About – Calin Alexander

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CALIN ALEXANDER

"DESIGNERS ARE MEANT TO BE LOVED, NOT TO BE UNDERSTOOD."

Fabien Barral

insatiably

curious

designer

I am a multidisciplinary designer born in Europe, who now lives and works in Auckland City, New Zealand.

I consider myself a curious person, intrigued by the intricate design of life.

My career started somehow, unconventionally. After finishing high school during unsettling times in my country, I faced the challenge of not knowing what to do next since there was no design school available. So, I opted to study International Business and Trade at The Romanian-American University. However, after three years, I realized it wasn't for me and being determined to pursue my passion for design, I started over at the newly opened Uniteh University of Bucharest, where I studied Graphic and Industrial Design.

During my studies, I taught myself various design skills, which landed me my first job at Apa Nova Bucharest (now part of Veolia). I fondly remember the small team I worked with and the positive experiences I gained there.

After two years, I moved on to an exciting opportunity at Realitatea TV, where I was part of the team that launched Romania's first-ever 24-hour news TV channel. My role focused on developing and maintaining the channel's visual identity, including producing promo graphics.

In 2004, I transitioned to Scenography Art, working as a Designer on various set design projects for TV shows and studios for clients like TVR (Romanian National Channel), Antena 1 TV, Prima TV, Realitatea TV, Etno TV, and Alpha TV.

In 2007 at Skepsis Advertising - one of the best Romania's BTL agencies -I worked with major clients such as Coca-Cola, Orange, ING, GSK, LG Mobile, Holcim, and Exim Bank. Some notable projects included Harry Potter X-mas for Coca-Cola, The Chapel for Orange, and the 10-year Anniversary for ING.

A few months later, I opened a new chapter of my life in New Zealand and started working for The Brand Factory, a small 100% Kiwi-owned agency. Our most important clients from New Zealand and Australia, were GSK, Auckland Fish Market, Besfoods New Zealand, MoleMap, Wilson Parking, Kohu Road, Oxfam, Venerdi, Turkish Kitchen, United Video, Perri Cider, Little Lamb, Esquires, Ribena, SoulThai, EziPay, Freedom Farms, Calico, Thirst, Econergy, and Toby’s Seafood. I still keep in touch with Brett, reminiscing about our good times working together.

When the economic recession hit the small agency, I founded my own studio back in 2013 - Web Creative Store to keep going. My most significant project was working on the interface of a karaoke app for iOS called Lyrical (initially "Singing with Friends"), developed by Peerpoint LLC, an American start-up.

My longest professional journey in New Zealand was by far my eight-year tenure at Auckland Transport.

I was part of an extraordinary, award-winning design team. In June 2015, Auckland Transport's 2014 Annual Report was one of only two reports from New Zealand awarded Gold at the Australian Reporting Awards - and also won an NZ "Pride in Print" award.

One of my most significant projects was collaborating with the Televic Rail team from Belgium to set up a system for passenger information for Auckland. During my time here, I have also contributed to the transition from a print-based design studio to a multidisciplinary one, exploring new concepts and ideas to improve the customer experience and developing new design solutions incorporating emerging technologies and innovative approaches.

At the University of Auckland's Faculty of Engineering, surrounded by some amazing people, I designed the biggest event of the year in 2022, called Mānawa Mai Open Day, the first open to public event after the pandemy. In addition to this, I also refreshed the design direction for pull-up banners, marketing materials such as posters and flyers, and internal digital screens promoting internal and external events for the next year.

My journey so far has been incredible, filled with challenges and setbacks. Despite this, I've never let go of my passion for design; instead, I've embraced every obstacle as an opportunity to learn and grow, always looking for innovative ways to approach design challenges.

Fast forward to today, I have gained a unique perspective and valuable skills from my experiences in different companies and industries.

As someone who has worked in the industry for a long time, I've seen a lot of changes in the world of graphic design. Now, I'm excited and ready for whatever the future holds!

You can also check my Curriculum Vitae on Linkedin if you are interested in working with me.

Designing with a smile, because when you love what you do, everything shines.

Friends and collegues say that one of my greatest strengths is my sense of humor, which I bring to my work to create designs that not only look great but also make people smile. I believe that laughter is the best medicine. I love to bring a sense of fun and playfulness to my work and to the people around me, and I believe that this positive energy can help us all to do our best work ツ

Outside of work, I find joy in immersing myself in nature, practicing yoga and meditation, and playing taiko drums. Occasionally, I indulge in the art of haiku writing.