STORY
A story about a design-obsessed founder who visited a corporate gift trade show ...
Meet the founder
Hi, my name is Susanne, I grew up in Southern Styria, Austria and am now based in Vienna. I am madly in love with travelling around the world, love visiting different countries and above all I burn for design and beautiful hotels. Nature and art are fabulous things and I prefer to see both as one union. I become enthusiastic about small details that make guests smile. The art of touching hearts with small things is fascinating and inspiring me.
Before DESIGNORINA was founded, I worked as a graphic designer. As much as I loved design, the reality of designing layouts only was not challenging enough for me. At that time I had no idea how quickly things can change.
How it started
After a stroke of fate that suddenly made my family smaller, I realized that life can be pretty short. I put an end to half-hearted things and focused on what inspired me the most. I quit my job and founded DESIGNORINA in 2012. Initially as a small design office that designed everything what was requested. However, things should change soon.
First giveaway
A few months after starting, I got the opportunity to create a giveaway – the tissue BABA. It was my first very own giveaway. With the client's slogan "Nothing for crybabies" it was a successful like no other! Why? Because it was the perfect product for the client's message. It was thus clear, that many more giveaways shall follow.
My visit at the trade show
Full of enthusiasm and in order to get inspired, I booked an exhibition ticket for a corporate gift trade show in 2013. Unexpectedly, I returned completely disappointed and without any inspiration. Not the products were disappointing to me, rather the approach. Does it help to stroll through a jungle of thousands of cups and pens? Since when is gifting about product criteria only? Where is the message? My mission was clear.
Gifts need a soul
Once more I realized how important it is to communicate the spirit of the client. Gifts should touch hearts and connect people. Ever since, I create giveaways to inspire people and keep good memories – for guests to even take the giveaways and a part of my clients back home and re-live their special vacation moments.
To be part of what has always fascinated me is like a dream come true. I would like to say THANK YOU to all my clients. You made it possible.