We chat with Founder & Creative Director Liri Argov about bringing OFFF to Tel Aviv, painting Disney characters on walls, how her worst design job gave her a lot of confidence and certainty in her skills and abilities, plus she shares the best advice from her favorite typography teacher about not overthinking things.
Any hilarious stories about you as a kid being creative?
When I was 12 years old we moved to a new house with a huge basement. During school vacation, I decided to paint on one of the walls. When my mom came back from work one day she discovered a pencil draft of Disney’s Snow White that I copied from the cover of a video cassette - ON THE WALL... 4x3 meters in size. I was fortunate enough to have supportive parents that were cool enough to buy me wall paints and in the following 6 summers I continued painting many of my favorite Disney movies on our walls...they are still there.
What's the worst design job you’ve ever had and how does that make you a better designer?
After graduation, I got an offer from one of the leading branding company in Israel to join their creative team. Working for a big, influential design company looked surreal to me. The dreamy position also had a not so dreamy side- we worked from morning to night, under constant pressure, with huge projects and tight deadlines one after another… looking back, I can say that this job also gave me allot. When working under pressure, sometimes you simply have no time for a structured process, ideating about creative ideas, waiting for the copywriter to come up with a slogan etc. I have become “multi-creative”, filling up for most creative positions, bringing a project from A to Z and taking fast decisions on the go. I gained a lot of confidence and certainty in my skills and abilities.
What do you look for in a great portfolio?
Diversity, yet a coherent look and feel. To experience the designer’s personality and way of thinking throughout a variety of creatives.
Whats the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“To calm the f* down” and let design be a good influence on my life - not ruin it by overthinking, overdoing and being obsessed with every small thing. It was said by my favorite typography teacher, and honestly, I think about it till today when I feel that I start to overthink something…
.....let design be a good influence on my life - not ruin it by overthinking, overdoing and being obsessed with every small thing.
Any passion projects/collabs you would like to share?
Definitely OFFFTLV Festival. Being bored and feeling uninspired, always searching for new stimulations and creation - I collaborated with my friend Nitsan Rozenberg who shared the same thirst for inspiration to bring OFFF, the famous design festival to Israel. In the past 2 years, the festival is growing with more than 1200 guests, amazing global and local speakers, marketplace, workshops, and amazing vibe :) Thanks to the festival I feel I am influencing the global creative community and it gives me lot of personal satisfaction.
Where do you think design is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
I feel that the ever-evolving technology and the constant growth of new tools and mediums allow many designers to explore experimental work that is not client related. It is more common for studios and designers to bring their personal work to the front. It could be a personal statement, social/political opinion or just pure creative experiments. Personally, it allows me to invest time in searching for ways to experiment with new mediums and learn new skills that are not project related.
Where to find Liri Argov online.
Website: liriargov.com
Instagram: @liriargov
