Giada Tamborrino: From beautiful & elegant brand identities to a well-organized freelance life.

02.10.2019  |  Share  —  Twitter   Facebook   Copy link

Giada is a freelance Graphic Designer & Creative Thinker focusing on brand identity, packaging and print design. Running her own studio in Amsterdam, Giada is a real talent and has build a portfolio of international clients. She is also a cat-lover, plants & nature-admirer and of course a design addict! Here is her story.

What led you into your current career path?
Since my childhood, I have been surrounded by creative minds that taught me how to get the most out of our ideas with the available tools and resources. Over time, design became my language and the way to express my personality, and my passion became a full-fledged career as a freelance creative.

How do you keep in touch with the creative world and community and how does the creative scene look like in your city? 
Instagram is the primary channel I use to share my work and keep in touch with the creative world at the moment, since it's not limited by the country or place you live in, and you can connect with people from all over the places. I like to support and connect with brands/people driven by mindful ideas, and the best way to do so is to engage with them on social media. 

Private communities are great too: I have recently joined We the Makers Club and found a friendly community passionate about creativity, willing to share their journey and support each other. Amsterdam is a very creative city, with loads of opportunities and inspiring events of all forms. 

I try to attend to most of the design events and festivals, as I believe they are a great source of inspiration and the best way of connecting with other like-minded people. One of my favourites is CreativeMornings, a breakfast lecture series which takes place once a month; it's a worldwide community so check out their next events as there might be one in your city.

My working space, filled with plants and prints that inspire me.

Things I love to keep on my desk: Pantone colours, business cards, stationary tools, and rose quartz.

“The Mood Board Wall”, where I hang colours & inspirations from the projects I’m working on.

What creative(s) do you admire for their work? Have you collaborated or thought of collaborating with other like-minds?
I believe that creativity doesn't apply only to the design industry. I admire people who use their imagination to improve our everyday lives, without hurting our environment but adding value instead. My path is leading me to more collaborations with like-minds, and I am pleased about this, I love helping mindful brands bringing their ideas to life!

What’s your favorite hack to get work done?
Sometimes things can get overwhelming, and when this happens, my hack is to put everything into a realistic to-do list, and I just start tackling it. I try to not overload my working day too much if possible, setting doable goals is essential to avoid that feeling of not having done enough.

Choosing to collaborate on a project I am enthusiastic about is also very important to me: if I don't feel involved with the designs, it's more likely that I will get distracted.

Finally, I keep my motivation up by setting milestones and giving myself little rewards once I reach them.

What are your 5 favorite work tools/apps and how do use them?
1. Adobe Suite & Adobe Libraries
Adobe Illustrator is the software I use the most, along with other apps from the Adobe Suite like InDesign, Photoshop and Bridge. I love Adobe Libraries and how useful they are, switching between devices and software and having the tools ready for my project makes the whole process so much smoother.

2. Pantone Studio
The world around us is the best source of inspiration, and with the Pantone Studio App, I can capture, build and create palettes simply by taking a photo with my phone; I then send the palettes to my Adobe Library and use them in my projects.

3. Dropbox & Dropbox Paper
I use Dropbox as a storage platform, as well as for sharing files with my clients. Dropbox Paper is useful to showcase my work to my clients, as I can add Pinterest boards, images, links, videos and much more to my presentations.  

4. Asana
I use Asana to manage my workflow and share the project deadlines/tasks with my clients, so we both know where we're at.

5. Wacom Intuos Pro
My favourite tool ever, a sleek and super sensitive tablet that I use for all my projects. Having the possibility to draw gives me the freedom to explore new techniques and incorporate hand-drawn elements into my projects. 

With the Pantone Studio App, I can capture, build and create palettes simply by taking a photo with my phone;
I then send the palettes to my Adobe Library and use them in my projects.

I love Adobe Libraries and how useful they are, switching between devices and software and having the tools ready for my project makes the whole process so much smoother.

I use Asana to manage my workflow and share the project deadlines/tasks with my clients, so we both know where we're at.

What creative or non-creative challenges do you face at work?
Being a freelancer means I have to face non-creative challenges as well, like admin-stuff, taxes, and other less expressive tasks. Outsourcing is the key to keep a healthy workflow, and I find it helpful to reach out to other professionals, so I can focus on what I like doing.

What projects are you most proud of and excited about? Are there any side-projects you work or worked on? 
I am proud of pretty much all the collaborations I have got involved so far. I have been lucky enough to connect with talented people with innovative ideas aimed to improve the way we interact with our world. 

