Darko “Darmar” Markovic is a designer from Belgrade, Serbia. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, a fact which not only influenced his life but also his design career.
In 2007, Darko was rejected by the University of Architecture and the University of Design in Belgrade. He was told that he was not talented and that he should stop pursuing an art career.
With the support of his parents he enrolled at the private University of Megatrend, where he studied industrial design. He knew he had a long road ahead of him but a love bond quickly formed between Darko and design. With hard work he became most awarded student of design, obtaining six awards during his time there.
In his last year of university, he was chosen out of 900 people worldwide to receive the Lamborghini scholarship to Milan’s Polytechnic School of Design (Scuola Politecnica di Design). Walter de Silva personally awarded him. He finished his schooling there and received an additional three awards in design.
When the recession hit, his passport made him ineligible to work in Italy and he was sent home. This did not deter him and he continued to work hard, even winning two awards in architecture while trying to enter the world of car design.
Although he was highly sought after for his design skills, his nationality made it difficult for him to find employment abroad. He eventually crossed the border into Italy illegally, and worked for eight months in Torino. There, he placed his trust in the wrong people. His coworkers betrayed him and he was deported.
Due to this, he was forced to remain in Belgrade, Serbia. This turned out to be the best thing that happened to him as it led him to develop his DarMar brand and start his solo career.
In 2016 he won first place in an Artstation challenge on the topic of “Epic Journey”, which put his name out into the design world. That same year he won 3rd place in a CGTALK challenge and soon attended his first art event, IFCC in Zagreb, Croatia. There he met and was influenced by artist Dan Luvisi, who encouraged him to start work on his book, Inside 44.
Inside 44 is a 380-page science fiction art book, featuring a story, character profiles, and background information. The book is one of a kind, and follows the story of a diabetic racer whose fate is intertwined with the fate of the whole universe. The book, along with collectible toys, will be released via Kickstarter in 2020.
Darmar’s work and interviews have been featured in multiple magazines, newspapers, galleries and websites worldwide.
He has worked with clients in fields such as movies, games, and vehicle and product design. He has also given lectures and hosted workshops in countries such as India, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Italy and many more.
He is currently working on finishing up Inside 44 for launch while he continues to give lectures around the world and produce work for his clients. He also maintains a YouTube podcast that is focused on the life of artists and designers.
