Lucie Bajgart

Lucie Bajgart is a product and brand designer based in Prague, Czech Republic.

Hi Lucie! Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are today? When did you first become interested in design? 

It all started with a wedding invitation a decade ago. It was my second year at a graphic design high school (which I got in by complete coincidence) and I got my first assignment to design a wedding invitation. When the teacher saw my creation, it made her laugh, because she thought the idea was “cute.” At that exact moment, I thought to myself, "Yes, this is what I want to do, and what I'm going to do," because I realized I can make people smile, laugh, stop, and think - all thanks to graphic design. After finishing the class, I remember thinking about the assignment for the whole day, and I continued to design another 15 versions of the invitation the very same day. I closed myself in my room – no food, no sleep, and I worked on it all night. Since that day I've been obsessed with design. I got lucky. I found myself in it.

Product and Brand Designer Lucie Bajgart

How would you describe your aesthetic and how has your design style changed over time?

If I were to describe my design style, it would revolve around establishing emotional connections and recognizability. This may entail using bold typography, color palettes, patterns, etc. Since I want the design to speak and be relevant to certain age groups, I need to stay up to date on what the visual preferences are, and how the aesthetics are changing. So my "style" naturally changes with that.

What is your creative process like when working on a project? How do you approach creative collaboration with clients? 

I try to be as collaborative with my clients as possible. In my process, they are two parts that are really collaborative:

1. Initial briefing and brainstorming - here it's all conversation, bouncing ideas, and sharing what we like and don't like with the client. Strategy discussions and how to achieve clients' goals for the design.

2. After I deliver the first visual concepts (usually around 3 different visual directions we could take) - we again bounce ideas of what we like, what makes and what not, and figure out if we need to take a different route or any adjustments we need to do in order to have a final visual direction for their brand.

When you set out to create a visual identity for a brand, what are some of the key steps you take? What are some of the most important elements of brand identity? 

Usually, it's pretty straightforward:

1. Briefing & Brainstorming: Here I'm getting to know the client, their business, audience, and their goals. We also brainstorm any initial ideas we have for the visual design and overall strategy of the brand.

2. Visual Exploration: In this phase, I take all the previous conversations and create at least three or four different visual directions we can take with the brand. This is a really important part of my process as I want to take the time to make sure I explore all the different ideas and possibilities to make sure then we can choose the best one out of these.

3. Review: I present this to the client and let them sit and think on it at least for a couple of days before we get into feedback collection and discussions of which direction we want to take, and bounce ideas around again.

4. Either back to another visual exploration or the delivery: Here we have a list of project deliverables that we tackle one by one.

I think the most important element of the brand identity it's the understanding of the visual idea - because when you know what you are trying to communicate it gets easy no matter the medium or channel you are designing for.

What’s been one of your favorite projects to work on so far? What would be a dream project? 

One of my favorite projects was the rebranding of the investment app called Birdwingo. It was my first time designing for a purely Gen-Z audience, which proved to be an exciting challenge for me. We centered the brand around the idea that investing should align with one's personal values. 

I think my dream project is always to get to work with kind and smart people, who have an open mind and I am really passionate about what they do - whether that's investing, interior design, or running a flower store.

Do you have any favorite design resources? (books, podcasts, magazines, etc.)

For me it's really important to get inspiration from other sources than design-focused - fashion, literature, and interior design. 

But when I need something specific I go to these sources:

1. Font Inspiration at Typewolf

2. Brand and visual inspiration at Brandnew, Eye on Design, It's Nice That, Visual Journal, The-Brand identity and of course Dribbble : )

3. Web & Apps Mobbin, Landbook, Godly.website

Where do you find creative inspiration? 

My brain can do wonders when I take care of myself, my mind, and my body. I found out that the more I give myself, the more I can get out of myself. If I let myself rest, sleep, and eat well, my body knows and my mind gives back in good ideas and good decisions. That's how I find inspiration within myself during walks in my favorite city - Prague.

I also tend to reach out to external impulses when I'm curious and want to know and understand things. I listen to the news, podcasts, read books and watch stand-up comedy shows and documentaries. Other major source for me are people, conversations, and reading biographies. Those are the best sources to get inspired 

Last but not least, I love retro music. These crazy colorful songs are a great inspiration to me, and they definitely boost my mood. 

What advice would you give designers who are just starting out? 

First, I think besides your actual work, the second most important thing is how you present it. Put the same amount of time you've put into designing into presenting what you've created. If you have done a great job, you also need to learn how to sell it and translate your ideas to others.

Second, don't be afraid to reach out to people for help or just to say hi. You are just one email, one DM away from a big opportunity. Plus, it's so nice to meet other (not just) designers, and it’s their perspective that can help you in ways you can't even imagine yet.

Finally, don't forget to call your mum or grandma. They miss you.

What are you working on now and what’s up next for you?

I have a couple of exciting projects in the pipeline, but what excites me the most is the diversity of my clients and their respective industries for whom I design. The best part of my work is the opportunity to work on a book about jams while simultaneously designing a brand selling furniture and decorations for your home and a web app for stock recommendations, as it presents a new challenge and exciting opportunities for acquiring new knowledge. 

Thank you for sharing with us Lucie! To view more of Lucie’s work, visit her Dribbble page or Instagram.

Lucie was nominated by Dribbble. All art courtesy of Lucie Bajgart.