Daniel Bobroff
Daniel Bobroff
Founder/Creative Director
London, UK
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I provide graphic design, web design and illustration services. ”
I love the simple, structured order of things and try to create a pixel-perfect world. Although my desk and current filing system doesn't necessarily confirm that!!
I'm always striving to do the best I can and provide my clients with solutions that they want to embrace, play with and enjoy.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
It's a constantly evolving process for me. I'm totally self-taught, having never gone to university or college. I've been obsessed with graphic design and illustration for years and decided in 2014 I was tired of doing jobs that didn't fulfill me and I needed to jump off the cliff edge and see if I could make a living out of my passion. It's been slow and sometimes very hard but I'm constantly developing and learning, so I'm feeling more excited and confident each day about what I'm doing now and what I want to do tomorrow.
How do you stand out in your field?
By being consistent with the level of dedication I have to my work and showing clients that I'm good at what I do.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Several client projects...including a rebrand for a London based tailors; a new logo and website for a finance advisor; a new logo and website for a cleaning company and various branding/design requirements for a guy who I've designed a logo for his sports apparel brand as well as prepping for an ecommerce website. He's also a music producer, so I've been working on his bands single/album artwork and logo designs.
I'm also trying to start my own t-shirt design business and am talking to a cousin of mine who wants to work with me on a new online business selling digital products.
Oh...and I'm also trying to develop a kids toy!
So...kind of got a lot on right now!!
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I'm currently obsessed with Bauhaus and have recently redesigned my own logo and presentation documents to reflect this style. I'm all about the symmetry and grids!!
My taste flips around a lot...one minute I'm loving rough and ready, the next I'm thinking clean lines mixed with retro/vintage styling.
The current stock of projects I'm working on crosses many different styles, although they def have a nod towards the more retro side of things.
Essentially I'm a man of many contradictions!!
WE ALL HAVE MULTIPLE SKILLS OR WORK IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD FOCUS ON MORE?
Illustration...I don't do enough and haven't picked up my pens to play with on paper for a long time.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Clients indecisions are one of the most frustrating things I experience...I want them to love the work I do for them and appreciate the thought process behind what gets presented...but this isn't always the case, so I'm often biting my lip and saying "sure...I'll take another look and see what else I can come up with!!".
The kids toy keeps dropping down the list but I so wish I could dedicate more time to it and just get it done.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Manage my tasks and tell me what to do next!
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
Go back to when I was 15/16 to work harder and push myself towards going to university to study graphic design...failing that, I wish I'd pursued a career in design a lot earlier in life. I think I wasted a lot of time when I was younger doing things I didn't enjoy.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
How to actually run a studio...as much as I love running my own thing, I do struggle sometimes and wish I could turn to someone who can help direct the day to day running of the business...this would be the holy grail.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Brand development and graphic design...creating marketing collateral is something I enjoy as well.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I'd love to connect with a collaborator who I can work alongside a branding/web design project. Someone who's been around a while and I can potentially learn from. I'm confident in my abilities as a designer, so working with someone I can bounce ideas around with would be great.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
Projects are costed based on work required. I estimate time needed to complete the work and usually provide a fixed price with caveats in place to cover me if the scope of work changes so I can adjust the cost accordingly.
I always ask clients if they have a budget in mind as this can then help me understand what their expectations are. I also take into account who the client is and where they are with their business...a startup or more established.
I also believe that clients have a responsibility to be realistic as to what work can be done for the budget they have. I'll always do what I can to help but there's a limit to this and clients have to respect the work and time that goes into delivering the right solution.
WHO IS A CREATIVE THAT HAS HELPED YOU ELEVATE YOUR WORK?
I've worked a number of times with a very talented web developer. However, I can't give his details away as he does this work outside of his day job and would get into trouble if his boss knew. As my business grows and develops, the intention is for him to leave this job and come on board with what I'm doing.
But without him...my work would be slightly unpolished!
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
A friendly phone call always works...or email. I'm happy to chat with anyone who thinks there's an opportunity.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
By learning about people like you!
This member profile was originally published in March 2019.