Athens, May 2nd, 2023

Big Horror is a digital creative studio based in Athens. It works on branding and design, creating fresh ideas and conversations in every field. Their goal is to find unique ways for each brand to shine, be known, loved and remembered. The studio was founded in 2014 and focuses on art direction, web design, graphic design and packaging.

Georgia Chatzi is the Creative & Art Director at Big Horror Athens. She founded the studio after meeting an old-friend who encouraged to be part of a team after years of working as a freelancer. In an interview with TIA, she described the process of starting the studio and highlighted the importance of making the world a less horrific place.

To kick things off, if someone wants to experience the authentic, non-touristy side of Athens, where would you suggest they go?

I’m not going out a lot in the last couple of years, but I might say that all the good stuff is in the tourist center. I believe discovering authentic places is where all the magic is on a trip. However, I would suggest Metaxourgeio, which has lovely places to eat (Rakor, Seychelles) and you can walk for hours in the neighborhood with the view of the old Greek houses. Another neighborhood I like is Pagrati, where you can visit the Museum of Goulandris and eat burgers or Michelin stars menus if you are that kind of person. But if you are in the center. My favorite place for coffee and vegan food is Wild Souls in Syntagma. Samano, in Plaka, and Feedel, in Syntagma, are for modern Greek cuisine and cocktails. For great sandwiches, you can visit “Black Salami” in Exarchia; for Souvlaki, you must try Hoocut near to Monastiraki.. For drinks, “The Bar in front of the Bar” and “Lulu” for Cocktails and fantastic street food!

For those who aren’t familiar with your career, can you provide an overview?

I have worked for one studio only, mine. Before that, I just did my practice for my degree in Graphic design at the University of West Attika. Then, I decided to take a Master in Digital Arts at Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, and after that, I worked as a freelance graphic & web designer in Athens for the next four years. I remember creating websites with AS3 and Flash! And then AS3 faded out, and I wanted to share ideas and thoughts with other people as a team and stop working with my pajamas!

For the last nine years, I’ve been the founder and art/creative director of Big Horror Athens, an award-winning studio focusing more on the digital field, helping brands stand out.

How did you find yourself founding Big Horror Athens?

I was feeling bored and alone as a freelancer and tried working from home when one day, an old friend & co-worker from my internship, Alex, texted me, “Hey Jo! Where are you? What are you doing these days? Are you back in Greece?” I said, “Yes, I’m back!”. So we meet on the streets of Exarcheia, sit down with a couple of beers, and start talking about our visions and what we want to do next. The day after, Big Horror Athens was born. He pushed me to be in a team and introduced me to Petros, the office’s developer and co-founder, for the next five years.

I started with zero experience in how you manage a design studio, be a designer on a team, and at the same time run a business. I learned the hard way, through trial and error, and from my six months of experience in my internship, if that counts. I often wonder how things would have gone if I had a work experience in other studios or agencies. I will never know, but that definitely would be easier for me.

What is a typical working day for you? Please walk us through your day.

Because of my newborn, the way I worked the last year is entirely different from what I used to. I work 6 hours a day, and every day is different, but I try to find time for inspiration or design every day. In between, I communicate with partners, clients, and colleagues for the projects we are working on.

You are committed to making the world a less horrific place. How would you describe beauty?

Beauty is the pleasure of all senses that have the power to touch your soul and mind. Beauty it’s not perfection but comes through the perfect balance of unique characteristics, good aesthetics, and minor flaws. Beauty, as I see it, is something you are not afraid to touch and interact with, but the opposite. And the lack of absolute perfection makes us feel more comfortable doing that.

What recommendations would you give to clients to help streamline the process between their vision and your process?

I don’t have any recommendations to give them other than following our process. Understanding the vision is a big part of it, which goes for both sides. To make this happen naturally, we start every project with questionnaires and workshops where we discuss a lot with the client and ask crazy questions, which, surprisingly, opens new paths of what they actually are looking for. The difficulty is when they don’t have a clear idea of what their vision is, and even worse; when their brand vision conflicts with what they personally prefer.

Do you handle all development work in-house?

Big Horror Athens has had a model of a project-basis team with dedicated partners for the last three years, so almost everything is outsourced. Still, everything is in-house at the same time, under my direction and supervision, if that makes sense.

Where did you draw inspiration from to create the studio’s portfolio?

Of course, I follow the digital design industry (books, blogs, websites, etc.), but when it comes to ideation, I stay away from it and focus more on fashion, architecture, music, and movies. But the brand itself is where I draw most of my inspiration, like the people behind the brand, its vision, the actual content, and its products or services. That’s why I want to collaborate with clients who I like their brand and love what they do. I must have empathy for what they are doing. Otherwise, our collaboration will be fake, and the final outcome will be too.

Every experience has an emotional component. What is your approach to design positive emotions to keep users happy and engaged?

It depends on each project and its target audience. From the minimalistic to the playfulness style each brand stands for, we add micro-interactions. Another element very important is the content; we try to give the perfect balance of information and visuals with meaningful interactions. Finally, a good layout and typography always win and engage the users.

Looking back at the studio’s recent works, which project do you feel best represents the studio’s values and strengths?

Without a doubt, this is “Three Mountains Cocoa”. We are in the development stage of the project, but it will soon be online. I’m really grateful for this collaboration because it represents 100% of the studio’s values and strengths.

We know that our main job is to communicate products and services, create awareness, and engage the brand’s markets. BUT when the growth of a brand and its products can actually make good to the environment and help the communities that really need it the most, we have the perfect match! This is what TMC is doing as a cocoa bean company, which protects the forest that sustains it and helps the farmers that grow it in Ghana.

We created the entire brand from the beginning, and I’m really excited about that because they used 100% of what BHA has to offer. We usually create the digital part of the brands (websites, microsites, e-shops, social media art direction, etc.), but for this project, we worked with seven people, one brand designer, an illustrator, a copywriter, one photographer (she went to Ghana to take the pictures for the brand), a motion designer and of course our developer.

For those who aren’t familiar with Greece’s creative industry, can you provide an overview?

We have fantastic design studios and a few agencies in Greece, but most focus on print or/and motion design & animation. When BHA was founded, it was probably the only creative studio with a creative developer in-house and oriented as a digital design studio. Of course, good digital design studios are counted on the fingers of one hand, but if you think about it, we are only 10.64 million people, which is okay.

What kind of new tech stuff has blown your mind?

Many things are very promising, looking forward to exploring Web 3’s full potential.

Which artist(s) do you find inspiring and why?

Oh my God, this is like you are asking me, “What music do you like?” Dali, Moralis, Takis, Max Cooper, Goya, Escher, Van Gohn, Picasso, Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry, Basquiat, Norman McLaren, etc., and I could keep on going—there are so many artists and from different fields. However, at this period of my life, I’m in a Miro mood. I like so much the uses of colors and I love these characteristic forms.

What advice do you have for women aiming for leadership positions?

The same as what I would advise men. If you want to pursue it, be confident that you have the “know-how” of your industry, you are a decision maker, a good speaker but an even better listener, and you have a solid vision.

What’s the next skill (tech or non-tech related) you plan on learning?

How to be a good mom. Which I know is an ongoing process and never stops (like any other skill), but I’m a super-new mother and I have a lot of things to learn now. So I want focus on that for a while.

Please share a fun-fact that not many people know about you

It’s the first time in my life, after 20 years, that I have long hair!

Thanks Georgia!

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