CAMPUSLIFE ON A GYM BAG - INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER OF THE MERCH DESIGN PROJECT

Creativity cannot be pigeonholed - this is proven by Antonio Lewandowski, POP student from Hamburg and this year's winner of our Merch Design Contest, a POP project for fashion and graphic designers. His design will be seen on an exclusive edition of gym bags, although he is actually studying sound engineering with us. Find out why versatility is important and how you can win a gym bag in this interview.  

POP: Congratulations on your design, and also on winning the iPad! As an audio engineering student, how come you entered a design competition? 

"I'm actually studying audio design at Deutsche POP in Hamburg, but have done a bachelor's in illustration before. I do freelance design work here and there now, but it's more of a hobby for me." 

POP: So you see yourself more in the music field? 

"Exactly, I have always been an amateur musician and singer and have written my own songs. Actually, I always wanted to study music, but at that time I wasn't accepted at a music school in Berlin, so I studied illustration there without further ado. But I realized that I would rather study music after all." 

POP: Where do you see your future professionally then? 

"Actually in the music industry, but I'm basically open. In life, things always turn out differently than you think, and you should be open to influences. If something doesn't work out, you have to find a way to move forward." 

POP: Then a BA in illustration comes in handy. What do you like about graphic design? 

"For me, it's a creative outlet. Coming up with the idea is the hard part. The drawing itself is the relaxing and fun part." 

POP: This year, the theme was "Campuslife." Was it difficult for you to work toward that?  

"I started by gathering ideas. I write down a lot or doodle preliminary sketches. That's how an image gradually emerges in my head. I'm also open with drawing, so if something else comes up halfway through, that's good too, as long as the original idea is still there."  

POP: In this case, what was your original idea?  

"I wanted to combine as many fields of study as possible in my design. On the result you see photography in the Polaroid picture, music in the singer, fashion and design as graffiti on the wall."  

POP: Do you have any advice for creative beginners? 

"Always go your own way, no matter what others say. Follow your own nose, stay true to yourself.  For me, I always knew I wanted to go in the creative direction, but a lot of people have trouble with that at first."  

You also want to have a gym bag with Antonio's design? We are giving away 10 gym bags among all participants. Just follow us on Instagram and write in the comments until 13.12. why you want to have this gymbag. The winners will be notified on Instagram!