Vasava Bring Inspiration to OFFF Conference in New York.
Monday November 5, 2007 - 9 months ago
Posted by Matt Owens / Filed under Design
I had the fortune of seeing the design studio Vasava present their work at the OFFF festival here in New York last week. I have followed Vasava for many years now and was very excited to see them speak. Vasava www.vasava.es is a design studio based in Barcelona. They are primarily dedicated to communication campaigns, interactive, editorial design, motion graphics, events and exhibitions as well as personal projects and products.
Totaling 15 people, the work of Vasava has a wide variety of styles and mediums. Seeing the work presented together, the notion of design authorship came to mind. The way Vasava present their work, it is impossible to tell who did what project. However, you do see specific styles where it is apparent that the same person did one project and then another.
Of particular interest to me were the following pieces:
Diesel Fifty book. 5 Steps to creativity
Overall, the type and illustration work as really impressive. Whoever did the type for the 5 steps to creativity in the Diesel Fifty book deserves a pat on the back. Vasava have been working with Diesel for many years and a large portion of the work they presented was Diesel related.
I was taken by how varied the work was. There seems to be an anything goes freedom to a lot of the work which was really interesting. I think in the US, we tend to focus on the accomplishments of individual designers and are generally overly critical.
For Vasava, I think as a studio they work hard but are open to anything and do not take things too seriously. I think this allows them to move seamless between different kinds of projects and different styles without getting too caught up in the details.
The quantity and variety of projects was totally inspirational. I really appreciate the impulse of most of the work and I think Vasava are a very unique example of what is possible in the commercial illustration/design world when really talented people put their egos aside and decide to work together.
Lastly, Vasava run a gallery/store in Barcelona called Vallery. Located in the Barcelona’s city center, It features exhibition by outstanding artists, graphic designers and illustrators.
I think the combination of the studio, great work with tons of variety and a store/space to share their passion for design is a real inspiration.