My interaction with Andrea Barras during the process of establishing CHICA's brand identity was phenomenal.  The logo design, the choice of colours and the list of questions I had to answer in the beginning, it was all very different from my previous engagements with graphic designers. At the end of it all, I even felt like I paid too little for what I got back, I actually had to stop myself from telling her that and figured this interview would be a lot more meaningful to her than an extra R500/R1000. A big thank you to my twitter buddy @GIJane_zn for the twitter referral!

Here is how my chat with Andrea went 🙂

Lelo Boyana: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up in design?

Andrea Barras: I’m Andrea, a graphic designer with 9+ years of commercial design experience (in London and SA) and a Bachelor of Journalism from Rhodes University, specialising in Media Studies and Communication Design. I have been freelancing since 2010 and primarily work with individuals, small businesses and bloggers across the country and internationally.

LeloB: So what else do you do besides design amazing Logos?

Andrea: Other than helping my clients to establish their brand identities, I also do packaging design, web design, wedding and event stationery design, and a bit of social media management too (pretty much everything really!) When I’m not working, I love to hang out with my hubby and kids, and to read, crochet and do DIY things around my house.

LeloB: A woman of many talents, clearly! What sort of challenges do you deal with in your sort of business?

Andrea: As with any small business, there are many challenges – from non-paying clients, to juggling everything on your own (i.e doing your own admin, marketing, client liaison etc on top of the creative design work) – but I think the main challenge is finding a way to stay relevant, to keep improving on your processes and to keep growing as a person (while making sure you stay on top of all your work!).

LeloB: And what makes it all worth it for you?

Andrea: My motto is “design like you give a damn” and I really try to do just that by establishing relationships with my clients, by digging deep to find out what they really need and how I can help them. A happy client is my ultimate end goal and I love to see my carefully crafted work in action, it gives me a great sense of achievement.

LeloB: Tell us about what process you follow when a client approaches you with a request for a design?

Andrea: I have a rough approach to this, but I do tend to follow a similar structure/process: briefing/discovery, research, concepts, refine. Each of my clients is different and they require different things, it makes sense to me not to be too rigid but to rather to mould my service to the individual.

LeloB: Was the process similar for CHICA?

Andrea: You tell me 😉 I think it was – I’m relatively good at ‘feeling a vibe’ from each of my clients and you were great to work with, allowing me to go with my own flow and to really get creative.

LeloB: You were very patient throughout the process, and were not bothered by the back and forth changes. Does it ever get frustrating when a client changes their mind all the time?

Andrea: Thank you – and yes, it can occasionally get frustrating (when you are on the 129th revision or so!) but fortunately this isn’t a common scenario and I don’t let it get to me too much. I always feel that if there is a problem, chances are there is something I am not doing right / communicating well enough to my client. Also, I’m not a mind reader and I can only go on the feedback I get from a client, so some back and forth is totally expected and I’m at peace with the process.

LeloB: Your first drafts blew me away. What made you include the Afro lady in your drafts because I did not mention Afros lol?

Andrea: Haha, thank you again – and honestly, I can't even remember! The creative process is a strange thing 😉 I often draw inspiration from research online and just looking through images from google/pinterest keyword searches. Sometimes a random word that a client may use in our briefing session could be the very thing that I draw all my inspiration from and they may not even realize it – this is why I like my clients to give me as much info as possible to start with (as well as visual examples where possible too) – it’s all really useful in helping me to ‘feel the vibe’ (I say that often, not many other ways to describe it!)

LeloB: What do you think of the final product, are you proud of your creation?

Andrea: I am indeed – I think it’s worked out really well and I think it clearly communicates your aspirations and ideas for what CHICA is ☺

LeloB: Happy to hear that, thank you for the experience Andrea. How do potential clients get hold of you?

Andrea: Email is always best: ands.barras@gmail.com, therwise check out my website: andreabarras.com Or find me on Twitter: @andreaCbarras

And that ladies (and gents) was our chat with Andrea, she comes highly recommended!

By @MsLeloB