June is swiftly approaching so we’re getting everything ready for the launch of the new site, including our first video interview. To get things started we’ve invited 5 inspiring designer and illustrators to answer your questions. First up is Barcelona’s most prolific illustrator Alex Trochut, who must hold the record for features on this site by now.
We’d like to invite you all to ask Alex a question either by email (hello[at]formfiftyfive.com), by leaving a comment or a tweet (@formfiftyfive).
We’ll collect all questions until the 19th May ‘09.
Add Share
12th May 2009
4:39 pm
On average how long does it take to create one of your detailed illustrations and is it sometimes difficult to justify the time and cost implication to the client?
Glenn
12th May 2009
8:22 pm
Great start Dan!
ian
12th May 2009
9:33 pm
+1 for Dan Lane’s question
Dan Lane
13th May 2009
10:23 am
Do you feel it’s important to establish a distinct style in order to achieve recognition in design?
Dan Lane
13th May 2009
10:31 am
Just one more.
Have you reached the stage in your career where you exclusively focus on illustration or do you also do other design work alongside such as branding/layout/traditional print?
Glenn
13th May 2009
12:20 pm
Dan you’re on fire! Anyone else?
We got a few tweets & emails like this one from Mayra Monobe:
“Because your work is so detailed and it takes so long to finish a piece, do you usually show the work to your client in stages? If so, how do you make them understand what the final piece will really look like? And, do you allow them to make changes in the process?”
Keep them coming!
Colin
13th May 2009
12:42 pm
Q: How do you pronounce your surname?
Joakim
13th May 2009
12:57 pm
Hi Alex,
I recently went to a lecture by Greg Burne from Big Active. Greg handle all their illustrators. He talked quite a lot about some of their illustrators struggled with re-inventing themselves, when their style/approach wasn’t the flavor of the month anymore. For example Jasper Goodall,who was the pioneer of the black/white traced vector style. Then suddenly all these extremley talented kids popping up and doing work in his style. Then he had to go on and develop his style – which I think he has done now with the latest work for Muse etc.
Do you think it’s dangerous to have such a distinctive style like you have, or that your style will go out of “fashion”/popularity?
And a follow up question: How do you do to keep evolving yourself and style?
Glenn
13th May 2009
1:09 pm
@ Colin – Will need to find that out as well
@ Joakim – Excellent question!
AndyStewart
13th May 2009
2:47 pm
do you like design blogs?
i think this question could go in may different ways..
Laura
13th May 2009
7:24 pm
I just wondered what your main inspirations are? Does some of your work derive from childhood or dreams? It seems to have that kind of quality. Also does living in a great city like Barcelona help? (sorry for the amount of questions!)
Greig
14th May 2009
5:14 am
@Alex
We are all familiar (and envious in my case) of your fantastic illustration and typographic style but I wondered what else motivates you as a creative and are their any fields such as motion graphics, music or video that you don\’t currently work in but would like too? Also who\’s work do you admire and aspire too?
Thanks Alex.
Glenn
14th May 2009
9:32 am
@Andy – I hope the answer would be yes since he’s agreed to do the interview with us.
@Laura – Nothing to be sorry about! The more the better
@Greig – Nice one brother!
Thijs
14th May 2009
4:49 pm
What does a day in the life of Alex Trochut lookes like?
Luke
16th May 2009
3:59 pm
Any chance we could see a step-by-step of an illustration? I would kill to see how fast Alex is with the pen tool as well. Ha
Raymond Gems Adrian
16th May 2009
11:44 pm
Coming from such a family tree of design, with branches like Joan Trochut & Esteban Trochut Bachmann did you feel any pressure when entering the field? How much were they an influence?
Raymond Gems Adrian
17th May 2009
2:28 am
As a typographer what\’s your favorite letter, and why?
Jefton Sungkar
17th May 2009
11:34 am
Your typographic and illustration style is very distinctive, but surely when you started off as a junior clients had no idea about it. How did you come from that to landing big clients such as Nike? and how often do you get projects where you can really show off your talents, do these projects come more as you progress in your career?
