
We are doing a Q&A session with Blashka Mieva an artist and mentor par excellence.
She teaches visual elements and color theory at the Graphic Design Academy.
Hello Blashka. Share something about yourself in three long strokes. 😄
Hello, I’m Blashka from Skopje, an artist by profession, hobby, and choice. I graduated as a painter a long time ago, striving to prove that art and design are inseparable.
I love Wes Anderson’s movies for their unusual aesthetics, eclectic style of visual forms and styles, and eccentric combinations of colors. I often listen to film music while working, painting, designing, with music that transports me to some other utopian time. The music I listen to depends on my mood, so one day I might listen to rap and hip-hop, the next day classical music. When I work on something, depending on the theme, I sometimes play such music. For example, if I’m working with inspiration from Japanese culture, I listen to traditional Japanese music. This way, I easily connect with the entire culture that I convey either in design or in some other visual realization. I love associations for things; it’s not necessary to depict entire visual stories to capture emotion, smell, taste, memory. Sometimes just one or two colors are enough to evoke a story.
I don’t like instant uninspired visual solutions; from an airplane, their lack of inspiration and poor visual hierarchy is evident.
Where does the love for design come from and what motivated you to become an instructor?
As I mentioned earlier, I am a visual artist by profession, a graduate painter, but over the years, design has been more prevalent, still is, much more than fine arts, and all those educational theories about shapes, colors, design, visual hierarchy in design, I wanted to transfer somewhere To prove that for successful and quality design, knowledge from various areas of visual arts is necessary, the basics of design, the basics of visual elements and principles, color theory, and all other rules to achieve technically successful design. SEDC gave me the opportunity to become an instructor, and for seven years now, together with other instructors, we educate students who then grow into successful designers.
Where do you learn from and upgrade yourself daily?
I learn the most from mistakes, and that’s how I upgrade myself. I always try again and then progress is inevitable.
Which designer, logo, and brand would you highlight as top-notch?
There are many designers, brands, logos that are top-notch. For a logo to be top-notch, the designer must have a lot of experience in terms of the basics of design, and of course, the creative thread must be present. For a brand to be top-notch, there are more conditions, and the most important one is the message, and the story that the brand carries. When you have a good idea, then that idea is well developed, the concept is solidly conceived, then the realization of the design, the logo, whatever it is, is certainly more than successful. I usually don’t have idols; I don’t have favorite artists or designers, for that reason, when we have favorite artists or designers, their forms, colors, concepts are etched in our minds, and subconsciously we create similar works.
Which of your projects is particularly meaningful to you?
All of them 😊! It sounds a bit ungrateful, but truly, I work with the same attention, focus, hard work, professionalism, and discipline on every project.
But if I have to, it’s one of the monumental projects, where I’m the author with three other authors, it’s the mosaic on the facade of the Natural History Museum in Skopje, a mosaic of 32 squares.
You teach visual elements and color theory. How do they build the principles of good design?
Without those foundations, good design does not exist. The visual aspect of a design is what sets apart good design from bad design. That’s my introduction for every first class with every new generation.
What real projects do students work on at the academy, and which project would you highlight?
Students work on serious projects every year, i.e., upon completing the subjects, they work on designs that would later be serious design solutions.
What career and development paths does graphic design offer, and what advice do you have for those who want to study it?
I wholeheartedly recommend to all those who are wondering whether graphic design is right for them, not to wonder. When you’re already considering it, it implies that it’s what you want. Over the years, I’ve seen many students who found their true path by studying graphic design.
When something is wanted, when working with great dedication, opportunities will be created on their own. The only obstacle to success and good opportunities is ourselves.
The Graphic Design Academy is the right choice if you’re a creative in horoscope, have vivid dreams you want to transfer to paper, or like a personality who easily falls in love with artists. ици.
Learn more about the program and the real projects worked on at the Graphic Design Academy or schedule an info conversation at SEDC.