You are known for your impressive collection of design-related memorabilia. What is the most recent addition to your collection?
I’ve narrowed down quite a bit and using photography as my archive now. As far as physical things, I am focusing on vintage design books, I haven’t documented that much of it but it’s been an ongoing passion for several years. They take less space (relatively) than old packaging and contain more inspiration.
Now you are adding to other designer’s collections, from Neenah Paper promotions to Herb Lester maps. Do you prefer designing for clients or for other designers and illustrators?
I like all kinds of projects, they both have a challenge of it’s own. Designing for design focused client means you have to come up with something that inspires other designers and usually the possibilities are endless since there is no brief or strategy and designing for traditional clients means there is more strategy and more cooks in the kitchen so the tricky part is ending up in a place where the client is happy and you are happy which is always interesting.
What do you enjoy most about your career?
I am not sure if everyone else enjoys their work as designers do but I love what I do in every step of the way. Design can be not as fun at times but after all the client battles there is an outcome that is well worth it in the end and seeing people picking up a product you designed is a great satisfaction to have.
The 2014 Egg Coloring Kit you designed for Hatch caught my eye. What is your favorite Hatch Egg Coloring Kit design thus far?
I think I have to go back to the very first one which captures the essence of egg coloring in a simple yet textural level. It was also designed by Eszter Clark, a great mentor of mine.
You have worked on some amazing projects throughout the years. What or who is your dream project or client?
This is a really hard hard question. There are so many areas of design I haven’t explored but I would love to do something positive that has more impact on the world like helping an organization that protects animals or things of that sort.
You have designed work for design-centric companies such as Target. What is the biggest advantage of designing or illustrating for companies that appreciate design?
It depends on the kind of project, for illustration they usually have a specific style in mind when they come to you so it’s fun to infuse your personal style to theirs. As far as design goes, it can be challenging because you know you have more freedom and I always try to push my boundaries a bit and that’s what is fun about it.
What is the last design you saw that made you pause and say ‘wow’?
I love simple design and I enjoy seeing big companies take risks towards something that might be seen as too easy but functions better in the real world. The recent Google logo redesign is a good example of it.
What do you enjoy most about using hand-done techniques in design and illustration?
Even though time constraints make it hard to avoid, I’ve always been against computerized textures or brushes. I can tell them apart most of the time. What I like about doing things by hand whether it’s a logo or an illustration is that it breaks your workflow and makes you step away from the screen for a little bit. Textures also look more real when they are done by hand.
How important is the computer in your creative process?
I would say that having good ideas behind the design is the most important thing. The computer is just a tool to speed up the process, the ideas come from your head so in this age you can’t live without it.
The annual LogoLounge Trend Report was released in May. What is one trend that you predict for next year?
I see a lot of Forced perspective/optical illusion and single color brand systems coming.
For more of Javier’s work, check out his logo collection uploaded to the Lounge, by clicking here. You can also see his work, by visiting his website here.