Mijic will lead a digital team with a focus on motion and interactive
(SALT LAKE CITY, UT) June 1, 2023 — Award-winning marketing and experience design agency Struck announced the promotion of Petar Mijic to Creative Director. Mijic, who will mark his fourth anniversary at Struck this year, is a visual problem-solving expert whose design skills range from traditional to interactive, including branding, web, apps, and campaign work.
Mijic has pushed Struck’s portfolio to a higher caliber by executing innovative ideas, following the belief that interactivity is not static, but fluid. By challenging developers to be more efficient and effective, without sacrificing either speed or results, he has earned the praise of creative colleagues and clients with each new website launch. Considering a client’s point of view, Mijic and his team aim to present the intended end result as closely as possible before beginning to code a site. This process is a benefit to clients who don’t have to imagine what the end product will look like in the conception stage. Prioritizing showing versus telling helps build excitement with clients who are able to grasp what the team is doing, and will ultimately love the result.
“This promotion is something I have been chasing for seven years,” says Mijic. “This opportunity has instilled a newfound drive as though I am starting my career all over again. I want to keep pushing boundaries and asking: “Why can’t we do that?” “What’s stopping us from doing that?” With this newfound perspective, I also am asking myself “How can I nurture others into coming up with ideas?”
Mijic loves the learning process inherent in design and believes collaboration makes it possible for even the most seasoned creative to learn new things at every turn. His work has won numerous awards, and his quick yet quality thinking has delighted clients ranging from Altabank to Pagely to Palisades Tahoe.
Mijic points to the work on Altabank as a turning point, elevating his role at Struck. “Altabank was fun because it allowed me to explore the interactive and design sides of my brain,” recalls Mijic. “Earning the trust of our Executive Creative Director was huge for me. I was inspired by the communication and brainstorming this project required.”
Another noteworthy project at the start of Mijic’s Struck tenure was Boundless Bio. “It’s insane to see how much we pushed the envelope on that site and innovative ways of using technology,” says Scott Sorenson, Struck’s Executive Creative Director. “Seeing what we are doing now – the growth and improvements and understanding and curiosity are amazing. The Boundless Bio project was led by fellow Creative Director, Tosh Brown, who served as a mentor to Mijic. To bring out his own creativity Mijic would routinely have four or five new concepts up on the board before others got into the office.”
Mijic is quick to point to the larger team, specifically on their work for Pagely. Ultimately the client selected a concept another designer on the team came up with. “It was an eye-opening realization that this concept was not something I could have come up with,” says Mijic. “The team brought it to life.”
As a leader, Mijic’s ultimate goal is for fellow creatives to come through Struck’s doors inspired and able to express themselves from a creative point of view. He points to the team’s greatest strength being a diverse approach to design and creativity. Rather than getting everyone to buy into one way of thinking, which would hinder creativity, they instead look at the problem on a case-by-case basis and aim to solve it in a purpose-driven and visual way. To continually grow as an individual and as a leader, Mijic is committed to learning from others while they learn from him.
A graduate of Weber State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, Mijic’s interest in design began at an early age. As a pre-teen, he started by drawing family members and his love of anime quickly blossomed into a fascination with the creative process. As a student Mijc was able to fine-tune his skills and honed in on strengths in the digital and interactive spaces, often creating well into the night in excess of school assignments.
Following an internship at the now defunct studio, Dane, Mijic quickly climbed the ranks from a junior position to a designer. Spending two-plus years at Super Top Secret as a Senior Interactive Designer allowed Mijic to further explore interactive and motion design in an agency environment, before joining Struck in the same position.
“My interest in joining Struck was sparked from looking up to people in the SLC industry,” says Mijic. “Struck is a powerhouse in creativity and campaign but lacked a sense of personality in the interactive space. Looking back now, it is astounding to see how we went from a few interactive projects to currently working on several at the same time.”
In looking toward the future, Mijic aims to push the envelope with new apps and new technology which enable ideation to be translated onto a computer. By pushing boundaries on every project, the team can apply what they learned on the last project and improve upon it on the next project. Mijic also plans to grow the motion department from campaigns, banner ads, and case studies by applying their skills by activating physical spaces as part of Struck’s new service offering: STRKTR.
About Struck
Struck works with companies ready to transform their brands in the destination marketing, outdoor recreation, and biotech industries. We engage at key inflection points to boost brand awareness, engagement, and growth. Rebranding, repositioning and fundraising preparation are particular areas of expertise. Based in Salt Lake City, Struck got its start in Los Angeles and has been heralded as a beacon of creativity in Utah for nearly two decades. STRKTR, a service offering from Struck puts connected branded experiences first by creating distinctive spaces that turn brands into realities. The agency’s transformative work with global, national, and local brands has been recognized through prestigious award programs including Emmy, Cannes Lion, Webbies, AIGA, and more. For more information about Struck, visit www.struck.com.