Effie Koukia

Effie Koukia

Hybrid Designer & Creative ThinkerUxbridge, United Kingdom
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Justin Barnwell
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Effie Koukia

Effie Koukia

Hybrid Designer & Creative ThinkerUxbridge, United Kingdom
About me
I am a multi-disciplinary designer and creative thinker, based in London UK. I love to work across a variety of creative mediums: from product to retail design, brand strategy to identity work, interaction and digital design, advertising, photography and illustration. My work is based on holistic design thinking and my intention is the development of design experiences inspired by people’s everyday stories. My work has been featured in various journals such as Frame Magazine, Design Week and Material Lab and has been exhibited in a series of exhibitions such as Designersblock at London Design Festival and New Designers. I was also recently selected as “Ones To Watch” from Design Council UK, a project which nominates designers with outstanding vision and potential to contribute to the UK’s reputation as a leading design nation.
Projects
  • SKALA KITCHEN TROLLEY
    SKALA KITCHEN TROLLEY“Skala” is a kitchen trolley which was born by research on the big issue of Greek identity in industrial design. The functional requirements of the kitchen trolley are based on the way that the main ingredients of Mediterranean Diet (such as olive oil, fruit, legumes, spices and herbs) are preserved, stored and prepared. The form is inspired by the minimal and smooth style of white stairs in traditional Cycladic architecture.
  • URBAN FARMER
    URBAN FARMERThe sustainability of food system as well as the connection of urban citizens with nature is an emerging issue, as cities are tending to become more overpopulated that ever. “Urban farmer” project explored ways to localise food production in urban homes, by the development of three urban agriculture products and a digital platform suitable to help people to cultivate food quick and easy at home. The products were designed having as a purpose to save room in balconies. The first system is suitable for floor installation, the second for rails installation and the third is suitable for balconies’ corners. The digital platform provides help to the user about when needs to cultivate, collect and harvest each plant. Moreover, it works as a social media platform, where people interested in urban agriculture can create an online community and exchange information and ideas.
  • Graffiti
    GraffitiVarious pieces created from 2008 and after.
  • Lavyrinthos (labyrinth)
    Lavyrinthos (labyrinth)The brief was about the design of the logotype of the campaign “STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING” which will take place as an action of the organisation. The brand identity “Labyrinth” illustrates the life of our young fellows who are trapped in an labyrinth with no exit. It represents the unknown path which they are forced to follow. The logotype has the shape of a hand and the labyrinth inside presents also the palmistry lines of the destiny of the victims which can not change without external help. The hand has the gesture of “STOP” to state that an end to this situation must be reached. The goal of the brand identity is to provoke awareness through the fact that each of us is facing his/her own labyrinth every day.
  • ARHI (START)
    ARHI (START)Shedia” is a greek street paper that provides the opportunity to homeless, unemployed and poor people to earn money in a dignified way. Our purpose was to design a brand identity which enhances the feelings of optimism and solidarity. For this reason the shape of circle was selected because as it is known from philosophy, all the points of a circle are the start and the end at the same time (the start of a new and the end of a bad situation). The use of the circle has double meaning, as it is also means the human centred character of the magazine. The use of the red colour, which represents force, determination and confidence, is used distinctively in the logotype and as main colour in the design of the sellers’ outfits and equipment.
  • MOTIVE ATHENS
    MOTIVE ATHENS“This is My Athens” is a new, free program available to visitors to Athens. It is staffed by volunteer Athenians who are excited to show visitors “their city” and all it has to offer. Logo’s pattern was inspired by the traditional floor patterns (known as “mosaic”) that old houses in Attica used to have. The repetitive element of the logo is the classic icon which is used to note a specific spot on a map. All of them are pointing out the “a” letter (Athens) which is in the centre. This is our Athens.
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Projects credited in
  • Labyrinth
    LabyrinthPRAKSIS is an independent Non Governmental Organisation whose main goal is the design, application and implementation of humanitarian programmes and medical interventions. PRAKSIS main goal is the elimination of social and economic exclusion of vulnerable social groups and the defence of their personal and social rights. One of PRAKSIS beneficiaries are trafficking victims and sex workers. In the competition we were commissioned to design the brand identity of PRAKSIS campaign “Stop Human Trafficking”. The strategy we followed is that there is a common point between the public and the victims. In the middle of an economic and social crisis, greeks also share feelings of disappointment, lose of faith, injustice. They feel that they live a situation that they can not handle or change by themselves. The brand identity “Labyrinth” illustrates the life of our young fellows who are trapped in an labyrinth with no exit. It represents the unknown path which they are forced to follow. It communicates also the personal labyrinth that every person faces in his/her personal life everyday. The logotype has the shape of a hand with the gesture of ‘Stop’ to state that an end to this situation must be reached. The lines inside represent the palmistry lines of the destiny of the victims, which can not be change without external help. The brand identity was applied in promotional material.
Work history
    Graphic Designer
    Freelance Designer
     - 
    - Designed in house and from distance winning pitches for clients such as Lloyds Banking Group and MacDonalds , dealing with last minute word with grace and patience according to the Client Director and Creative director feedback.
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Skills
  • Advertising
  • Branding
  • Product
  • Art Direction
  • Mixed Media
  • CAD
  • Problem Solving
  • Prototyping
  • Research
  • Web Design
  • Creative Direction
  • Logo Design
  • Illustrator
  • Indesign
  • Photoshop
Education
    MA Product Design
     - 
    Class of award: With Distiction, 1st in class Master Project: “EXTRACT: Edible painting and printing products” Modules: Design Research, Research Methods, Design Studio, Studio Theories and Contexts, Design Exposition, Exposition Theories and Contexts
    Design Summer School
     - 
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Awards
    '70s Ones to Watch' winner, Design Council UK
    Project: EXTRACT edible painting and printing products Category: Materials World Selected in top 46 designers out of more than 500 entries across the UK. As part of its 70th anniversary, Design Council has searched for the next generation of young design talent that will help shape the future. The 70 Ones to Watch have been selected from hundreds of entrants for their outstanding vision, ambition and potential to contribute to the UK
    Top 30 Finalist, Spark innovation, Design Council UK
    Project: EXTRACT painting and printing products. Selected in top 30 product design ideas out of 332 entries across the UK.
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