Despite the heavy rain, numerous design enthusiasts gathered at Smartspace on Monday, 14th November, for an evening of inspiring design stories. Split Tech City brought together several young professionals, each pursuing different design disciplines in their unique ways.
Among them were those dedicated to UX and product design, visual communications, web 3, and fashion design. Freelancers, professionals from small agencies, and individuals working in tech giants all participated, sharing their diverse perspectives and experiences.
Learning about Design
The event began with a presentation by Antonija Elpeza, Junior Product Designer from Infobip, who spoke about her learning journey in design. Although she successfully completed her studies in Financial Management at the Faculty of Economics in Split, her passion for drawing led her away from a career in numbers and spreadsheets. Thanks to the internet and great mentors, she found her place in the world of visual design. After starting with graphic design, she soon shifted her focus to interface and user experience design. Today, she designs digital products for Infobip.
The Struggle with Graduation Thesis
Following Antonija’s talk, Segor Garber shared his experiences in a presentation titled “How to Complicate Your Graduation Thesis.” Segor is a freelance visual communications and graphic designer who graduated from the Department of Visual Communications Design at the Academy of Arts in Split. He is a well-established muralist and graffiti artist with twenty years of experience in transforming spaces. Segor is also a co-founder of the Visual Communications Design Students Association (DVK). He discussed his multi-year process of conceptualizing and executing his graduation thesis.
A Discussion on Design Careers
The evening concluded with a panel discussion titled “Why (Not) Choose a Career in Design?” Moderated by the “self-proclaimed designer” Ivan Blagajić, the panelists included Petra Leskovec Dujišin (Senior Product Designer, Infobip), Josip Svalina (UI/UX Designer, Blank), and Duje Stojak (Designer, JETLAG). They shared their career journeys in design, offered advice to young enthusiasts in the field, and discussed their predictions for the future of design.
An engaging discussion ensued with the audience, and even after the official conclusion of the panel, no one was in a hurry to leave (despite the rain). Smartspace Coworking was honored to host this captivating evening celebrating the world of design and nurturing creativity and collaboration within the community.
