David Albu, the winner of the “20 Years: Call for Papers” competition, didn’t stumble upon design through textbooks or tutorials - but through a quiet moment, seven years ago, watching his brother piece together a band poster. That single afternoon lit a spark. What began as silent curiosity has since grown into a design practice shaped by emotion, nuance, and a deep appreciation for storytelling with soul.

From subtle, face-hidden logos to clever, sustainable packaging concepts, David designs where intuition meets purpose. His creative fuel? A sky without clouds, spontaneous midnight thoughts, and the kind of laughter that only happens around people who truly get you.

1. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Quality time definitely - rarely do I find myself being upset when I'm with the right people. Whenever i can i visit my brothers, close friends and try to spend the whole day. it doesn’t really matter what we do, we always end up having some fun. 

Also, I feel like the weather has a big impact on my mood throughout the whole day. Few feelings compare to waking up and seeing a clear sky.

2. A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY

I think that for me it was watching my brother create a poster 7 years ago. He was studying graphic design, year 1 like I am now. He was making a poster for a friend’s band and there was something satisfying and fascinating in it for me, he made me watch him, which I first kind of didn’t enjoy, as I wanted to go back to playing games, but as i kept looking and making observations, which he appreciated, i started to like it. 

I sort of had a moment where I said to myself - “ Huh, this is pretty nice, maybe I could do it too.”. It came and went - the thought of doing something creative, I didn’t know how to draw, doodled only a little in class, but they were really really bad.

In 11th grade I took a leap and started drawing for real. I truly gave it my all for 2 years or so and got into design school, so really I learned to draw to do graphic design. It was truly hard but worth it I would say.

3. BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

Everybody says an idea hits out of the blue and I have to agree. I think that’s universal, but also I think a lot about projects, I sort of keep them on the backburner in my mind and when I see something on the street I kind of get a click sometimes and have to write down the idea so as to not forget it. Also I think that creativity is like a snowball rolling downhill, once I get started on a project that day with some ideas even more spring up.

4. THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST

I really like doing my first commissioned logo. I did it for an architect that was in between jobs, working as a barista then. She wanted her initial, an “A”, with a sort of feminine face barely recognisable in it. Took me some time, but in the end both her and  I really liked how it turned out. She also got hired very shortly after which was pretty sweet to hear.

5. THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST

I really got a lot of praise for a cute packaging design i did from cardboard. It was for a contest called “Procarton” and I did a prototype and photoshoot with the final product. It was pretty hard especially because it was the first time making food packaging, but it was really nice learning. It’s a promotional tuna can pack.

6. THE BEST THING ABOUT LOCAL CREATIVITY IS

Definitely the uniqueness. The romanian designers and artists I follow are very modern and are all really talented and create beautiful art, they are all very different from one another, but something ties them together. I feel as though there’s a kind of familiarity and comfort in their works that truly signals to me that he’s from my country.

7. BEST STATEMENT OF LOCAL HUMOR

I really like the cynicism in Romania. We can and do make fun of everything and, as gauche as that sounds, I kind of enjoy it. It makes harder times seem a bit easier.

8. ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO LOCAL CREATIVES

My advice is to create a strong network of people that are actually hardworking and try to find a way into some tighter communities and try to find people and trends that haven’t become very popular yet. Try to promote good taste and hold on to connections with people as more opportunities can and will arise from the same people for something new.

9. BEST PLACE IN THE CAPITAL

Has to be the Centrale and Seraphim combo. On calea Victoriei you can get a great coffee and pizza there, the place and decor is beautifully modern and the staff is lovely. I can’t say more - it really is a vibe.

10. BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY:

Hands down - Bucharest. I love how busy it is, love the people, the creativity, the open mind most have. I come from a small town so I enjoy how chaotic it is, kind of makes me a bit warmer on the inside seeing so much activity on the street from my brother’s terrace on the street.

11. MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS

My gripe is that most people think that our country is poor and that our people aren’t hardworking. I haven’t yet seen a more dedicated people to providing for and taking care of one another. We are currently going through some tough times financially and politically, but I think that our people have the desire to pull through and eventually we will, we recovered after communism and I believe we won’t stop here.

12. YOUR COUNTRY SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

I really hope that Romanian creativity becomes more widely recognised, it has a truly unique flavor that i can’t describe - once you see it you know it. I wouldn’t say this if i didn’t believe it but I truly think that creativity is our strongest aspect as a kin and feel that more people should experience it.

13. YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

I am religious, baptist, and people here when I was growing up were always curious because it still isn’t very widely known in Romania, as it’s a mostly orthodox country. There have been a few hardships as even here everyone questions themselves, but I really identify with my religion and I give all credit to God for all of my success.

14. YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

I am fortunate enough to have been given all that I need and I try to give to people as much as I can, to friend, family and others who need it. I try to always be selfless and think everyone should.

15. AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE (A BOOK, A DESTINATION, A MOVIE, FOLLOWING SOMEONE RELEVANT ON SOCIAL-MEDIA)

I like “Type One Foundry", their books are really great and offer a lot of inspiration, also a studio called “Daniel &  Andrew” - they create very high quality work.

16. A LOCAL BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, AS EXPONENT OF LOCAL CREATIVE SPIRIT

I really enjoy the work of Idiom Studio, it’s run only by two women architects and it’s still very new and has a very modern style. They mostly do interior design projects for firms or independent contractors. I saw that they recently participated in a contest where the brief was to design a building used for sightseeing on the margins of a mountain, I recommend checking them out as I expect more from them in the future.

BIO

I grew up in the small town of Focșani, always wanting to be around my brothers. They made me feel safe and inspired—to be better, to grow, and to be as creative as they are. Both work in creative fields, and I didn’t want to be the exception.

As a child, I made friends easily and enjoyed school with my close group. However, I found the traditional education system stressful and intimidating. I’ve always disliked public speaking and constant testing, which made school difficult for me.

By the time I reached high school, I realized a theoretical path wasn’t for me. I wanted to do something creative, something that felt fulfilling and true to who I am.