Colombian Illustrator Juan David Cadena loves mixing graphic design with his passion for illustration. In this interview, he shares his journey and what it's like to be an art director.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you currently do?

My name is Juan David Cadena, I'm from Colombia. I studied Design in Los Andes University, Colombia. And although I love graphic design and have most of my experience in that field, since a couple of years ago I have rediscovered another passion, illustration, since then I have mix it up a little, and have worked in both fields, going towards being a full-time illustrator in the future. 

You mentioned you worked as an Art Director, how was it?

I have worked as an art director in two stages of my professional career, the first one was when I was starting, I took the role in a project called Bogotá es Teatro, a platform that help theatres connect with new audiences. The scale of the project grow bigger and the challenges also grow, It was a great experience to put in practice and understand how the brand could communicate in different platforms, both digital and printed. 

In recent years, I have been an Art director in projects that mix both graphic design and illustration, this has been a lot more interesting because it mixes my two passions and help me cement different art styles and create new visual languages. 

What sparked your interest in doing Graphic Design?

I think that since I was a little child what I see has been the most impactful in my life. As I grew older I started to see in design as a bridge between being able to draw and pursue an artistic career understanding composition rules, techniques etc, while working in a discipline that could give me more tools for my future. 

Where do you get inspiration from and who are your influences?

I'm looking to different artists all the time, and try to build a visual library constantly. Movies have been an influence all my life, directors like Tarantino or Wes Anderson have given me lots of visual input. Also Comics like watchmen, The Incal, Dragon Ball have helped my with new way to see composition, power and movement. Among Illustrators I would say Leo Espinosa (@studioespinosaworks) have been a big influence in the past years.