Shredding the Gnar: How Kika Fell in Love with Web Design and Snowboarding

Kika is Creative Director at Flow Ninja.

When she’s not moving mountains at work, she climbs them and then snowboards down.

"My name is Kika. Actually, it's Kristina, but everyone calls me Kika. Even our clients prefer using my nickname," says Kika proudly in her introduction. "I also accept Kiki and Kile. But if you call me Kikica, I will have to call the police."

A Niš native, Kika has been into visual arts since primary school. 

“I had one of those ancient digital cameras with a resolution so low one could count all pixels in the photos I took. With that and Adobe Photoshop CS4 on my brother’s desktop PC, I thought I had all the creative power in my hands to create digital masterpieces!”

Kika and Flow Ninja: A Bumpy Start

They say every good story has an unexpected twist. Kika’s story starts with one such turn of events.

Kika was wrapping up her graphic design major and volunteering part-time for an NGO when she met Uroš, Flow Ninja’s founder. Kika joined the newly-established firm, only to… well, quit.

“I was a graphic designer and didn’t understand a single thing about Uroš’s web design brief. Feeling helpless, I figured quitting was the best option.”

Attempt #2: How Flow Ninja Came Into Being

According to Kika, Uroš approached with a different brief, and she decided to give it a try this time. The two of them found a co-working space and started creating websites together. 

Flow Ninja was officially founded shortly after, and Marko and Stefan were hired as developers.

“I started learning about the principles of web design and exploring Webflow. I was even developing sites for a bit. But it didn’t go as planned. That’s why my title says Creative Director.”

Exploring Webflow’s features and capabilities wasn’t in vain, though. It did help her understand how to approach web design to make it easy for developers to implement it and get the best possible results.

How’s It Going at Flow Ninja, Kika?

“I love working at Flow Ninja because everyone is getting along so well.”

Kika considers herself a people person, and all people usually become “Kika persons” when they meet her. 

As it turns out, the people working at Flow Ninja are her favorites.

She claims her team and her ambition to become a better designer and team leader is what drives her forward.

“Learning web design is fun because, for every one thing I learn, I find out two new things that I could learn in the future. It’s like Hydra. Cut off one of its heads, and two new heads will grow. Perhaps that’s not the best example, and I don’t really like cutting heads… even to imaginary beasts.”

Overall, it’s safe to assume our Head of Design has a great time at Flow Ninja. 

She even admits it: “I love coming to the office. The team is always ready to have a laugh. But when the time comes to work hard, we’re all ready to go the extra mile.”

A Quick Trip Down the Memory Lane

Like many other Flow Ninja team members, Kika had difficulty choosing a single favorite Flow Ninja memory.

Being an avid snowboarding fan, she did mention one of the latest teambuilding trips to Kopaonik, where she had a chance to prove her gliding skills.

She also recalled the early days at Flow Ninja, when only Uroš, Marko, and herself were starting. “We knew how to enjoy after a hard day’s work — or even during it. I recall eating watermelons and pineapples when taking breaks. We were still in a co-working space, and we didn’t really care what others in the office thought of our indulgence in the sweet and sticky watermelon nectar. Good times!”

A Round of Rapid-Fire Questions for Kika

We wanted to pick Kika’s mind with a couple of quick questions. 

What’s your favorite remote work location?

K: Honestly, I really really really like coming to our working hub. I don’t have a favourite remote location.

Could you recommend a movie or a TV show?

K: Movie: Triangle of Sadness. Show: Last of Us.

Could you recommend a book?

K: “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. It’s a great read for web designers as an entry point to the world of web design.

What’s your favorite travel destination?

K: Amsterdam. And Croatian seaside.

Which activity should everyone try?

K: Snowboarding.

Could you recommend a video game?

K: No idea. I guess the Last of Us game is as good as the show? I don’t know. Haven’t played.

Could you tell us a quote that inspired you lately?

K: I actually prepared a quote I want you to use in this blog: There’s no such thing as a design emergency. I don’t know who said it, but it’s true.

Anything else to recommend?

K: Yes. Coffee at Kafeterija and Mexican Tortilla at Tortilja Bar Žabac.