Ståle Gerhardsen
18th May 2009
7:26 am
Hello Alex. Would you like to come to Trondheim, Norway, and hold a workshop?
Tony
18th May 2009
10:08 am
Many have spoken out about the constraints that designers find themselves under creatively, due to the limiting tools that the computer provides. Do you ever feel constrained by the tools available by the computer?
Glenn
18th May 2009
10:34 am
Great questions everyone. Keep them coming!
Tomorrow I’ll collect them all and send them over to Alex to make a selection and we’ll try and get the interview done by the end of the week.
Dan
18th May 2009
11:57 am
Which, if any, new talent emerging at the moment has you thinking ‘this right here is a true original style of illustration’?
Sam
18th May 2009
7:53 pm
What equipment and techniques do you use?
and also where do you get inspiration for your illustrations?
John
18th May 2009
9:12 pm
Stefan Sagmeister seems to be thinking a lot about “good” design and how it can be used to benefit the world. A lecture I saw recently on TED.com has Philippe Starck expressing his own woe about the ephemeral nature (fatuous?) of his work in a world with so many pressing issues – do you have any similar feelings about the relation between your chosen career and it’s relevance to the troubles of today’s world?
Ricardo Lopez
19th May 2009
2:16 am
Hola
¿Cómo fue que se internacionalizo tu trabajo y en que momento descubriste que estabas teniendo un estilo propio?
En una entrevista que te hicieron para la “revista etapes” comentas de tu estancia TOORNIX, y que ahí aprendiste a justificar tus trabajos ¿a que te refieres con eso y cuanto influye justificar un trabajo para que lo acepten tus clientes?
Última pregunta mas haya de buscar expresarte de una manera gráfica ¿cómo le haces para tener un equilibrio entre tu idea y el mensaje que tienes que comunicar?
Gracias por la oportunidad para realizar nuestras preguntas.
Saludos desde México
Hello
How it was that I internationalize your work and in which moment you discovered that you were having an own style?
In one interview that did for the “magazine etapes to you” you comment of your stay TOORNIX, and that you learned there to justify your works to that you talk about with that and does whatever influence to justify a work so that your clients accept it?
Last question but has to look for expresarte of a graphical way how him beams to have a balance between your idea and the message that you must communicate?
Thanks for the opportunity to realise our questions.
Greetings from Mexico
Konrad
19th May 2009
8:40 am
Hi Alex,
Which was the biggest turningpoint in your career so far?
How did you get in touch with Non-Format?
Thanks!
Nick
19th May 2009
10:13 am
Ditto Luke, May 16, 2009 at 3:59 pm.
As someone who can’t illustrate, it’d be great to see the workings as to how you arrive at your final pieces!
Corinna
19th May 2009
10:51 pm
Do you find yourself ever overflowing with ideas? If so how do you decided which one is worthy of your attention to visualize it?
From someone who is having trouble choosing between ideas! They are all my children!
Thank you
Mark
20th May 2009
7:27 pm
You are renowned for your elaborate style. I’d like to know what is the most reduced commercial design/illustration you have created recently. And do you feel it is as successful as your more detailed works. Is minimalism a style/ethos that you would like to pursue in the future.
Mark.
Jeff
20th May 2009
7:37 pm
First off, you do amazing work and are an inspiration to all of us.
What is your typical workflow? Do you normally start with pencil sketches or go straight to the computer/tablet?
What software do you prefer to work in (Illustrator, Photoshop, Freehand, etc.) ?
I would love to see the progress of one of your projects from start to finish.
rob
21st May 2009
10:04 am
Hi Alex,
I’d like to know where you studied, what you studied and the extent to which you think this affected the work you produce today.
Thank-you,
Rob
Mike
26th May 2009
8:58 pm
Ask him if he’s free – got some well shonky work to get finished. Could do with a hand.