Andrei Tache: Between Architecture, Design, and Culture

Discover the journey of Andrei Tache, architect, graphic designer, and founder of cultural projects, and how he blends art, design, and entrepreneurship.

Andrei Tache is an architect and graphic designer, founder of Vertical Web Project – Fabrica de Design in Bucharest, founder of the ceramics workshop Studio mud., as well as founder of the association Designers, Thinkers, Makers, which operates in the cultural field. An occasional illustrator, organizer of public events and summer schools, with 20 years of activity, he has earned several recognitions for product design, graphic design, as well as nominations or awards for cultural projects carried out by the association. He has more of a freelancer profile, oriented towards arts, design, and interdisciplinarity in the cultural sphere, with perspectives for growth and organizational development.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence, so as to intrigue those who don’t know you yet?
Andrei Tache: I am an untamed spirit when it comes to exploring artistic fields and forms, and at the same time extremely passionate about business mechanisms, social phenomena, and anything that connects with the public. Without having the coverage of a Renaissance or “universal” man, I know my specific skills and limits well, and I always enjoy exploring and expressing myself freely across different projects.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Andrei Tache: Chronologically, I would think of my first high school award, received for an application where the user could explore spaces, with games and elements of knowledge or discovery themed around light. The application was created with Macromedia Flash, together with two classmates. Then, I believe the few months I spent in employment were defining. I worked as a German translator in high school and a graphic designer for Revista Regard in my first year of college. There are also a few projects that nurtured me spiritually, perhaps the most remarkable being the opportunity to illustrate a children’s book by Nina Cassian, published by Editura Frontiera. And not least, I would say awards are also milestones where “remarkable work” is somewhat proven or more precisely marked. I also believe that the projection of the future (a professional defect for architects), though intangible or still non-existent, acts like a magnet that keeps me going in what I do. Many encounters with various people have contributed, brick by brick, to my formative journey.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?
Andrei Tache: I remember with amusement a moment in the early period when I couldn’t deliver something quite simple because I depended on an external collaborator who was busy and less willing to make sacrifices for the job. It wasn’t a big deal, but for someone around 20 years old, it was huge pressure. Perhaps this is also the most educational moment. Of course, it was resolved in the end. In the rest of my journey, there have been difficult moments with people—these are inevitable—but currently, they occur at a low intensity.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Andrei Tache: I have always had an almost intrinsic motivation to work. The process itself, the results of each project, and the desire to always create something new—which happens to me organically—all keep me on track. Until recently, I also had a financial goal to achieve, and for the future, I aim to expand it. I remember as a child wanting to earn my own money. I sold various things, and even published a magazine in elementary school with two friends. We made crosswords and other content, printed on my own black-and-white printer… This reflects a somewhat creative approach to finances, intertwined with content and value. Within the NGO, we try to combine—so to speak—two apparently distinct worlds: profit and culture.
I believe money is an extraordinary resource, not for consumption, but for all kinds of investments, experimentation, learning, and philanthropy. I share the dream many have of generating passive income, reaching a level of independence, and dedicating myself to others in whatever way is appropriate at the right moment.

C&B: What did you look like at the beginning of your path, and how do you feel you’ve transformed to the present?
Andrei Tache: The novice graphic designer was, of course, an immature person but confident in his abilities and eager to achieve. Not necessarily big things, but to give something to the world, to the people I interacted with. Interested in different disciplines, very interested in architecture, and always thinking that great achievements were somewhere in the future.
In the meantime, I’ve accumulated life experience and experience in different areas, which I believe makes me suitable for more complex projects that combine adjacent fields. Architecture and graphic design; or architecture, product design, and graphics; graphic design, copywriting, and experience design; or, to give a recent smaller-scale example, I work on a pop-up book, which opens an entire universe based on graphics, illustration, creative thinking, and what is called “paper engineering.” Or a summer school where we combine understanding of text, graphics, media production—in one word, design, think & make.
I feel this broad horizon is very beneficial. It offers freedom and could lead to a position as an artist-entrepreneur, concentrating value and delivering high-value outputs on demand. In conclusion, I still feel, as 15 years ago, on the launchpad, somewhat satisfied with past projects, but very curious about the challenges that will align along the way. A few recent awards received by the association I’m part of give me confidence that we’re at a good level.

