Gato en el camino.
Book design.
En los recodos brillaban unas cucharitas de té revueltas con trompos.
Nicanor Parra
︎
Gato en el camino is a triple gift.
1. It is a gift from Nicanor Parra to all of us.
2. It is a gift from Joan Casarramona and Piu Martínez to the spanish book publishing landscape.
3. And it is a gift for me, since it is the most beautiful project in which I have taken part.
1. It is a gift from Nicanor Parra to all of us.
2. It is a gift from Joan Casarramona and Piu Martínez to the spanish book publishing landscape.
3. And it is a gift for me, since it is the most beautiful project in which I have taken part.
🎉🎉🎉
In 2020, Piu Martínez initiated a collaboration with Joan Casaramona to bring to life a project she had been contemplating for a while: the revival of a forgotten short story by Nicanor Parra. After nine months of work, Joan had created a collection of stunning and delightful illustrations. Together, they conceived an innovative approach to honor Nicanor's distinct "anticuento" by structuring the illustrations unconventionally, dividing the narrative into two sections:
-
1 > The text by Parra illustrated on two levels:
one providing a perspective through the cat's eyes, while the other consisting of a series of isotypes representing the characters involved in the unfolding scene.
-
2 > Gato’s via-crucis: a secuence of 14 stamps that condensed what was already a short text.
🐈🐈🐈
So in summer 2021 I was asked to give shape to their ideas and to start visulizing how the book could look.
I inmediatlly felt in love with their three levels illustration approach and I worked in designing the book taking into account the physical size limitations: the book should be really small, just 125mm wide and 165mm height for the interior. We chose a lovely typeface from Robert Slimbach, we worked on the color scheme, since we wanted it to be 3 direct color printing, and we work meticullosly in the layout of the first section, the one that allocated Nicanor’s text and the two levels illustration.
As a result we ended up with a really modest book: small and printing over a regular offset paper that aligns itself with the nature of the Parra's written.
On 2022 it was included on the list of 100 Outstanding Picture Books on the Bologna Children's Book Fair /emoji emoji/. And it also has been selected in the MACBA exposition “Colección MACBA. Preludio. Intención poética”.
On 2022 it was included on the list of 100 Outstanding Picture Books on the Bologna Children's Book Fair /emoji emoji/. And it also has been selected in the MACBA exposition “Colección MACBA. Preludio. Intención poética”.
BONUS TRACK
After finishing the hand-off process to the printing house and while waiting to meet Gato, I decided to craft 3D models for some of the characters within the story: Gato, woman with moustache, the sisters, the chickens, the driver, the mountain, Mimbo-Rimbo... You can check it here.
After finishing the hand-off process to the printing house and while waiting to meet Gato, I decided to craft 3D models for some of the characters within the story: Gato, woman with moustache, the sisters, the chickens, the driver, the mountain, Mimbo-Rimbo... You can check it here.
Designer. Focus on product, UX & UI. Background in Art Direction and Motion Graphics. Sometimes I make books.
I was born in![]()
on a 4th of July and some consequences had to remain, of course. In winter I like to use the ![]()
. It is ugly. Indeed. But I can reach the 39 Celsius degrees that welcomed me into this world. And what a world.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
(I said Sanyo, is not a typo). Mortadella sandwiches with lemon Kas. ![]()
![]()
(I said NASA, is not another typo). And screens with the same resolution. ALL. OF. THEM.
I especially like typeface, grids and things in movement. Some time ago I used to work on advertising.![]()
Someone who read this could think that Helvetica is such a boring choice for a typeface lover. And this person could be completely right on this point.
But this is not Helvetica :)
No, no. It is![]()
Neue Haas Grotesk
I like it <3 Easy.
Speaking of something else, I like software. This can be weird, but is not false. I was from Figma when Adobe had not even heard of it and most of us were still using Sketch. I love Blender. Terrific piece of software and terrific project. I switched from Notion to Anytype. In Windows I use a very ugly font manager that I cannot recommend enough, despite its awful client service Maintype︎︎︎. In Mac I use RightFont. And of course, I took distance with Adobe and started using Affinity Serif. That being said, eternal respect for InDesign and its incredible baseline grid ❤️. And hate-love for AE.
In my spare time I do things like this︎︎︎ or this︎︎︎. Although I would like to do things like this︎︎︎, this︎︎︎ or this︎︎︎.
And that's all.
By now.
I was born in
Kansas City
"mesa camilla"
J'haybers,
orange Sancheski,
Monkey Island,
Sanyo with megabass
NASA
with Mario Bros
I especially like typeface, grids and things in movement. Some time ago I used to work on advertising.
It’s worse to beg.
Someone who read this could think that Helvetica is such a boring choice for a typeface lover. And this person could be completely right on this point.
But this is not Helvetica :)
No, no. It is
Christian Schwartz's
Speaking of something else, I like software. This can be weird, but is not false. I was from Figma when Adobe had not even heard of it and most of us were still using Sketch. I love Blender. Terrific piece of software and terrific project. I switched from Notion to Anytype. In Windows I use a very ugly font manager that I cannot recommend enough, despite its awful client service Maintype︎︎︎. In Mac I use RightFont. And of course, I took distance with Adobe and started using Affinity Serif. That being said, eternal respect for InDesign and its incredible baseline grid ❤️. And hate-love for AE.
In my spare time I do things like this︎︎︎ or this︎︎︎. Although I would like to do things like this︎︎︎, this︎︎︎ or this︎︎︎.
And that's all.
By now.
