and got the visa. And I’ve been there since April this year.
Media Marketing: You wanted to work abroad. Is that just to gain experience or you’d had enough of going from pitch to pitch and clients who sometimes are unable to understand even the best creative ideas?
Goran Lizdek: As time goes by I have less and less scruples about my reasons of leaving the Balkans. To cut to the quick, I had enough of people and their mentality. A mentality that like a tumour has spread to all aspects of life, professional and personal. I got tired of tilting at windmills, I started to lose motivation and the alarm bells started to ring. Professionally, I’ll give myself licence to generalise; the problem is that you got the wrong people in the right jobs and right people in the wrong jobs and it all leads to all pervasive mediocrity.
Media Marketing: What’s it like with you new agency? Big difference?
Goran Lizdek: The biggest difference is that we work exclusively with BMW, we function as their extension. Another difference is that atmosphere is calm unlike in a typical advertising agency. There’s plenty of time for each project, this is not something that a creative working for an agency is used to.
Media Marketing: You are working on projects for BMW. What is the client – agency relation like? What’s it like to work for such a major brand?
Goran Lizdek: Secretly, I always wanted to work for one brand, so that I could focus my creative energies in one direction. Although many creatives will tell that having multiple clients keeps them on their toes, I, however see the other side to the story – by constantly chopping and changing projects and clients we lose or dilute our focus. I always felt when returning to a project it was as if I taken two steps forward and one step back. That doesn’t happen here, because we work for one brand and don’t lose focus, we collaborate directly with BMW creatives. Suffice to say, it is a great honour to work for such a prestigious client, and to be a part of such a magnificent system.
Media Marketing: Beside your exceptional talent and designer experience, what else did you take with you that you can use in the new agency?
Goran Lizdek: Something I always emphasised – being organised. I work for a brand that wouldn’t be what it is if didn’t have clearly defined systems in place. Some colleagues in the industry may view this as a sterile system that stifles creativity, but actually it’s the opposite – I can concentrate on my job and give it my hundred percent.
Media Marketing: What do you like best about your agency? Work organisation, German discipline, clients’ attitude towards your work…?
Goran Lizdek: Definitely what I’ve already mentioned – work organisation. The client’s attitude, meaning BMW, gives me something to brag about – perfect balance of precision and flexibility in communication.
Media Marketing: You recently worked with Communis on Mercator campaign. Does this mean that you haven’t cut your professional ties with Sarajevo?
Goran Lizdek: I avoid working on additional projects because of my fulltime job, but this was an exception. I will always view Communisa team more of a family than just business partners.
Media Marketing: Your wife is a photographer. Do you collaborate or has she found work in Munich?
Goran Lizdek: She is yet to come to Munich. As media has reported, it is a catastrophically long and complicated procedure to get a visa and Nina is in a midst of that. It is looking as if we would get this sorted out in next few weeks. I am not worried about her career, what she’s accomplished so far as a photographer is enviable and I am very proud, not that I am biased of course.
Media Marketing: Any message for your colleagues in Sarajevo? Something they should change perhaps.
Goran Lizdek: Sometimes I think that people are not fully aware of the educational potential of the Internet, and without education there is no going forward. Therefore, my advice is: Don’t stop searching for knowledge and inspiration. I also noticed that a lot of young creatives’ time and energy is spent negotiating jobs and remuneration, the problem starts when it dawns on them that there’s too much effort for too little money. I’ve never understood why the negotiations are conducted in such a rushed manner. I’ve been criticised by some clients that my bids were complicated and everything was itemised. I was always protecting myself and the client to avoid suddenly altering the contract.
Media Marketing: Do you still have time to design for culture and art, where you were previously successful in Sarajevo?
Goran Lizdek: To be honest, it is not so much about time, it is about wanting to do it. In one of our previous discussions I think I mentioned my view on the life span of creativity; in short it is perfectly normal that creative aspirations change or lay dormant. That must be accepted. On the other hand I am incredibly happy about all my previous projects where I was able to showcase myself as a graphic designer.