Meet Senior Designer and Typography lover Davide Baratta. Davide currently works full-time at an agency in London but during his free time, he likes to hop around different workspaces around town for personal and freelance projects. Keep reading to learn more about his favorite aspects of each kind of workspace, how travel and leisure help keep him inspired, and the importance of personal projects.
Where do you work? Tell us about your space.
I have always worked at design studios and agencies, and I am currently working at We Are Social in London. The office is amazing and designed to have everything you need to produce top-notch work, from photography studios to meeting rooms of any size, comfy corners with sofas and chairs, standing desks etc. On weekends, I like to set up a minimal, nomadic workspace anywhere with coffee and WiFi in London to focus on personal work and small freelance projects.
Both sides have their perks: The agency setup makes it easy to work as part of a large team and gives me endless resources to produce the kind of work I want to, while the nomadic workspace allows me to try out different places and keep the inspiration level high in a more laid back environment.
Photo of Davide's agency workspace setup
What hardware and software do you use to create your designs?
At work, I have a 27” iMac, a vertical secondary screen, a wireless hyper scroll mouse, Sony headphones for when I need to shut out the external world, and my iPhone XS to test my designs. I also use some old school tools like paper, pencils, markers, and a selection of my favorite design books. The software I use the most are Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Depending on the day I may use some other software from the Adobe suite. I also use Google Slides, Google Drive, and Skype quite a lot.
My personal setup includes a 15” MacBook Pro (not the latest model), another wireless hyper scroll mouse (can’t live without it), wireless earphones, a smaller notebook, and my iPhone. When I’m on my own I use Sketch a lot, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Keynote, and InVision.
Tell us about your routine (or lack of one.) How do you structure your days to get things done?
The only certain thing in my routine is a morning workout at the gym, cycling to work, and a lot of music. Other than that each day can be very different, and a well-structured to-do list helps me keep track of everything.
Photo of Davide's nomadic workspace setup
How do your space, tools, and habits benefit you? What about those things do you think needs improvement?
Working in an office with a lot of people can be distracting sometimes so you have to develop habits that help you to focus. For me, a cup of coffee and my favorite playlist on Spotify work like a charm. On the other hand, sharing the space with my peers creates a very inspiring environment, and I can always count on a pair of fresh eyes when I need it.
Personal projects outside of work have always helped me to explore new aesthetics and understand what kind of work I really want to do. But cutting out some free time for travels, exhibitions, and movies is what really helps me stay inspired and look at things from a new perspective.
Want to keep up with Davide? Find him on Dribbble, Instagram, Twitter and at davidebaratta.com.
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