C&B: If we met your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Andrei Tache: I’m not sure it’s an objective marker, because those who have stayed with me would probably have good things to say. I don’t want to anticipate too many compliments, but I believe they are satisfied with the collaboration because I take deadlines seriously and, perhaps, because I add creative value—the key ingredient in the fields I practice. It’s about being alive and going the extra mile—even though I often feel I need to do it with moderation to remain sustainable. And compared to other graphic designers or professionals working long hours at a computer, I’m quite patient. We are a guild that faces a lot of pressure at times, and at other times we encounter various expectations outside the rigor of the profession. This makes me think that the ability to mediate between execution and creative consultancy is appreciated—a good balance between flexibility and rigor, which fortunately meets clients who are equally balanced.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?
Andrei Tache: I believe the thing that changed the course of my activity and opened up a whole world was founding the association. Designers, Thinkers, Makers was founded in February 2017, with the desire to provide architecture students with the much-needed encounter with the subject, details, and, in fact, a type of pragmatic thinking that I had always sought but had not gained in college. It was founded almost imperceptibly, without mature thinking or full understanding of the implications, but it seems “it had to be that way,” because it evolved. Like many other things in life, this journey was a mirror toward self-awareness. The association later changed its composition and focus and became a driving force toward new horizons. This year, it has a European award and a development grant in sight, which pushes us to grow further in our mission.
This is how I discovered my vocation in the heritage field, and today we have prospects to build bigger things in the domain, hopefully relevant to Romanian society. From a heritage interpretation center that highlights all the culturally important assets in Romania, to schools and workshops, to innovative processes supporting these inherited assets, within which we live our lives and are obliged to preserve them.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or the way you make decisions? Was it a natural process or learned?
Andrei Tache: The way my activities have aligned doesn’t really qualify me as a leader yet, being more of a solitary and incisive “entrepreneurship,” based on a lot of value and few human resources. What I can say, however, is that over time a working style has been honed that tames the inherent risks of a creative profession—a particular way of managing processes.

C&B: What do you think differentiates your business or professional approach from the rest of the industry?
Andrei Tache: I believe the spearhead lies in something I mentioned earlier: a sort of complete trust that people have in my ability to deliver on time and on target, especially in the realm of graphic design. Then, the association has a very good capacity to deliver cultural services beyond expectations. The team with Alexandra Mihailciuc is highly skilled when it comes to the complexity of works specific to the cultural domain: product design, graphics, text, strategy—everything that can be involved in a cultural project. In both cases, I believe it’s about good communication and applying innate qualities at the right time.

C&B: What does a typical workday look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?
Andrei Tache: A typical workday includes… a lot of work, a good meal, more pleasant or more demanding interactions, and many thoughts on different topics—from professional to personal, to the larger theme of the unseen mechanics of the world—what unseen laws govern the events of our lives?
I think the greatest professional satisfaction comes from achievements—whether a good thing comes out of our hands, or the beneficiaries are very pleased with the result. Operating in creative fields, the things delivered are always new, custom-made, adapted to needs, and that makes it very personal, with a healthy dose of emotional depth. There is something deeply human in this process. What from the outside may seem a simple exchange of resources often turns out to be something of profound depth—or at least that’s how we feel it.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them day to day?
Andrei Tache: This is a good question, because since adolescence, and perhaps even more during college, I felt the need for a value system for life, which would then feed my profession. I didn’t see architecture as something that could be done without answering the dilemma of the reason for a human being’s existence. It may sound a bit forced, but this seemed to me the only serious or profound approach to work. Otherwise, the profession feeds on trends, partial or superficial understandings, uncorrelated with a larger plan. It seemed almost arbitrary to choose otherwise. Consequently, faith and the values established in two thousand years of Christianity remain for me the cornerstone. I try as much as possible to be a good Christian, and I know that this also makes me a good professional.

C&B: How did the idea come to open this business and choose its name?
Andrei Tache: Fabrica de Design was born in a period of life when things happened more intuitively than calculated. I think I felt the calling toward multiple forms of commercial graphic design, and it came naturally. Perhaps also from an unspoken dream of having a real factory, an open space from which we could deliver beautiful forms to the world. It hasn’t happened yet, but it remains a beautiful dream in itself. Maybe its time will come.
Likewise, the name of the association, “Designers, Thinkers, Makers,” was chosen naturally—it is similar because it covers a spectrum of things, from abstract thinking to drawing and fabrication. It is important because some elements without others are incomplete. I also wanted to avoid a banal name or one based on wordplay. I am still satisfied with both choices, even if they were early inventions.

C&B: If you were to give a message to people who follow your example, what would it be?
Andrei Tache: I think in order of importance, I would suggest being kind, enjoying whatever life brings, then seeking to deliver value, and indeed generating around us an aura of well-being. More manifest or discreet, depending on the case, but in any form, a state of well-being for ourselves and for those around us. The world greatly needs balance, love, and understanding, and our society perhaps even more than others. I believe it’s important that this spirit is reflected in everything we undertake.

Andrei Tache exemplifies creativity and engagement, successfully combining his passion for art, design, and culture with organizational and entrepreneurial vision. Through his projects, he inspires and delivers value to the community, proving that dedication and constant curiosity always open new horizons.