pepe gimeno, 25 años de diseño gráfico
DESCRIPTION
Este libro recoge los trabajos realizados por el estudio entre los años 1974 y 1999.TRANSCRIPT
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Guarda.El estudio de Godellafotografiado porJordi Dur en 1997.
FlyleafGodella studiophotographed byJordi Dur in 1997.
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Guarda.El estudio de Godellafotografiado porJordi Dur en 1997.
FlyleafGodella studiophotographed byJordi Dur in 1997.
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Pepe Gimenofotografiadopor Concha Pradaen 1997.
Pepe Gimenophotographedby Concha Pradain 1997.
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Pepe Gimenofotografiadopor Concha Pradaen 1997.
Pepe Gimenophotographedby Concha Pradain 1997.
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PresentacinDe verdades frgiles y secretasPierluigi Cattermole
IntroduccinEl Proyecto Grfico de Pepe GimenoAnna Calvera
Flashes de la MemoriaCarlos Prez
Mensajes en una botellaPablo Olivares
Trece formas de emitir un mensajeDibujar figuras para comunicarCristina Morozzi
Clip artTamices para un tiempo de abundanciaFelipe Hernndez Cava
La secuencia como soporteRicard Huerta
Luz, lnea, manchaSantiago Miranda
La tipografa como imagenEl tipgrafo/ La tipografa como imagenJos M Cerezo
La potica de la contundenciaAnna Calvera
La teora del caosCuatro palos de ciegoAlberto Corazn
La teora del caosRamn Lapiedra
Biografa
Agradecimientos
PresentationOn fragile and secret truthsPierluigi Cattermole
IntroductionPepe Gimenos Graphic DesignAnna Calvera
Flashes from MemoryCarlos Prez
Messages in a bottlePablo Olivares
Thirteen ways of conveying a messageDrawing figures for communicationCristina Morozzi
Clip artSieves for a time of plentyFelipe Hernndez Cava
The sequence as a supportRicard Huerta
Light, lines and patchesSantiago Miranda
Typography as imageThe typographer / Typography as imageJos M Cerezo
The poetic art of impactAnna Calvera
The theory of chaosStriking out blindlyAlberto Corazn
The theory of chaosRamn Lapiedra
Biography
Acknowledgments
SummarySumario
8
10
29
51
77
99
115
137
153
171
203
211
219
224
-
PresentacinDe verdades frgiles y secretasPierluigi Cattermole
IntroduccinEl Proyecto Grfico de Pepe GimenoAnna Calvera
Flashes de la MemoriaCarlos Prez
Mensajes en una botellaPablo Olivares
Trece formas de emitir un mensajeDibujar figuras para comunicarCristina Morozzi
Clip artTamices para un tiempo de abundanciaFelipe Hernndez Cava
La secuencia como soporteRicard Huerta
Luz, lnea, manchaSantiago Miranda
La tipografa como imagenEl tipgrafo/ La tipografa como imagenJos M Cerezo
La potica de la contundenciaAnna Calvera
La teora del caosCuatro palos de ciegoAlberto Corazn
La teora del caosRamn Lapiedra
Biografa
Agradecimientos
PresentationOn fragile and secret truthsPierluigi Cattermole
IntroductionPepe Gimenos Graphic DesignAnna Calvera
Flashes from MemoryCarlos Prez
Messages in a bottlePablo Olivares
Thirteen ways of conveying a messageDrawing figures for communicationCristina Morozzi
Clip artSieves for a time of plentyFelipe Hernndez Cava
The sequence as a supportRicard Huerta
Light, lines and patchesSantiago Miranda
Typography as imageThe typographer / Typography as imageJos M Cerezo
The poetic art of impactAnna Calvera
The theory of chaosStriking out blindlyAlberto Corazn
The theory of chaosRamn Lapiedra
Biography
Acknowledgments
SummarySumario
8
10
29
51
77
99
115
137
153
171
203
211
219
224
-
Vivimos en la era de la comunicacin global y sin embargo este nuevo contexto cada
vez ms informtico y meditico parece dominado por la homogeneizacin y la
banalizacin planetaria de las imgenes y los contenidos. La sociedad de la informacin
se torna, paradjicamente, sociedad del ruido y de la contaminacin semitica.
