What is your current inspiration?

I get inspired in many different ways. Sometimes from other designer's work, sometimes from music or from something I read in a book about cognitive science. Anything that picks your brain is good for idea generation! Stylistically, I have always admired the work of the artists who worked in the late 1800's early 1900's. The Art Noveau, The Jugdenstil, The Catalan Modernisme, all various names to the same ornamented, intricated style that produced beautiful illustration and lettering work. Antoni Gaudí, Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley.

I must say you do an amazing array of typography work. How do you develop this type of work?

I didn't start working on typography as the main focus of my projects until 2 years ago. Living in New York gave a 180º turn to my life and the way I used to look at it. I started getting excited about ascendents and descendents, the eyes, the drops... My years drawing helped me put on paper the ideas I had for different types of letters, and the passion grew so fast.

I approach projects brainstorming by drawing on my sketchbook and writing down ideas and concepts. By doing this I visualize the ideas and the concepts so that I can remember them easily. Then, when they are in the back of my mind, anything can make the project click, a sign on the street, an article on a magazine, an ad on the subway. They key is always be open to inspiration. Once I have the idea clear, I do a quick pencil sketch and I digitalize it, vectorize it and work on the finishes.

What do you love the most about typography?

What I love the most is that typography is the art of working with the forms of the written language. Is not about writing a letter, is about the shape of that letter, the space between them, the space between the words and between groups of words. We can play with the variables in order to make a text easy and pleasant to read. On the other hand, we have lettering, which combines typography and illustration, and feeds from Calligraphy and Graffiti. In Lettering, the work with letters is not so much about readability as it is about creating a dynamic, balanced and stunning composition.

"Winter Bugs" is one of your many amazing work that, if I may say, showcases the complexity of your style. What is the story and meaning behind this work?

It is funny that you asked about that particular project. Some years ago I was at my grandma's place, a little village in the interior of Catalunya in Spain, and was supposed to hang out with a friend. Since I had to wait for her, I decided to go to a vineyard closeby. It was a foggy winter day, beautiful despite of what it may seem, and I decided to take some pictures with my phone. After that weekend, when I downloaded those pic on my computer, I realized how detailed the naked branches where, and I decided to redraw them. Once I had all the vector pieces, I started playing with them and creating symmetries and the Winter Bugs where born! I always liked the delicacy of embroidery and I though it would balance the coldness of the black and white, branchy bugs. What I like the most about this story is that this project came from nowhere. I liked the landscape so I took pictures, I looked at the pictures and I liked the branches and from there everything came as if I was discovering the project instead of creating it.