Angelina and Marina met at the Technical University of Sofia while studying Engineering Design, and their first common task was to find a foundry office. Even though they didn't fulfil their initial dream of studying at the Academy of Arts, they have far surpassed it from the present standpoint. They are independent, successful, free, creative, hardworking, have found each other and themselves, and have mastered the intricacies of design to the smallest detail.
Educational conclusions:
- You don't know what you gain when you lose.
- Whilst studying, you think you're doing a lot of unnecessary things. Then, years later, you find an application of every single element you've learned.
First career steps
It is essential to start practising your career while you're still at university for your education to be wholesome and not a waste of your time. Angelina did just that by starting a job at one of today's leading graphic design agencies. A little later, she attracted Marina to the team. In addition to sharing the same university, they also became work colleagues. They both gained experience, worked hard and have been infinitely loyal to their employer for nearly ten years, though the corporate world took its toll and resulted in a burnout syndrome. Motherhood became a turning point for Angelina for several reasons. One of them is gathering the courage to start her own business.
Conclusions from the first workplace:
- Start early. Study hard. Put effort into your work. Find a way to save yourself when you start feeling worn out.
How was the ATOM Studio born?
It stems from its creators' name Angelina TOMova and her courage, perseverance and creativity. In 2017, Angelina founded the studio inspired by Kristina Gudim - a French designer impressed by her work. They've worked together on hundreds of aesthetics and functionality design projects, which is the key to success. Today, ATOM Studio has a rich portfolio of services: graphic and web design, product design, branding, development of visual content on social networks, development of a comprehensive strategy, video animation and more. DSK Bank, JESSICA, Medrek, the National Union of Worker-Producers Co-operatives Bulgaria, companies from France, Germany, New Zealand, startups from Bulgaria and Europe and others. Angelina shares that she has to compete with big established agencies with many employees for most projects. Still, the client chooses her because "If the client wants a vision, I am ready to offer more and get into their shoes to provide them with a complete and working solution".
Two is more than one
The workload is growing, and competition, malice and limits are not an issue for true friendship. In 2020, amid Covid-19, Marina also gathered courage, thanks to Angelina, and created her studio - Mocean.
Today, both friends work in full collaboration with no competition standing in between. Their passion for logo design and branding is enormous, but designing mobile applications and various animations gives them the power that places them among the best. They consult about the projects they get involved with, distribute the workload accordingly, and often exceed the client's initial expectations. Both share that they would not return to working for another employer because they create more meaningful things for all parties involved by working for themselves. As a result, both of them feel free and motivated.
Hard "No" to working from home
Angelina and Marina have complete control over their time; still, both of them refuse to spend it in front of the computer in their pyjamas at home. Therefore, they work at full speed in different shared spaces, where they meet various new people; valuable new contacts who inspire them to work on different projects. Although they feel at home in every sense of the word, they dream of creating beautiful and innovative things by attracting new fresh people to develop projects in an art atmosphere, with many workshops and corners, where everyone creates what inspires them.
New Year - new trends
Here the girls have differing opinions. Marina is sure there will be a significant return to the desktop design version because people will continue spending time at home on their computers. At the same time, Angelina predicts a further development of mobile applications, where you collect everything on the small screen and make the user's life more comfortable.
One thing is for sure - the design in both cases will be perfect if you choose them because they resemble a new generation fresh-out-of-the-factory- machine that already has so much production experience!
www.atomstudiodesign.com
