LIFELONG FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS

So this story goes back a little further than 15 years. 28 in fact.

It’s a story of sharing significant life moments, a passion and now a vision for the future.

Have you met our Senior Brand Designer, Michail Kowal?

It’s hard to believe, but Michail and I have known each other for 28 years. We met on the first day at Griffith University and have been friends ever since.

We fondly remember many trips to uni in a ‘frog’ green car, driven maniacally by Michail as we discussed life, typography, design and any other assortment of topics over the loud roar of the engine.

When we started at uni we were just kids really, both barely 17. We each studied graphic design because we were passionate about art and expressing ourselves, but I doubt either of us really understood the power of design and how it was going to impact our lives.

Life put us on different career paths for quite a while, with me starting out in Sydney, while Michail stayed in Brisbane. We had a short stint working together in Brisbane, before I started Goldi, followed by three children, and Michail went off to live in London for 10 years to work in design and branding for some high profile international clients.

We find ourselves now working together again. There is much of the same passion and energy, but all those years of diverse experience behind us.

We always had a very energetic and synergistic relationship, with similar views and enthusiasm for similar things.

And now the strength of our collaboration is clear with a number of successful branding and design projects over the last few years.

Maybe it is because we know each other so well, but also I think it’s because we share similar values and purpose and respect the principles of collaboration including respecting each other’s strengths, abilities, and points of view.

We both believe in allowing for creative flow, where you can let ideas simmer and that bouncing off each other can elevate ideas to a whole different level.

And now as we look to the future, and where we want to go, our shared vision is for one where we do meaningful work to make people’s lives better.

It can be difficult to find a person that you can work with on that level.

But when you do, it’s gold.

Is collaboration important in your business?