Afrodite, an Interview with a Fashion and Art Muse

„Fashion is not only clothes. Fashion is a message,
a statement, a brand, a way of expression.“

Afrodite Kappasa is a young and successful graphic designer with a strong passion for the world of fashion and a rather unique blog called Fashion Art Muse. Since summer is finally here we wanted to give our easy-to-personalize T-shirts a run for their money and asked her to show us what a creative fashion mind could do.

Read our interview with her and don’t forget to leave a comment to have the chance to win* a T-shirt with one of her amazing Fashion Art Muse designs.

Print24:

Q: You are very young but you already work as a designer for one of the biggest universities in London. How long have you been there and how did you run into the opportunity?

Afrodite:

I started as an intern graphic designer. Within a year I was promoted to a junior graphic designer position for the Information Services department of the University of Westminster. For the last 3 years I have been responsible for the layout, pre-press and the preparation of print files, working closely with the senior editor, production staff and printers.

Brochure for Regent Street Project

Print24:

Q: What’s your favourite job from your portfolio and why?

Afrodite:

One of the unique aspects that a graphic designer enjoys is the diversity and the uniqueness of the jobs taken. Each and every project is designed under different circumstances, for different clients, and in different situations. Therefore, I can’t pick one that I favour. However, the ones you can see throughout this article are a sample of those that I believe can make a significant difference to the relevant industry which they appeal to.

Print24:

Q: Is it difficult to work so far away from the culture you grew up in?

Promotional Material for „Ambika“ Project

Afrodite:

Although there may be cultural differences between my country and the UK, I find my self-enjoying working in London. This is mainly due to the fact that the design industry is different from any other if compared to other parts of the world. This diversity gives me the pleasure of constantly progressing, as it is absolutely vital for staying competitive to seize any opportunity to raise the game since the market continuously evolves different trends.

Print24:

Q: Are there important differences between Greece’s and UK’s graphic design industries?

Afrodite:

Graphic design in the UK is heavily depended by the fashion driven design industry of London. There are of course many different target groups/ audiences within the design market due to the scattered population along the UK market, which is subject to supply and demand. Because of the different cultures and audiences, the design industry is different from Greece’s market. Furthermore, as London is not only the financial centre of world, but also a developing trends-setter, design is innovative and multicultural.

Print24:

Q: Do you think that you are better valued working as a designer/artist abroad?

Feedback Project for the University of Westminster

Afrodite:

Since there are more opportunities for designers to progress and get involved in a highly competitive market such as London’s, my design skillset is being developed accordingly and subject to the industry needs. This exploration of UK design has proved to be a very useful experience that has added to my knowledge about how big design companies operate.

Print24:

Q: Graphic designers often find it hard to get permanent positions. Do you have any tips that could help those looking for a permanent design position right now?

Afrodite:

Because of the designer’s creative spirit and attitude, it is difficult for them to work in a position that sacrifices their needs. Design is becoming an increasingly fluid and fast-moving sector. Therefore, it’s vital for staying competitive and being valuable to a company/ organisation to seize any opportunity to raise the game. The digital media has created a transformation in communications, retailing, brand building and general consumer behaviour, that increases the need of increasingly knowledgeable and skilled designers, who can survive in this fast-moving sector.

Print24:

Q: What advice would you give to people looking forward to making an international career in the world of art and design, as you have done?

Afrodite:

An international career gives you the opportunity to meet different people and cultures, to work with different target segments and to adapt to a multicultural environment. Design is well placed to be bullish about the global market, creating better products, services, brands and experiences that are desirable, usable, buyable and feasible. Having a global perspective about design and art (rather than just following the latest trends and needs) is extremely vital in order to develop such. And personally, having such an understanding of the global art and design industry since my late twenties onwards has really helped me and this is what I would suggest to anyone willing to do the same.

Afrodite Kapassa „Floral Leggings“

Print24:

Q: Your blog is also very interesting. It is relatively new and already has an impressive amount of followers in Facebook and Instagram. You blend art, fashion and graphic design. How did you come up with such an original idea for a blog?

Afrodite:

Fashion Art Muse was created as an identity because of my passion for fashion and the creativity of a communication designer. The goal is to inspire and inform about fashion and art as well as create nice visuals and creative concepts and ultimately result into a powerful, inspiring and trend brand. Whilst there are hundreds of fashion blogs and art blogs, none of them combines these two elements together creating inspirational concepts Fashion & Art Muse aims to fill in the market gap.

Print24:

Q: Is there any relation in between your day-time job and your Fashion&Art project?

Afrodite:

Graphic design is about solving problems using design to communicate the solution. My day-time job gives me the skills, the knowledge and the inspiration needed to run my blog. It helps me prioritize and use my time efficiently, as well as the best way to communicate with people that are currently within this industry.

Print24:

Q: We love the tag line: “fashion is nothing without art & art is nothing without fashion”. Very strong! Could you explain us more about the relationship between art, graphic design and fashion?

Original Design for Fashion Art Muse

Afrodite:

Fashion is fun! So is design! The combination of them, superb. They say a picture is better than a thousand words. Imagine how many words a well achieved piece of design can say. A designer could convey a message with a picture in a different way by supporting a well-designed fashion piece into a piece of art. And last but not least, a touch of art is always elegant and an ideal way to promote your work and if it used efficiently you can penetrate into the fashion world.

Print24:

Q: As a tip for other designers who may be interested in fashion. How much does a background in graphic design helps in terms of entering the fashion world?

Afrodite:

Fashion is not only clothes. Fashion is a message, a statement, a brand, a way of expression. Is a way of perception that a graphic designer can sell and promote. As you can tell from my previous answers I am a strong, if not the strongest supporter of this belief. The advantage that a graphic designer has, is the efficient marketing and promotional strategy as well as the skillset to enter the fashion world design-wise.

We enjoyed Afrodite’s passion for fashion so much that we are going to draw* seven unique T-shirts personalised with her Fashion Art Muse design amongst those who leave us their comments below.

Check the contrasting black/white options. Day/night, men/woman, much like modern art the contrast is for you to interpret. Just leave your comments below and you could win one in your size.

Fashion Art Muse T-Shirt (Black)

Fashion Art Muse T-Shirt (White)

Better start thinking about the color you want it in! :)

*Conditions apply: Void where prohibited by law, participation is open to legal residents, aged 18 or older, of any of the countries to which print24 products are delivered except except for Canada and the USA. Relatives of the employees and the employees of unitedprint Deutschland GmbH, its subsidiaries, divisions and agents are not eligible for participation. Seven T-shirts will be given in total. The winners will be given one T-shirt each. The prize is non-transferable and no cash equivalent or substitution of prize is offered, except at the sole discretion of unitedprint Deutschland GmbH. The e-mail addresses are used exclusively to coordinate with the winners and will not be passed on to third parties nor used in any other manner by unitedprint Deutschland GmbH. unitedprint Deutschland GmbH reserves its rights to modify or add to these terms and conditions. The time for participation ends on Friday 27th of June at 11:59:59 pm CET. The winners will be selected and contacted via email the week after. There is no right of legal appeal.