Italia illustration, 2009

Alberto’s design for Threadless X Tate Modern “POP LIFE” contest.

Now I know not everyone is as excited by kooky new furniture as I am(!!), so whilst I am away I am trying to keep it interesting with a few other examples of Milanese design too!

I feel very lucky to have scored an interview with Milan-based illustrator/designer Alberto Antoniazzi, who works as a designer at MTV Italy… I really love his super-flat colourful illustrations and his sense of humour which is really evident in his cheerful work. I found myself chuckling out loud to a few of his entertaining answers below! (And couldn’t bring myself to correct a few of the minor translation hiccups… love them!)

Thanks so much to Alberto for his time and all the lovely pics…! You can see more of his work on his brilliant website, his Flickr and on his Behance profile :) (And you can make friends with him on Twitter too!).

- Tell us a little about your background – what did you study, and what path led you to your current role at MTV Italy?

I started a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milano, but never finished it. Anyway I cannot say I haven’t studied. I’m still studying through reading, observing and first of all practicing. Then I honestly think that now more than ever anyone from anywhere in the world can truly study what he is really interested in, thanks to the Internet.

No path led me to my current role at MTV Italy, I just found myself there after sending my CV for a designer position I saw advertised on a jobs website. A good mix of art direction skills and web design knowledge opened my doors in a web 1.0 Italy when art directors don’t seem to know web properly and developers have the same good taste of a blind man :)

London, 2008

- In addition to your work for MTV, you have also worked on some brilliant freelance projects over the last few years. What have been one or two favourite projects?

Visualsport.com is a single project I’m really satisfied with.

I designed everything for this sports web service: identity, interface, icons, and the illustrations for all the football players.

- What does a typical day at work involve for you?

A typical day at work simply involves too many hours sitting in front of a screen which is very bad for our eyes and body. This is a big trouble.

- Where do you turn for creative inspiration – books, international magazines, the internet, your environment, travel, nature, family or friends… etc?

Everywhere is good for inspiration, I read several books and mags in the past, but now I’m more focused on the web.

Flickr is my favorite website and I often use fffflckr.com which is a crazy application who shows you favorites of your favorites creating an infinite cycle of interesting images.

Then of course I like to travel a lot with my friends.

Innovation, 2009

- Which other designers, artists or creative people are you most inspired by at the moment?

I really like illustrator and designer Peter Grundy and generally I’m attracted by all the British graphic design scene.

I also think Apple engineers and designers are doing a great work, for instance iPhone (and now iPad) interface and user experience is nothing but art.

Infographic illustration for Sekret Firmy magazine, Russia 2010.

- What are you most proud of professionally?

I can be proud of doing something I’m really interested in and not only having to go on chasing those damn numbers we call money.

T-shirt design for Iuter, Milano 2009

- What would be your dream project?

It would be nice to design a train or subway system identity, anyway a real dream project would be to own a cafè or a fast-food company.

- What are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to moving in my new flat in Milano this week (since I still live with my family, in a small town outside the city).

MILAN QUESTIONS

Illustration of Milano city for 2ndfriend.com

- Your favourite neighbourhood in Milan for shopping / strolling / people watching?

Navigli area is good for shopping. There’s a stroll market on Saturday and a lot of vintage shops around.

Then Via Monte Napoleone is very famous for high street fashion, but I’m not the right person for advise you shops there since I usually buy my clothes at H&M.

- Which is your favourite bookstore in Milan for design books / reference material?

Definitely HOEPLI. It is a very large multiple floor bookstore close to Piazza Duomo and it has the best books for every field: design, photography, fashion, arts, architecture, etc.

It is also the only place showing a great selection of international magazines, very difficult to find in Italy. My father took me there decades ago and I still go there to check new arrivals on their shelves.

- Where /what was the last great meal you ate in Milan?

I ate a very good pizza at La Pizza dal 1964 (The Pizza since 1964) It’s one of the oldest pizza in Milano and I use to go there since I was a child.

It’s a ruff thick pizza cooked with wood oven which is sold per weight with a crapload of calories in it.

Poster designs

- Where would we find you during Salone del Mobile?

Honestly I’m not a big fan of these design events, it’s often packed with snobish people who spend more time in promoting their stuff instead of thinking of better products.

So I cant tell you a particular event, anyway I think I’ll be there because I have a lot of friends involved and I just can’t say no to free drinks :)

Another great poster! – this one’s for the Burago Street Festival.

- Milan’s best kept secret?

Milano will be hosting the EXPO in 2015. Rumors says that the company that designed the MILANO EXPO 2015 official logo was paid 1,3 million euros for that.

Plus other rumors said they also hadn’t the rights to represent the Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man” which means they had to pay an additional amount of money.

What we can certainly say is that it’s surely perfect example of horrible graphic design.