Diti Katona
Diti Katona is an internationally recognized Canadian graphic designer and creative director.[1] She is partner and creative director of Concrete Design Communications Inc., which she founded in 1988 with partner John Pylypczak.[2]
Katona has been acknowledged for her influence on shaping the modern landscape of design.[2] Known for never settling for a particular style or approach,[3] over the years she has become most well known for her evocative work with fashion, retail and luxury clients for which she has won many awards from leading global design institutions.[4]
Katona grew up in Toronto, Canada. She studied Art History at York University, graduating in 1984 and is a registered graphic designer RGD (Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario).[2] She began her career in Budapest and moved back to Toronto and worked at Taylor & Browning Design Associates where she met Pylypczak.
Work
Katona has worked across categories and brands which include: Design Exchange, Umbra, Lida Baday, Sula, Bite Beauty, Holt Renfrew, Perricone MD, and Film North, Mountain Equipment Coop.[3][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] [15]
Books
Many leading design books have also featured her work. These books include: Brand Identity Now! (Taschen), Logo Design 3 (Taschen), Masters of Design: Logo & Identity: a Collective of the World’s Most Inspiring Logo Designers, Women of Design: Influence and Inspiration From The Original Trailblazers To The New Groundbreakers, Inside the Business of Graphic Design: 60 Leaders Share Their Secretes of Success, International Women in Design, The Best of Cover Design; Books, Magazines, Catalogues and More, and Advertising Design and Typography.
Quotes
“Generally we believe that successful logos should express as much as possible with the greatest economy of form.” [1]
“When designing a logo, distill, distill, distill, distill, and distill.” [1]
“A confident client will see your confidence as strength, not arrogance.” [1]
Awards and Recognition
Katona and the work she has led for Concrete has received media attention and industry recognition.[4][16] To date, over 700 international awards from the following institutions have been won:
- Advertising and Design Club of Canada, Toronto
- American Center for Design, Chicago
- American Design Awards, San Diego
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), New York
- Applied Arts Magazine, Toronto
- AR (Annual Report) 100, New York
- Art Directors Club (ADC), New York
- Black Book Awards, New York
- British Design and Art Direction (D&AD), London
- Coupe Magazine, Toronto
- Create Magazine, Orlando FL
- Creative Review, London
- The Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Awards
- Clio Awards, New York
- Communication Arts, Palo Alto CA
- Critique Magazine, Los Angeles
- Graphis, New York
- How Magazine, Cincinnati
- Photo District News, New York
- Print Magazine, New York
- Red Dot Awards, Essen, Germany
- Society of Publication Designers (SPD), New York
- Studio Magazine, Toronto
- Type Directors Club (TDC), New York
- Typographers International Association (TIA), New York
In November 2012, Katona received the Les Usherwood Award for lifetime achievement for contributions to the Canadian Creative Community.[16]
Lecturing and Judging
Katona is regularly invited to lecture and judge awards shows. The following represent some of the shows she has adjudicated:
- Adobe, San Diego
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Cleveland
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), New York
- American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Phoenix
- Art Directors Club (ADC), New York
- Applied Arts Magazine, Toronto
- AR (Annual Report) 100, New York
- British Design and Art Direction, London
- Clio Awards, New York
- Communication Arts Magazine, Palo Alto CA
- Connecticut Art Directors Club
- Creative Club of Atlanta
- How Magazine, Cincinnati
- Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), Saskatoon
- Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), Toronto
- Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), Winnipeg
- James Beard Foundation Awards, New York
- Mohawk Fine Papers, New York
- One Show, New York
- New York Art Directors, New York
- Print Magazine, New York
- Report on Business Magazine, Toronto
- Studio Magazine, Toronto
- The One Show, New York
References
- 1 2 3 4 Adams, Sean (2008). Masters of design logos & identity : a collective of the world's most inspiring logo designers. Beverly, Mass.: Rockport Publishers. p. 208. ISBN 1616736089.
- 1 2 3 Gomez-Palacio, Bryony; Vit, Armin (2008). Women of design : influence and inspiration from the original trailblazers to the new groundbreakers (1st ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: HOW Books. p. 79. ISBN 1600610854.
- 1 2 "Dynamic Duos: Concrete & Lida Baday. Applied Arts Magazine. July 2013." (PDF).
- 1 2 Art directors annual 88 : advertising design, illustration, interactive photography. (88th ed.). Mies, Switzerland: RotoVision. 2009. ISBN 2888930854.
- ↑ VERNER, AMY. "Toronto's Concrete Design makes a splash". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ LORINC, JOHN. "Branding irony". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ "Concrete Takes BITE Of Big Apple".
- ↑ "Applied Arts - Award Winners". Applied Arts. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ "Lundstrom Brand Campaign". Communication Arts. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ "A Design Jury's Eye Candy". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ↑ "CEO of MEC Honoured as Canada's Top DesignThinker of 2013. Business Week. November 7, 2013.".
- ↑ "MEC without the Mountain. Canadian Business. October 22, 2013.".
- ↑ "DesignThinkers On The State of Canadian Designers". Applied Arts Magazine. Retrieved 12 Nov 2015.
- ↑ "Concrete & BITE Beauty: Kiss & Make Up". Applied Arts. Retrieved May-June 2015.
- ↑ Catapang, Jef (Summer 2016). "Bite Marks". Designedge Canada.
- 1 2 "The 2012 ADCC Awards". The Advertising & Design Club of Canada.