ZNAMO SE POGOVARJATI
Konec letošnje pomladi je v Slovenijo pljusknil val natečajev za oblikovanje vizualnih rešitev
neštetih pomembnih dogodkov, obletnic in kampanj. Priložnost, ki
je kot nalašč za veliki preboj in vrtoglav zaslužek? Ne za Studio Botas, za skupino grafičnih oblikovalcev, ki je navidezni šarm visoko donečih javnih natečajev potisnila vstran in je namesto tega vse svoje sile vpela v graditev pristnih odnosov z neposrednimi naročniki iz krvi in mesa.

KEMIJA ODLOČA
"Gre za presenečenje: na začetku projekta nikoli ne vemo, v kaj se spuščamo. Šele na podlagi analize uporabnika pridemo do tega,
kakšen naj bo izdelek," razmišlja Boštjan Botas Kenda, medtem ko udobno umeščen v sedežno garnituro grizlja pražene mandlje. Soba, v kateri smo parkirani, je nekakšna dnevna soba grafične firme StudioBotas in je namenjena vsakodnevnim brainstormingom ter poslovnim sestankom. Skratka prostor, ki je narejen zato, da bo udoben. Okrog pisane družine sedežnih garnitur stojijo stene, na njih pa portfolio, vsem obiskovalcem studia serviran "plakatni" best of studia. V tej množici podob in oblik se človek izredno težko počuti 'poslovno', 'napeto' ali pa recimo 'stresno' in zdi se, da je bil to tudi osnovni namen tistih, ki so prostor urejali.
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WE CAN TALK
This late spring Slovenia saw a tide of design competitions for various important events, jubilees, and campaigns. One
of those great chances to make a great breakthrough and a head-spinning profit? Perhaps, but not for Studio Botas, a
group of visual designers who have pushed aside what seem
to be appealing public competitions, and put their heads together to establish genuine relationships with
flesh-and-blood customers.

IT’S ALL DOWN TO CHEMISTRY
“Unpredictability is the key
word here; when a project starts we do not know what we are getting into. Only after we study the customer can we arrive at what the product should be like” says the founder of the studio Bo{tjan Botas Kenda, sitting comfortably on his sofa and nibbling on fried almonds. The room we “parked in” is, in a way, the living room of this graphic studio. It serves for everyday brainstorming and business meetings, that is, it is comfortable. The furniture is miscellaneous, and is surrounded by walls showing
the studio’s portfolio, that is, a selection of the best billboards. It is very unlikely for anyone surrounded by this multitude
of faces and forms to behave in
a “strictly business-like” manner or to be anxious or “stressed out”. This seems to have been the intention of those who made the room look this way.
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