My interview for Mockup Magazine (English version)

I have posted the links for two Mockup Magazines. In the second edition is an interview with me. Because the magazines are in Portuguese I post the English version of the interview:


MM: For all who are reading, tell you a little more about you?
ZI: Hi, my name is Zoran, I’m 37 and football is part of my life. I love to design football kits. The music is also very important to me, but my priorities are my wife and my 5 years daughter.

MM: Which is your favorite team?
ZI: From early ages I am Red Star Belgrade fan, but since early 90’s Manchester United is my favorite team. Also I support a team in my country Poli Timisoara.

MM: Is there any influence of your family for choosing the favorite team?
ZI: My father and my grandfather were Red Star fans and they influenced me a lot, but I’m not sorry because Red Star gave me lot of happy moments.

MM: When have you started to be interested in soccer team shirts?
ZI: Since I was little kid I loved the football, to play and to watch also. I was able to recognize almost every team I saw on TV after the kits they wear. And those days were in communist era and we don’t have many possibilities. We got football magazines from neighboring countries or from friends from Europe. When we have got a Kicker (from Germany) or Onze (France) we celebrated as a holiday. Also we bought Tempo from Serbia and somehow manage to keep the contact with the football world.

MM: When and why have you started making kits (mockups)?
ZI: I have started the kit drawing when I was 7-8 years old. My drawings were hideous at the beginning and one day I saw a advertising presentation on the back of one Kicker. There were presented the kits of Dortmund, Münchengladbach and 1FC Köln (if I’m not wrong). That was a spark that ignited my imagination. Since then I start to draw every kit I have saw on TV or football magazines. One day I have invented a fantasy league with 18-20 teams and made kits (mockups) for those kits for many years. There are hundreds of designs and even these days I inspire from there.

MM: Do you collect shirts of football teams?
ZI: I have some football shirts, but I do not consider myself a collector. I Will mention only my two Manchester United shirt and one Real Madrid, but my brother has four Real Madrid shirts and two Spain shirts (you can guess why) and more others.

MM: What was your first part of the collection and the most important?
ZI: I cannot talk about a collection. For Romania a replica shirt is a bit expensive and also cannot find so many shirts. Ten years ago these shirts were rare. Anyway my first shirt was a Puma Italy one. The most important for me is my Manchester United home kit (I wore it at the Champions League Final two years ago).

MM: In your country are there many mockupeiros (mockup fans)?
ZI: In my country I’m the only one, just kidding. My brother is one of them, but I think there are many. I know that is a community that makes patches with the Romanian League for the Fifa and P.E.S. series. There you will find some “mockupeiros” for sure. Also on my blog I have few followers from Romania

MM: What do you think about the community of mockups, about the championships and cups?
ZI: I discovered this mockup community last year, but because of the language and lack of time (I was involved in other projects) I didn’t explored more. But in March this year a friend from an English site asked me why don’t send my Olimpique Marseille designs, because there is a contest with that theme. And here I am member of this beautiful community. Since then I participated in almost all competition and even I won the “Copa Do Mundo de Mockups”. I’m sorry that I don’t have enough time to get involved more, but I’ll try my best. Now I will skip a competition, because of my work and also the vacation. But I will return.

MM: Do you already know something about Brazil and its football?
ZI: I was familiar with the Brazilian national team from childhood. I grew up with Sócrates, Zico, Falcão and later with Romário, Bebeto, Dunga, Taffarel. Also the Brazilian players are well rated in Europe. About Brazilian clubs I know from the internet and from TV.

MM: The Portuguese language barrier has been in communication with members of the community and with the participation in the championships? What could be improved about it?
ZI: I speak four languages and understand few more but the Portuguese is not one of them. So is hard for me to communicate with other members. With Cassio I communicate in English. I have sent once a translation in Portuguese but I heard it was funny. I begin to understand more and more since I translate almost all the messages, but it’s still hard. Many thanks to Cassio for sending me all the details for the competitions in English. What could be improved about it? An English version of the site. But it is too much to ask. But if you think for a future opening to other countries, then it must be considered needful.

MM: When you make your creations is reflected in some specific brand or a style? Why?
ZI: I know a lot of football shirts and inevitably that had some influence on my work. Sometimes I draw a classic Adidas kit and sometimes make something unusual. In most cases I know the team and some of the club's history and I try to adapt the design after that too. Also the style is different from country to country and I try to keep in mind this things.

MM: Do you have a brand that you use more and why?
ZI: I think Adidas is the most frequently used brand in my designs. That’s because there are so many teams wearing this brand and also are many important clubs and national teams. As I made the kits for all 32 teams qualified for the World Cup, there were 12 Adidas from 32. And also heave many requests for teams with Adidas kits.

MM: What is the best kit you've ever done?
ZI: It’s hard for me to say. Rarely when I finish a kit and I don’t like it. I’m very pleased with the 32 teams for my World Cup project. And yet is an oldest kit that I like the best, it is a drawing on paper and was not published. It’s one of my oldest fantasy team.

MM: What programs do you use to make your mockups? Why?
ZI: I use Photoshop for the digital reproduction of my drawings. When I start to draw on computer I used MS Paint but the designs were not so good and then I made a break of about two years. One day I have started again and also learn to use other designing programs. I like to use Photoshop more than other programs, maybe because I worked more and also I get the result I want.

MM: What is the most important point in the mockup creating process?
ZI: In my case the most important moment in the creation process is the first sketch on paper. That is the birth of any design.

MM: After winning the world cup you feel more pressure?
ZI: I felt more pressure during the contest. I had little time to do the designs, especially for the final game, only two days. My luck was that I had already made designs for all the 32 teams and I just needed to improve a bit and adapt to the requested template. Of course that will be some pressure on me in the next competition because people expect more from me. But this is only a good thing and I will try my best to not disappoint.

MM: Do you have a hobby outside the mockups?
ZI: Do you think I have time for other hobbies? J I played football (indoor) amateur level, but last winter I suffered a injury and retired from football. Also spend a lot of my time with my family and friends.

MM: If you were in the area of creating a great brand of football shirts which would improve and it would keep? Why?
ZI: I am so little to think about improving something at a big brand. I think behind every big brand is an army of people working and studying the market. Many times we don’t like a kit of some team, but we don’t know the story behind that kit. People have different opinions, so it’s hard to please everyone.

MM: What advice do you leave for people starting this hobby in the mockups?
ZI: Try to be original and enjoy the kit designing…