Barcelona, July 21st, 2022

Since its foundation in 1997, Vasava, based in Barcelona, has been a reference point for design and creativity. The agency believes in the power of design as a transformational tool, capable of changing the way we work and live. This attitude has fueled the studio’s imagination, helping to connect brands with their audience.

Cinta Hosta Guedea is the art director, graphic designer and illustrator at Vasava. In an interview with TIA, she described her life in Barcelona and her typical working day at the agency. Hosta Guedea highlighted the fun creative culture at Vasava and listed the ingredients for a successful design project.

To kick things off, what do you love the most about your country and what’s one must-do experience in Barcelona?

I’m not especially patriotic, but if I have to choose something that I love about the Spanish way is how we improvise the get-togethers. What I really love of Barcelona is the creative connections. It is not a big city, so everyone in the industry knows each other. It’s nice to collaborate and meet people that you admire. For me a must-do experience is to go to paint a mural by the sea. We have some walls which are legal to pain and it’s a beautiful plan for the weekend. Going with your mates to paint and have lunch afterwards is lovely.

What is a typical working day for you?

I bike to the studio. I arrive around 9 am and I settle in. I check my emails and my to-do list and I start working on the projects that I have on at that moment. During my creative process, I love to share what I’m working on with my colleagues and Bruno, my creative director. It’s nice to hear opinions and thoughts from my talented workmates. Sometimes we have meetings with the team or with clients. We get breakfast all together at the cafe next to the studio and then I work until 2 pm, lunch break, eating, playing ping pong, reading and then working again until 6 pm.

How would you describe the creative culture of Vasava?

Vasava has a long trajectory. Many talented designers worked in the studio and that is very inspiring. We also have cool self-initiated projects that bring everyone together, like the retrospective exhibitions, la barbacoa, the 36 days of type challenge that we do together, the in-house designed Christmas gift, and the surprise trip that we do every year (not in 2020 though). The good vibes are very present in the studio and we love to hang out together even if we are not working.

In your opinion, what ingredients are key to create a successful design project?

What I need to create a successful design is a clear definition of the communication problem I have to solve. This means I have to understand the brief perfectly and to be on the same page with the client. Also, something that is very important is motivation. Sometimes when a not so fun project arrives you have to figure out the way to find something that makes it appealing to your motivation and brings you some joy. Like drawing some illustrations, working with a font that you love, perfecting the little details on the editorial design, using a specific color palette, etc. When you have joy to put into a project it always turns out beautifully, and the client feels it. And lastly, something very important is feeding your references. What I mean by that is that you have to consume culture, and exhibitions, browse the web for hours, take photos of random stuff in the street, share Instagram profiles with my friends, going on a solo trip to a new city, checking all the bookshops, reading magazines, etc. Taking the time to water your “creative plant” is crucial to produce nice and solid designs.

Tell us about Ouche. What particularly brought out the best in you?

To be honest I did the look and feel for Ouche very fast and in a very intuitive way. We didn’t have much time so we went for one option and it is almost literally what you see right now. Having creative freedom and total trust from the client was key. He also gave us a few materials that were very well explained and useful:

1. The definition and meaning of Ouche. Being in the margins or at the edge.
2. A statement that explained the goals and intentions.
3. Explorations he made with a font that he loved. (SPOILER we didn’t use it that in the end)
4. A request of including some kind of emoji in the reduced logo. He sent two examples. OMSE and Soluble Estudio.
5. A folder full of images of the invited artists. So, what motivated me the most was playing around with the logo. I love putting faces onto things so that was kind of fun.

What were the key challenges in making that project?

The challenge was to keep it contemporary and clean. Sometimes in the NFT world space design gets weird and inaccessible for most people, so my goal was to keep it simple but cool at the same time.

What is the guiding principle behind your design?

My guiding principle for any design is to follow my gut and trust the process. It sounds so cliché but is really important to trust yourself and your knowledge. Also, to ask for help when it’s needed.

What would be your dream design project or collaboration to be a part of?

I would love to design a collection for a fashion brand. Designing patterns and graphics for clothes, and the branding imaginary. I always loved fashion so that would be fun. I also would love to collaborate with an animator. To animate my illustrations and learn from them. I also would love to collaborate with a programmer to create a fun and crazy personal website. Collaboration is a must in this industry if you want to take your ideas far.

Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

Yes, for sure. Some of the most knowledgeable designers I know didn’t study design at school. But I feel it also helps. Knowing and mastering the basic design principles is key. But in the end when you learn the most is while in working and facing real projects. Also working with experienced designers and asking many questions is super important to become a good designer.

Where do you go if you want to get inspired?

I love going to bookshops. Browsing shelves is my number one pleasure. I have to put a limit on how many books I buy a month. I have kind of a problem.

Can you name a fun-fact people would be surprised to learn about you?

I can dance the Lambada.

Thanks Cinta!

• Learn more about Vasava at https://www.vasava.es/
• Follow Vasava on social media:

Instagram

Twitter

Behance

• Follow Cinta:

LinkedIn

Website

Instagram

Behance

Artdesignersgraphic designerNFTprojects