Miroslav, Farina and associates design co

            My name is Miroslav Farina. It doesn’t make much sense put together like that, since Miroslav means “glorifier of peace” (in Slavic languages) and Farina could be flour or meal (in Latin)… so maybe I am supposed to solve war conflicts by making some really mean pizza? Well, people do fight less when they are full… problem is I really don’t cook… oh well, there goes world peace. I enjoy thinking about such pointless things once in a while, when I take a break from daydreaming. Too many people have often told me I have too much of an imagination – I reply: “Could one ever have enough of it?” Then again, with so much going on inside my head, it is sometimes hard to bring those ideas to fruition, and after all, ideation is quite useless without implementation.
            Being rather new to the field, I have struggled and still struggle to find my own style, my unique artistic expression. My work is very versatile, which has been beneficial in my work with most clients, as I can adapt very fast to their expectations. I mostly work on the computer, so the digital medium is the one of my choice. However, often I find it rather cold, removed from real life and somewhat lacking warmth and flexibility, and for certain projects I do use mixed media like charcoal, pencil, aquarelles, and photography. I also love experimenting with different visual solutions (typographical, photographical, symbolic…) to the various design projects I involve myself in – hoping one day to look back and truthfully say I have become a better visual communicator.
            As an artist I am mainly drawn to, at times even fascinated by, conceptually strong (“clever”) commercial art. I see each design as a problem that has been given a visual solution – and it is the quality of that solution that interests me mostly. That is not to say I do not appreciate the aesthetic value of a piece of art – on the contrary – the aesthetics are often a key component in the solution of the problem. However, the pure visuals, without any strong underlying concept, can attract one’s attention for a brief moment then they just get lost in the vast sea of visual “blah” in which we are submerged on a daily basis in this consumerist world. A “clever” visual solution, however, has more staying power. Perhaps it is because of the intellectual gratification we all experience from figuring out the more subtle nuances in the art piece. A good piece of commercial art does not give us the solution right away – it makes us think for a brief moment and then we can truly enjoy the inevitable gratification of the “aha” moment, when we figure it out. I strive to challenge my viewers in such ways, without being too ambiguous – if the solution takes too long to be figured out by the viewer, he/she loses interest and even worse – instead of gratification, he/she is left with frustration. I hope one day to be able to achieve that fine balance in my work, as that is ultimately my goal as a professional – to make people think while being aesthetically pleasured by the strong visuals.