From the outset, Cèl·lula suggested that the graphic design be a vintage parody of the legendary Juegos reunidos, a conceptual game with a strategic graphic design that seduced children and parents alike with its vivid colours and pure geometric forms, where the actors would be the stars of this memorable project.

Click here to see the project.

It is amazing to see the book being promoted on television, the radio, online… We hope it’s going to be a sell-out!

Watching the scriptwriters at work was a fantastic experience; they were a prime example of creativity and ingenuity. And we were lucky enough to meet some of the actors in the show, albeit only briefly.

Thanks to Crackòvia and Columna for choosing us!

And many thanks to Lluís Ozones (designer of Polònia and loads of other cool stuff) for passing the project on to us and giving us some great tips.

It’s a real discovery! The works take on a new dimension when displayed in this arrangement, in coffee-table book format. The project is worthy of a larger format, such as an exhibition, although we are not looking at anybody in particular – or are we? Víctor’s work is definitely worthy.

Click here for more information.

Congratulations, Víctor!

A collection of photomontages of universal icons in typical Sabadell contexts. The most famous paintings, the biggest tourist attractions, the greatest historical photos and the biggest rock and Hollywood stars, all in the squares and streets of Sabadell.

This hardcover book is printed in the colours of the flag of Sabadell and contains reproductions of the original works before they were put into their settings in Sabadell.

And it became an example of viral marketing: in just a few days, hundreds of posters were being published on the Internet with the same message and pictures of hundreds of people from Israel. And even more beautiful than this was that the people of Iran soon responded with posters displaying the same message but in reverse: “Israelis, we will never bomb your country. We love you”.

On a new medium, posters can stimulate and serve as a lesson to politicians who speak of fear, crisis and destruction. Their people are not behind them.

The LAUS Graphic Design and Visual Communication Awards have the biggest media echo of all graphic design activities in Spain. And this begs the question: does the image they project really enhance the profession’s social importance? We do not want to spark a debate here on the quality of the projects – something they have in abundance – we simply want to raise the question of whether or not the LAUS are a missed opportunity for teaching people that graphic design is useful, that it helps us to live better, to educate, to stand out, to sell, to export, to overcome the crisis, to do usable things… We love the winning projects (we would, we’re designers!), but we found them a little endogamous.

As I’m glancing over this year’s prizes, I have picked up The Book of Envy – what a title for a book! We could write a whole other blog post about that! – and am comparing it to this year’s winners, to similar winning works, many from the same clients… and I wonder what “non-designers” must think when they have a book like this in their hands. What idea of the profession do they take away with them? Why is it that only the formal results are rewarded? Why not also reward the results of the design? For example, a logo that has helped a company set itself apart from the rest, a publication designed for the disabled that can make somebody’s life a little easier, even the signs that guide us around every day with the sole pretension of being useful… A thousand and one examples of excellence that will never be rewarded. We honestly think that adopting a new approach would help the LAUS to add to the prestige of the profession.

As for the organisation itself, members of the ADG-FAD ought to be grateful to the board for its dedication. The time and enthusiasm they put into promoting design is something that stands out immediately. And let there be no doubt: the LAUS awards are transparent. We have known the people of the ADG-FAD for a long time and we would stick our necks out to defend their honesty. We have seen the selection process for a second time and can categorically state that there is no cheating, no freebies, no all-expenses paid trips, no nothing.

The jury rewards the best projects with three statuettes: bronze, silver and gold. When Cel·lulitis Crònica arrived at the FAD auditorium at four o’clock, the jury had already selected the projects to win the “Goyas” in the graphic design category, i.e. the design of books, magazines, posters, logos, packaging, etc.

The winners of the bronze were laid out on the tables and the jury was deciding which projects should win silver and gold and the Grand LAUS award. It was interesting to watch colleagues from the profession (many of whom we greatly admire) discussing the projects, observing the dynamics between them and how they influenced one another. These dynamics are what raise a winner of the bronze to the silver or gold (or even the Grand LAUS!). Had the jury voted in private, without discussions, the results would no doubt have been different.

By definition, awards of this nature are not fair. There are many, many projects and it is impossible to evaluate them all in depth in a single day. What’s more, some categories have more projects of a much higher quality than others and, in our view, had the awards been better distributed into the categories, some bronze LAUS awards would have taken the silver or the gold.

Design in times of crisis

On Thursday 21 February 2012, Illa design school invited us to take part in a working group to discuss the future of design. Arcadi Oliveres gave a brief introduction to the global economic climate.

Arcadi adopted a very realist discourse that we were already too familiar with. His speech was identical to the ones he has given in the press a thousand times before. And he’s absolutely right. But we don’t think that’s the best way to start off a working group to discuss the future of the profession among students and people who work in the industry. We would have liked to hear a discourse with a more utopian vision of the future, more focused on our industry.

These are difficult times and we don’t want to fool anybody, but we would love to convey an optimistic message to our young designers. These are the people who need to change the world. And if they are the ones who are going to have to do it, then they should start off being optimistic and cheerful about it; otherwise, the future will be as grey as the current crisis.

Another of our conclusions on the working groups: wonderful! We learnt about what a professional association does; we talked about fears of professional infringement; we also discussed the different models of graphic designer, qualifications, specialisations, honesty as professionals, the importance of design in society… We learnt a lot.

It was a real pleasure to discuss these topics with friends like Kim Herrero and professionals committed to promoting and defending the profession, like the teachers at Illa design school, Jesús del Hoyo and Magda Batlles from the Professional Association of Graphic Designers of Catalonia, Álvaro Sobrino, Chairman of ADG-FAD, and all the students at Illa design school. It’s too bad that Arcadi Oliveres couldn’t stay and chat with us.