Vivimos el vrtigo de una continua aceleracin que reduce al mnimo, incluso para
el diseo grfico, el espacio para la crtica y la reflexin. El tiempo entre la idea y su
,materializacin parece comprimirse inexorablemente. Slo importa la respuesta del
mercado y los niveles de audiencia, los nicos verdaderos garantes de la mediocridad
y de su perpetuarse.
En cambio en el estudio de Pepe Gimeno, el tiempo vuelve a dilatarse. En el
proceso que va desde las primeras ideas a la materializacin definitiva del artefacto
grfico las paredes se recubren incansables de bocetos, pruebas y dibujos. Y en este
entretiempo se abre un parntesis, un espacio de sentido donde el proyecto recobra
todo su protagonismo. Ya no es el cliente quien decide entre una y otra opcin, no
es el mercado quien asume el rol de la crtica, sino el diseador y la prctica del
proyecto. Pepe Gimeno no es ni un creativo ni un tcnico de la comunicacin
The age we live in is hailed as being one of global communication,
and yet this new increasingly computer and media-based environment
would seem to be dominated by the standardising and trivialising
of images and contents on a world-wide scale. The information
society has paradoxically become the society of noise and semiotic
pollution. We live in a dizzy spurt of continuous acceleration which
cuts the space available for criticism and reflection down to the very
minimum, even as regards graphic design. The time elapsing between
an idea and its materialisation seems to be getting inexorably
shortened. The only thing that matters is market response and
audience levels, the sole real guarantors of mediocrity and its
perpetuation.
Nevertheless, at Pepe Gimenos studio time once more expands.
In the process going from the initial idea to the definitive
materialisation of the graphic device the walls are made untiring
supports for sketches, proofs and drawings. There is an interval
opening up at this point, a space full of meaning in which the project
itself once more moves into the limelight. It is no longer the customer
who decides between one option and another, it is not now the
market which assumes the role of critic, but the designer and the
application of the project. Pepe Gimeno is neither a visual
communication creative nor a technician. He is a Designer with
a capital d because he is capable of filling the waste-paper bin with
many of the different options which gradually come forward in any
design process, and the walls of his studio thus return to their
immaculate initial state time after time, in a sort of unceasing
metamorphosis.
25 years of graphic activity are condensed in this book on Pepe
Gimenos work. As a publisher I am well aware of the fact that this
is one of those books which mysteriously open up by themselves on
certain evenings, so that their characters and drawings can take on
life. But keep calm! This is not another publishers sales spiel - it is
something which only depends on what is actually trapped in its
pages.
One must remember that in the distant past, as Borges has it,
it was the Chinese who invented the drawing, intending this to be
a good tool for trapping dreams. Even today, so many years on from
that point, some drawings and also certain works of contemporary
graphic design continue to contain traces of that ancient mystery.
This is why, with Pepe Gimeno, we find writing sometimes losing
authority and becoming image, and sometimes images becoming
indelible metaphors of memory and recollection. Some already
existed in one square metre of forest, or came from the happy
encounters with the unexpected, from a printing error, perhaps
from some aesthetic expression. And even so, lurking behind all
these there are the traces and signs of other narratives, of fragile and
secret truths. But be careful - here is Pepes book and work: simply
enjoy them because, as Lacan used to affirm, saying kills - it kills
the dreams that we always wished to pin down in drawings and
images.
Finally, if is true that a book starts to take on its greatest meaning
when it finds its own readers, I should like there to be graphic design
professionals and students amongst these. This modest contribution
is partly intended for them, at a time of great changes also affecting
the world of visual communication, in the hope that they can, like
Pepe Gimeno, set the culture of the project against the predominant
trend towards the trivialisation and standardisation of culture.
Lastly, as the publisher of this book, I should like to express my
thanks to all the colleagues and professionals who wrote the
presentation texts for each of its chapters, to Mria Surez for the
publishing coordination and especially to Pepe Gimeno, who also
made his time and professional sense available for the design and
page-making of a book whose form is ultimately inseparable from
its content.
visual, es un Diseador con la d mayscula porque sabe tirar a la papelera muchas
de esas variadas opciones que van perfilndose en todo proceso de diseo, y las
paredes de su estudio, en una especie de incesante metamorfosis vuelven, una y otra
vez, a su inmaculado aspecto inicial.
