April studio Creative Director Milos Sibinovic: What makes Custom Designs REALLY Stand Out

In this interview series by Website Planet, I talk to executives from the best digital companies, who share their stories, tips and perspectives on what it really takes to create a successful website and online business.

A deep dive into decades of hands-on experience and technical expertise to learn untold truths and practical advice that will immediately help you build and grow your website.

My guest today is Milos Sibinovic, co-owner and creative director of April studio, , an independent brand strategy, design, and development studio based in Belgrade, Serbia.

April Studio is quickly becoming becoming one of the best boutique design studios in East Europe, and has already worked with a diverse range of clients across various industries, including architecture, consumer products, finance and marketing. Some of their notable clients include Zabriskie Architecture, Gagunashvili Chess Academy, Supra Architecture, Design Defender, and Soho Square Solutions.

What pain point(s) do you solve for your customers? What was the “aha Moment” that led to the idea? Can you share that story with us?

Creating a brand, guiding the client through all the website design and development processes. “Aha moment” is usually the result of mutual team brainstorming. Inspiration, insights, are different for each project and we are customizing the process according to the project needs and goals.

What do you think makes your company stand out? What are you most proud of?

Unique custom design solutions. Creativity. And a great team!

From your experience, what are the most important things to build a highly successful website and online business? Please explain each in detail.

First and foremost, having a strong brand established by starting with brand strategy and unique visual identity.

There are many different parameters by which we determine whether a business or website is successful. Certainly one of the basic items, in addition to the defined visual identity, is the content itself. The better the content, the better the website will be.

Of course, the quality of the product or service provided by the brand goes without saying. In addition, well-developed UX and UI significantly affect the final result.

What often makes the difference when we talk about superbly designed and successful websites are attention to the details. The simplest solutions are often the best, but finding a meaningful simple solution is often part of a long process and work.

If there were one part of the website development process you would have spent 50% more time on, what would it be and why? What made you realize the importance of this step?ws

Creative/art direction and UX design.

In your opinion, which aspect of running a website tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?

Creating a quality content and understanding of the target group as goals of the brand and website. A lot of the time we have very nice designed websites, but bad content and communication.

What are the most common mistakes you have seen people making when building their website and online business? What can be done to avoid those errors?

Underestimate their role in the whole process. Preparing all the necessary material and information for the website development in advance.

If I asked you to share the key ingredient in your “secret sauce” for inbound marketing, what would it be?

Creativity, unique approach and great design.

Based on your experiences, what trends and technologies are currently underestimated or overlooked, but can significantly impact your industry? How are you going to adapt?

AI will definitely affect our future. I would not say it’s currently underestimated, just not sure how quickly we can change and adapt to the new trends.

Anyway it will be an exciting journey.