In all my projects, there is the constant presence of nature in some way. To name a few recent ones: RUE Botanics uses only natural ingredients and sustainable materials; Petal Plan delivers flowers at a time convenient for the receiver to avoid waste, while Flowered&Co and Water&Light make sure Miami and New York are covered with beautiful greenery.

Hédoniste Paris is another project I enjoyed working on: the designs feature the braille writing system in the overall branding and packaging.
I also like doing side-projects in between collaborations, and this gives me the opportunity of exploring ideas freely and give space to my creativity. The brand identity for Yashiki is one of my latest explorations who received positive feedback and got featured on Behance in the Graphic Design Gallery. 

Braille System on the Packaging Design with blind emboss & gold foil.

Logo Design for Water&Light, based in NYC, who has recently opened its second store in Miami.

Business Cards printed with Gold Foil for Flowered&Co. Miami.

Yashiki - One of my most recent personal projects.

What’s your morning or evening routine and habit after work?
Having a routine is extremely important to me because as a solo freelancer, I am not influenced by office hours and everyday habits. My rituals are a constant work in progress, and I think they change according to the season, mindset and projects I’m working on. To start my day off right and maximize my productivity, I try to wake up as early as possible, this allows me to set a positive tone for the day and feel connected with the world. 

Before digging into the design world, I take some time for myself: a little yoga practice to awaken my body, some(alot of!) fresh-brewed coffee, breakfast, and eventually do a bit of whatever I like to do, which typically includes playing with my cat Yuna. 

After work, I like to go outside, have a walk and take a breath of fresh air to clear my mind; when the weather is nice, I love to ride my bike and explore the surrounding area. Being creative is very fulfilling, but after a full day of ideas, research, and designs, my brain can get overwhelmed and get a sort of‘creativehangover’.

8 AM - Coffee, please!

8.10 AM - Yoga or walk outside

9 AM - Daily inspiration

9.30 AM - Playtime with Yuna

10 AM - E-mails & planning

10.30 - Project setup

11 AM - Colour research

12 AM - Fonts research

1 PM - Lunch

2 PM - Back to the Artboards

6 PM - Wanderlust

8 PM - Sunset

What’s your workspace setup?
Working from home can be great and challenging at the same time, that's why I have a separate room for my design studio. To avoid burnout, it's essential to have a healthy work-life balance, and closing the door of my office allows me to switch off my mind a little bit - but honestly, design is always in my head and so is my work!

My studio is very bright with a large window, and that's what I love the most: I like working in natural light as it allows me to choose colours and paper textures more accurately. 

I love plants, they make such a difference in the whole environment and add a lot of positive vibes, so my office is full of them. I like to surround myself with designs, objects and books that inspire me, and I hang loads of things on my wall, especially Pantone colours and mood boards of the projects I am currently working on. 
Since I spend most of my day in my studio, sometimes I need to change my point of view and setup, so I have arranged a'chillout corner' where I can unwind a little, or do tasks that I prefer not doing at my desk, like finding inspiration for my next projects. I also have a standing desk, and when I don't feel like sitting anymore, I can quickly lift my workspace and stretch my legs.

Any advice for ambitious creatives starting out?
Focus on something you really like and find your calling, while keeping your mind open to new things and opportunities. Explore all the possibilities and try not to lose your personality, it's often easy to compare ourselves to others, but what makes us successful is our unique path and our choices that led us to what we are. Ask for help and be curious, the more input, the better!

Is there any Work-in-Progress you could share with us?
My most recent collaboration is with RUE Botanics, a nordic plant-based skincare brand. The goal was to create a consistent brand identity and packaging designs for their new range of natural products. We selected the most eco-sustainable options to reflect the brand's values and to have a minimal impact on the environment while giving the products a sleek and minimal look that appeals to a gender-neutral, conscious and sophisticated audience.

The colour choice is based on Norway's landscapes and natural ingredients of the products, hence the dark tones. RUE Botanics will launch later in 2019, and at the moment we are in the process of testing printed samples of the boxes and labels. 

Where can people find you offline?
I am on Instagram, Behance as well as on Telegram. My studio is running under gstudio.co. You can also find me on We the Makers Club. Feel free to reach out :)

We selected the most eco-sustainable options to reflect the brand's values and to have a minimal impact on the environment while giving the products a sleek and minimal look.

The colour choice is based on Norway's landscapes and natural ingredients of the products, hence the dark tones.

"Focus on something you really like and find your calling, while keeping your mind open to new things and opportunities."

Quote by Giada Tamborrino