En este libro, dedicado al trabajo de Pepe Gimeno se condensan 25 aos de
su actividad grfica. Como editor s a ciencia cierta que esto es uno de aquellos libros
que algunas noches se abren solos, misteriosamente, para que sus personajes y sus
dibujos cobren vida. Pero, qudense tranquilos, no se trata de un nuevo argumento
de venta editorial, es algo que slo depende de todo aquello que se qued atrapado
entre sus pginas.
Hay que saber que en tiempos muy muy remotos -segn relata Borges-
fueron los chinos quienes inventaron el dibujo con la intencin de que ste fuera una
buena herramienta para atrapar a los sueos. An hoy, a distancia de innumerables
aos, algunos dibujos y tambin algunas propuestas de diseo grfico contemporneo
siguen custodiando escarchas de ese antiguo misterio. As en Pepe Gimeno, unas
veces la escritura pierde autoridad y se vuelve imagen, otras las imgenes se convierten
en metforas indelebles de la memoria y del recuerdo. Algunas ya existan en un
metro cuadrado de bosque, o surgieron de encuentros afortunados con lo imprevisto,
de un error de impresin, quizs de un gesto esttico. Y an as, detrs de todas
ellas afloran las huellas y los indicios de otras narraciones, de verdades frgiles y
secretas. Pero cuidado! aqu estn el libro y los trabajos de Pepe, disfrtenlos sin
ms porque, como deca Lacan el decir mata, mata aquellos sueos que desde
siempre quisimos atrapar con los dibujos y las imgenes.
Finalmente, si es verdad que un libro empieza a tener sentido sobre todo
cuando encuentra a sus propios lectores, deseara que entre ellos figuraran profesionales
y estudiantes de diseo grfico. A ellos nos dirigimos con esta modesta aportacin, en
un momento de grandes cambios que afectan tambin al mundo de la comunicacin
visual, con la esperanza de que como Pepe Gimeno sepan oponer cultura del proyecto
a la imperante tendencia a la banalizacin y estandarizacin de la cultura.
Por ltimo, como editor de este libro, quiero expresar mi gratitud a todos
los colaboradores y profesionales que han elaborado los textos de presentacin de
los captulos que componen el volumen, a Mria Surez por la coordinacin editorial
y, en especial a Pepe Gimeno, quien adems a puesto a disposicin su tiempo y su
profesionalidad para el diseo y la puesta en pgina de un libro cuya forma resulta
finalmente inseparable de su contenido.
De verdades frgiles y secretasPierluigi Cattermole
On fragile and secret truthsPierluigi Cattermole
-
Vivimos en la era de la comunicacin global y sin embargo este nuevo contexto cada
vez ms informtico y meditico parece dominado por la homogeneizacin y la
banalizacin planetaria de las imgenes y los contenidos. La sociedad de la informacin
se torna, paradjicamente, sociedad del ruido y de la contaminacin semitica.
Vivimos el vrtigo de una continua aceleracin que reduce al mnimo, incluso para
el diseo grfico, el espacio para la crtica y la reflexin. El tiempo entre la idea y su
,materializacin parece comprimirse inexorablemente. Slo importa la respuesta del
mercado y los niveles de audiencia, los nicos verdaderos garantes de la mediocridad
y de su perpetuarse.
En cambio en el estudio de Pepe Gimeno, el tiempo vuelve a dilatarse. En el
proceso que va desde las primeras ideas a la materializacin definitiva del artefacto
grfico las paredes se recubren incansables de bocetos, pruebas y dibujos. Y en este
entretiempo se abre un parntesis, un espacio de sentido donde el proyecto recobra
todo su protagonismo. Ya no es el cliente quien decide entre una y otra opcin, no
es el mercado quien asume el rol de la crtica, sino el diseador y la prctica del
proyecto. Pepe Gimeno no es ni un creativo ni un tcnico de la comunicacin
The age we live in is hailed as being one of global communication,
and yet this new increasingly computer and media-based environment
would seem to be dominated by the standardising and trivialising
of images and contents on a world-wide scale. The information
society has paradoxically become the society of noise and semiotic
pollution. We live in a dizzy spurt of continuous acceleration which
cuts the space available for criticism and reflection down to the very
minimum, even as regards graphic design. The time elapsing between
an idea and its materialisation seems to be getting inexorably
shortened. The only thing that matters is market response and
audience levels, the sole real guarantors of mediocrity and its
perpetuation.
Nevertheless, at Pepe Gimenos studio time once more expands.
In the process going from the initial idea to the definitive
materialisation of the graphic device the walls are made untiring
supports for sketches, proofs and drawings. There is an interval
opening up at this point, a space full of meaning in which the project
itself once more moves into the limelight. It is no longer the customer
who decides between one option and another, it is not now the
market which assumes the role of critic, but the designer and the
application of the project. Pepe Gimeno is neither a visual
communication creative nor a technician. He is a Designer with
a capital d because he is capable of filling the waste-paper bin with
many of the different options which gradually come forward in any
design process, and the walls of his studio thus return to their
immaculate initial state time after time, in a sort of unceasing
metamorphosis.
25 years of graphic activity are condensed in this book on Pepe
Gimenos work. As a publisher I am well aware of the fact that this
is one of those books which mysteriously open up by themselves on
certain evenings, so that their characters and drawings can take on
life. But keep calm! This is not another publishers sales spiel - it is
something which only depends on what is actually trapped in its
pages.
One must remember that in the distant past, as Borges has it,
it was the Chinese who invented the drawing, intending this to be
a good tool for trapping dreams. Even today, so many years on from
that point, some drawings and also certain works of contemporary
graphic design continue to contain traces of that ancient mystery.
This is why, with Pepe Gimeno, we find writing sometimes losing
authority and becoming image, and sometimes images becoming
indelible metaphors of memory and recollection. Some already
existed in one square metre of forest, or came from the happy
encounters with the unexpected, from a printing error, perhaps
from some aesthetic expression. And even so, lurking behind all
these there are the traces and signs of other narratives, of fragile and
secret truths. But be careful - here is Pepes book and work: simply
enjoy them because, as Lacan used to affirm, saying kills - it kills
the dreams that we always wished to pin down in drawings and
images.
Finally, if is true that a book starts to take on its greatest meaning
when it finds its own readers, I should like there to be graphic design
professionals and students amongst these. This modest contribution
is partly intended for them, at a time of great changes also affecting
the world of visual communication, in the hope that they can, like
Pepe Gimeno, set the culture of the project against the predominant
trend towards the trivialisation and standardisation of culture.
Lastly, as the publisher of this book, I should like to express my
thanks to all the colleagues and professionals who wrote the
presentation texts for each of its chapters, to Mria Surez for the
publishing coordination and especially to Pepe Gimeno, who also
made his time and professional sense available for the design and
page-making of a book whose form is ultimately inseparable from
its content.
visual, es un Diseador con la d mayscula porque sabe tirar a la papelera muchas
de esas variadas opciones que van perfilndose en todo proceso de diseo, y las
paredes de su estudio, en una especie de incesante metamorfosis vuelven, una y otra
vez, a su inmaculado aspecto inicial.
En este libro, dedicado al trabajo de Pepe Gimeno se condensan 25 aos de
su actividad grfica. Como editor s a ciencia cierta que esto es uno de aquellos libros
que algunas noches se abren solos, misteriosamente, para que sus personajes y sus
dibujos cobren vida. Pero, qudense tranquilos, no se trata de un nuevo argumento
de venta editorial, es algo que slo depende de todo aquello que se qued atrapado
entre sus pginas.
Hay que saber que en tiempos muy muy remotos -segn relata Borges-
fueron los chinos quienes inventaron el dibujo con la intencin de que ste fuera una
buena herramienta para atrapar a los sueos. An hoy, a distancia de innumerables
aos, algunos dibujos y tambin algunas propuestas de diseo grfico contemporneo
siguen custodiando escarchas de ese antiguo misterio. As en Pepe Gimeno, unas
veces la escritura pierde autoridad y se vuelve imagen, otras las imgenes se convierten
en metforas indelebles de la memoria y del recuerdo. Algunas ya existan en un
metro cuadrado de bosque, o surgieron de encuentros afortunados con lo imprevisto,
de un error de impresin, quizs de un gesto esttico. Y an as, detrs de todas
ellas afloran las huellas y los indicios de otras narraciones, de verdades frgiles y
secretas. Pero cuidado! aqu estn el libro y los trabajos de Pepe, disfrtenlos sin
ms porque, como deca Lacan el decir mata, mata aquellos sueos que desde
siempre quisimos atrapar con los dibujos y las imgenes.
Finalmente, si es verdad que un libro empieza a tener sentido sobre todo
cuando encuentra a sus propios lectores, deseara que entre ellos figuraran profesionales
y estudiantes de diseo grfico. A ellos nos dirigimos con esta modesta aportacin, en
un momento de grandes cambios que afectan tambin al mundo de la comunicacin
visual, con la esperanza de que como Pepe Gimeno sepan oponer cultura del proyecto
a la imperante tendencia a la banalizacin y estandarizacin de la cultura.
Por ltimo, como editor de este libro, quiero expresar mi gratitud a todos
los colaboradores y profesionales que han elaborado los textos de presentacin de
los captulos que componen el volumen, a Mria Surez por la coordinacin editorial
y, en especial a Pepe Gimeno, quien adems a puesto a disposicin su tiempo y su
profesionalidad para el diseo y la puesta en pgina de un libro cuya forma resulta
finalmente inseparable de su contenido.
De verdades frgiles y secretasPierluigi Cattermole
On fragile and secret truthsPierluigi Cattermole
-
Qu es Pepe Gimeno / Proyecto Grfico?
Pepe Gimeno es un gestor del espacio, un gran decorador del folio Gestiona
el espacio de una manera impresionante, lo cual es lo ms difcil y el fundamento
del diseo grfico. Siempre coloca lo que toca en el sitio que toca. Es un prescriptor
nato y un ordenador fantstico del espacio grfico.
As de claro y rotundo fue Daniel Nebot al referirse a su amigo Pepe Gimeno.
Es difcil sin embargo ver detrs de esa definicin a una persona de carne y hueso,
pero an es ms difcil imaginarse cmo es. Es una abstraccin que resume
perfectamente el conjunto de una obra y, por aadidura, caracteriza en pocas lneas
el estilo de un autor, el retrato de una personalidad grfica. Por eso es una definicin
perfecta, acadmica y profesionalmente hablando, que, adems, es la mejor clave
de lectura para ver este libro, el leit-motiv de los nueve captulos que lo componen,
el comn denominador a todos los proyectos mostrados; en definitiva, es la
diagramacin sobre la que se ha levantado toda una obra grfica a lo largo de unos
ya cuantos aos. Pero en realidad, Pepe Gimeno, adems de una obra, es tambin
una persona, un diseador, un estudio grfico y una empresa. Todos llevan el
mismo nombre pero cada uno ha adoptado un logotipo distinto.
Para desvelar la pregunta quin es Pepe Gimeno? el editor pens que sera
bonito reunir a un grupo de colegas y amigos de Pepe para hablar en una mesa
redonda sobre l y su circunstancia. No fue una mesa redonda, porque la mesa era
ovalada, y porque en lugar de vasos, botellines de agua, pblico y tiempos cronometrados,
haba manjares, buenos vinos, amigos y una calurosa larga noche por delante para
estar al aire libre. Al final, no fue la mesa redonda que haba propuesto el editor Don
Pierluigi Cattermole, sino una tertulia de amigos, colegas y compaeros de fatigas
conversando sobre la realidad del diseo y la profesin de diseador. No tiene nada
de raro que, una vez explicado el motivo que nos haba congregado, Daniel Nebot,
uno de los comensales, fuera tan incisivo y contundente al querer entrar en materia:
Pepe Gimeno es lo dicho. Alrededor de la mesa: Daniel Nebot, Pierluigi Cattermole,
Paco Bascun, Vicent Martnez, Nora Santos, esposa de Pepe y eficacsima intendente,
Pepe Gimeno, