“Try Again and Again until You Get It!”
An Interview with Spanish Graphic Designer Baimu
Baimu means square man, however, Baimu’s talent and creativity don’t know borders, which might be a sort of strength of Spanish art. I’ve asked graphic designer / illustrator / letterer Baimu about his career as well as about contemporary Spanish design and typography.
You have been working in the field of graphic design since 2002. When did you decide to pursue this specific profession? Was it your childhood dream perhaps?
The truth is that as a child I loved to draw, and maybe that’s why I wanted to be a cartoonist. But my first contact with the world of design was when the headmaster of my elementary school — seeing that I liked to draw — gave me the opportunity to draw the logo of my school. I was thrilled, and perhaps that was the time that marked my life.
Later, when I finished secondary school, I started delineation studies and thought I would end up studying architecture or engineering. Actually, I worked for a year drawing blueprints of houses but I realized I needed to express myself more freely, beyond the rules and the geometric patterns. However, this basis has given me a solid foundation for which I am very grateful.
When I discovered graphic design and the possibilities of design programmes, I realized that’s what I had been looking for.
Have you got any education in graphic design or have you learned on your own?
I completed the Graphic Design degree in Llotja design school in Barcelona. There I gained a theoretical basis, and they really developed my personality as a designer / illustrator. I was on a day-to-day learning from my colleagues, from my mistakes, and I always had a great desire to excel.
I am a self-taught person so I’d say if you cannot do something, do not say no, try again and again until you get it! I am of the opinion that if you want, you can, but you have to work hard for it.
Could you talk a bit about contemporary Spanish design and typography as well as your relation to them?
Typographic design currently enjoys very good health in Spain; young people have very solid work in this field, for example, Juan Ramon Pastor (Wete), who is the founder of Ultra Types, which is a digital foundry with excellent material from people like Rafa Goicoechea, Noem9 Studio, Wete and others. In the field of lettering we have internationally recognized figures such as Alex Trochut, Marta Cerdà, Serial Cut Studios, Vasava… whose work I respect a lot. And as I’ve commented recently, in the field of calligraphy we have people like Joluvian, Joan Quirós from Voltio Studio and Ivan Castro (both calligraphy and sign painting), a work of great quality.
I think Spain has a great time regarding creativity. We are doing very good things, and thanks to the Internet every time it matters less where you are and is valued more how creative you can be at your work.
Why are you so passionate about typography and illustration exactly?
I love typography but I do not consider typographers being always fascinated by letters. When I was little I was horrible at letters; like mountain goats jumping, I was unable to maintain a straight line, which made my primary school teacher may advise me to use booklets for calligraphy — I loved to spend hours ‟drawing” those forms. I also learned to read very late, it was a bit lazy, and I spent an entire summer practising and reading the posters looked down the street when walking with my parents, and specifically in Barcelona, we had a great tradition of sign painting and all the variety of posters. I loved it.
During my teens I discovered the world of graffiti, and it was a great school of lettering, even before I knew that I would devote to it.
I’ve seen on your Behance profile that you mostly start with sketches on paper, and then you turn to the computer. Is it always like that or do you sometimes skip that part of the design process?
Yes, I always do a preliminary sketch of the idea which sometimes is very clear in my head but I like to draw it to preview the image and see if it works properly. I’m always more comfortable with pencil and paper, although technology has now come a long way and we have tablets like the Wacom Cintiq that allow us to accurately simulate the feel of drawing directly on paper. Yet it is more convenient to always carry a small notebook, you never know where the inspiration comes.
What kind of tools and software do you use?
My tools mainly consist of an iMac and my trusty Wacom Intuos of 5 years, I’ve stopped working with a mouse.
And as programmes, I am a nostalgic Macromedia FreeHand user but now I use Illustrator and Photoshop depending on the type of work.
Print or digital?
With the boom of apps, e-books and all the smart devices we have in our surroundings, almost everything we consume is digital and obviously has its advantages — more vivid colour, ability to be animated… but it’s also intangible and ephemeral. On the other hand, at least in Spain, we have a resurgence of traditional techniques (calligraphy, engravings, letterpress, craft etc.). I think the two have their advantages, the truth is that it would be unable to choose just one.
It’s impossible to choose a favourite work of yours, however, the Miguel Allande branding is absolutely stunning. You’ve mentioned that it is inspired by old Hollywood movies, but how exactly?
First of all, thank you very much for your kind words about my work.
Well, this particular project was a commission for a hairdresser in the centre of Barcelona. The partners were clear about the approach they wanted to give to the business, and this one was particularly focused on his taste for classic movies in black and white from the golden years of Hollywood.
That’s why I’ve been inspired by posters of classic movies of the 20s with that characteristic projection of typefaces and, obviously, the black and white colour combination.
Your own branding is also astonishing. How did you come up with the idea? By the way, what does Baimu stand for? Can you tell us or is it a secret?
I was looking for a name that differentiates me to be unique, while short and easy. Finally, I remembered how I met — when I started my first job — the man who is one of my best friends. He is passionate about typography and has developed since childhood his own language and writing like Tolkien, and he used to baptize people I worked with with a name in that language. My name was Baimu that means square man because of my fondness for packaging and volumes when I started.
So I wanted my logo to represent these concepts — volume and geometry. The green was used as a fresh concept in my career because Baimu had been born in a way to reinvent myself and to improve as a designer and illustrator.
You state that you have chosen the quote of ‘Fight for your types’ in order to “highlight the importance of believing in what you do and fight for it”. Have you ever encountered a problem or a challenge that you’ve thought of you are not able to handle?
It’s just a philosophy of life, you have to believe in yourself. I think one of the key points for creativity is motivation and it all starts with believing in what you do. For me the real struggle is to stay motivated every day.
What are some memorable moments of your career that you probably will never forget?
Above all, the most rewarding when clients call you because they have seen one of your works and want to work with you — for me this is always a memorable moment.
One of my latest jobs, Extra Ball — Numerology for Yorokobu Magazine, has a curious history.
I participated in a contest of this magazine to make the front and the back, however, the fact is that I did not participate in the end, but I decided to upload my work to my portfolio on Behance. The art director of the magazine saw my design and sent me an email to tell me that he liked it a lot and wanted to offer me a contribution for the next issue of the magazine.
So for me it is very important to put all my effort into my work because, in the end, the effort pays off.
What would be your advice for freshly graduated students?
Anyone can tell you that what you do is not good.
The difference between a good design and a bad design is dependent on the person looking at it: we cannot always connect with everyone, everyone has their own opinions and you have to respect that. I think the important thing is to be passionate and hard-working, and hopefully, this will be reflected in your projects.
What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on a series of lettering for Coca-Cola, a project for a startup that develops shirts inspired by elite athletes in the U.S. and a very interesting project on Instagram called @36daysoftype that challenges us to design a letter a day. It is very stressful, yet fun.
Thank you very much for the opportunity, and a big hug to the creative community in Hungary!
