Formex Trade Fair, Fall 2015 – rapport from the front
Every third or fourth year I pull my legs in motion, my mind and heart and head over to Formex the trade fair. Fair for commerce, entrepreneurs, buyers and the occasional lectures. It’s exciting every time to look around at what is happening, and what will try to get itself out on the market to consumers in stores. Also to meet other designers and talk with possible new clients. Making meetings on the fly.
And it is always fun to meet my old colleague and friend Helena. She comes up from Gothenburg, and we get the opportunity to talk outside of Facebook. This time, she helped the company Pluto products. While previous years she still had her own successfull company she recently sold, to pursue something new and different in life.
But it is also a trade fair as I mentioned, and I take the opportunity to meet small and medium-sized businesses who have their founders and others on site, while Large corps more have others on site. People who need and want, and are interested in my illustration and design services, being on the edge themselves to grow and meet creators. This year I managed again to make quick meetings ”on the fly”. It aint obvious that I can meet possible clinets to buy my services, when they go there to sell their own products. But once again I managed it. The companies were interesting in my work, and the people seemed really nice.
A meeting that stood out was the meeting I had with the designer from Estonia, Rita Assor who exhibited her own products with her own design. Being the founder of her own company. Exciting and always fun to meet other designers and illustrators like oneself, and from other countries as well. It was extra fun that Rita works in Corel Painter creating her designs, which I do as well together with CorelDRAW and Corel Photo-Paint. It is always fun to talk CorelDRAW. Rita mentioned how Corel Painter dont do vector, and I git to mentioned my favorite vector graphics program CorelDRAW – of course! Rita Assor was an interesting and energetic designer, who makes really nice designs and products. And hand-sewn products as well.
After the meeting with Rita Assor in Hall ”B”, I went ahead, ended up in Hall ”C”. Where I came to Åre bakery. I got a taste of their chocolate biscotti, and their perfect made espresso with coffee beans from Swedish coffee favorite Arvid Nordquist. Just what I needed right there and then. Impressive also, the one who made the coffee to me, don´t even drink coffee herself.
Åre Bakeries packaging and logo is fine, however, would be nice and inspiring to have the opportunity to illustrate and design to this sort of products of coffee and cakes myself. as I both like art & design, and coffee and cakes. Sounds like the perfect match, right!
It was time to start thinking about heading back to town and work. And bycycling the nice refreshing ride along with Huddingvägen Street. Seeing the edge of Årstafältet and Enskede Gård lovely area with Enskede Bakery & Café in the park. it was a long and intense morning at Formex. It was also nice to start to unwind, and to wind up, and working with the Infographic illustration for my magazine client Elinstallatören.
Stefan Lindblad
Illustration, graphic design, art
www.stefanlindblad.com
www.canvas.nu
