Meet Lionel Ferreira of Ferreira Design Company in Johns Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lionel Ferreira.

Lionel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Laura and I have worked at some of the largest design firms in Atlanta before forming FDC in 2003. We had a relationship with a large floor covering company that allowed us to start out and grow. We now specialize in the Contract Interiors, Beverages, Sports and Fine Paper markets having worked on international brands. We’re an integrated branding design firm that looks for clients that want to separate by design, or who market to designers. We’re now looking to expand into Hospitality and hotel branding to build upon our experience in Contract Interiors and other branding programs.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Relatively smooth, but the ’08 downturn hit the budgets which never really recovered. And we’ve survived inevitable slow cycles where client contacts move or are replaced. But we’ve been fortunate to stay busy and award-winning.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ferreira Design Company – what should we know?
We’re a multidisciplinary brand design studio. We’re designers first and foremost—my wife, Laura, is an NCIDQ certified interior designer while I’m a graphic designer. We have extensive print work experience especially with tactile finishing treatments like emboss, foil stamp and letterpress that our clients really seem to appreciate. We specialize in branding systems with a focus on identities, visual identity systems, stationery (mainly thick, cool tactile business cards these days), books, brochures, catalogs and posters.

We’re multidisciplinary in that we do more than print-related work, we also create strategies, products, apparel, showrooms, trade shows, web and even advertising when required.

We’ve won many international design awards, including Graphics and Communication Arts, which is rewarding for us and our clients. We’re proud of this but we don’t dwell on it. A happy client is our best gauge of success.

We’re proud to have maintained our flexible size while producing award-winning work for global audiences. The fact that I work with my wife is special and intentional on our part.

Our work and our work ethic set us apart. We go above and beyond.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We are passionate about design, because what we do is who we are. And we love what we do.

We strive for timeless quality. Simplicity. Elegance. Sophistication.

We believe in an integrated branding philosophy, ensuring a cohesive, effective and memorable visual language across all media platforms.

We believe in listening well, being responsive and easy to work with.

We are courageous, ready to push forward and also to push back, all in the name of design.

We value loyalty and long-term collaborative relationships built upon honesty and trust.