Design is everywhere. Anywhere. Look around you and you will easily see it. We could even say that it is a part of our daily decisions, such as choosing the furniture we are going to buy for the living room, how we arrange food on a plate, or what shirt we wear to go out.
At the same time, we live in an interconnected society, increasingly complex and competitive, which requires multidisciplinary approaches to provide the best solutions to problems, and professionals in different fields to develop a combination of skills, knowledge, experiences and capabilities.
In this sense, if we think of a 360º creative professional with a global and multidisciplinary vision and with the ability to combine, approach and cover the different design disciplines, a clear example would be Ausiàs Perez (Valencia, 1984).
Ausiàs started his career twenty years ago painting graffiti, and since then, he has evolved to become a renowned graphic designer, art director and brand consultant. His constant exploration of brand creation, lettering and typography has enabled him to adapt his profession to a huge variety of projects: embracing technology in the arts, provocative campaigns for international musicians, as well as being present in galleries and festivals across Europe.
His creative production knows no bounds, and his distinctive style is present in many projects for brands such as Google, Nike, Puma, Desigual or artists like Rosalía, Cookin Soul, El Guincho, Jarreau Vandal or Nathy Peluso. And luckily also in what we focus on here: the world of craft beer with designs for Río Azul Brewing, Zeta Beer and Monsieur Gordo.
In this new post in the Craft Beer and Design series we have approached his creative process, and we are very excited to be able to share it with you. As you can imagine, we are fervent admirers of his work. Thank you so much Ausiàs!
Ø: You started painting graffiti 20 years ago, and over time your career has evolved to become a recognized and award-winning graphic designer, art director and branding consultant.
During all these years, you have worked on a multitude of projects and campaigns, with clients from different industries. In the case of craft beer, every time you face a new project, what are the questions you usually ask your clients to obtain information and thus better understand their needs?
Ausias: Many times I do not know the style, or it is a mixture with new ingredients, and I need to speak to the brewer so that he can explain what each beer is about, what differentiating factor it has or if it is associated with a particular country for example.
After a few years I have learned a lot thanks to my friend Edu from Monsieur Gordo, my first client in craft beer, Eloy from Río Azul and also the Zeta Beer team, which are the two brands I currently work with.
Ø: Once you have defined your clients' objectives, do you have any particular process that will help you to start collecting ideas and looking for inspiration? Does it differ much from the creation process you follow for other types of projects and / or clients?
Ausias: The process varies a lot depending on the idea. First I work on the conceptual part, writing, drawing, searching for images. Depending on the idea I can turn to a physical search for materials, references, or even personal experience is sometimes enough.
I am lucky to work with some brave clients, with very good ideas and who are eager to hear mine. I feel very comfortable in the process, we talk directly, we share ideas, and there is a lot of creative freedom.
Ø: In your opinion, what qualities do you think a good illustrator, graphic designer or drawer should have, who is interested in working for the craft beer industry?
Ausias: I think that versatility is quite important, knowing how to adapt to each style and at the same time to the character of the brand.
Typographic work is very important, perhaps in specialized stores there is not so much differentiation, but in order to compete on the shop shelves it is important to stand out with consistent work, communicate the attributes of a beer at a first glance, get the craft beer fan to value it, and at the same time capture a new consumer.
Ø: If you had to choose a project from your (beer) portfolio that you feel most proud of, what would it be and why?
Ausias: I would have to say three:
1.- Dulce de Leche Imperial Stout, the first beer I designed and that was bottled by Monsieur Gordo.
2.- HOUSEHOLD series, by Cervezas Río Azul. I worked on the creative part with my friend Emilio Holguín, and it is a series of 3 ultra-hoppy NEIPA, which I wanted to relate to the concept of freshness, and they ended up being three versions of three legendary detergents from the 80s.
3.- DESTROY series, by Zeta Beer. A series with three labels inspired by the “Ruta del Bakalao”. I worked both on the naming and the visual part by imagining three fictional nightclubs and turning their “flyers” into the labels for each beer.
Ø: Do you prefer to face the creative process alone, or as a team?
Ausias: I like working in a team, it is essential for certain projects, but in beers in particular. For agility reasons I work on them alone in the studio.
Ø: What brands and / or illustrators of the craft world do you admire?
Ausias: Regarding design, I really like the work they do at Omnipollo, Tool Beer, Camden brewery, Brooklyn Brewery ((Designed by Milton Glaser), Mikkeller, Brixton Brewery, Ballast Point or Colonial Brewing.
Ø: Lastly, can or bottle?
Ausias: As a consumer I prefer a bottle, as a designer I think I prefer a can!