Dear Tony,
We remember fondly our first meeting in person in Bucharest, when you attended a conference accompanied by your lovely wife Ann, Brandient was just at the beginning of its journey, but your curiosity for anything new and worthy gave us the opportunity to meet and spend time together.
On our walks, your sharp eye for the architectural gems in Bucharest made us realise how much of our everyday surroundings we took for granted.
Later you met with Kit in Moscow as co-jurors of a design competition — and, funnily, paid for each other’s room at the check out, by mistake.
Our correspondence continued over the years, with your generous comments and encouragement for our work, and we continued sending you DVDs with the latest in the Romanian New Wave cinema, as well as books illustrating Bucharest’s architecture.
What we never told you out loud is what a great influence you have had on the way we approach and develop identity projects.
As all great masters, you made the complicated look so simple, by raising above all the noise and by pointing to the essence, the (g)old school of branding: educated, profound, wise, considerate — a simple formula for lasting creativity.
We never asked how you perceived the recent dark age of the fake and the shallow, and the consequent disregard of real competence and expertise, but we guess it was not a pleasant view; for us neither.
But as always, many owe to few, and the least we can do is to put at good use all the inspiration and knowledge you bestowed unto us with kindness and modesty, and to tell the younger generations that people like you are real, and they always beat the fake in the long run.
With gratitude,
the Easterners,
Aneta, Kit and Mihai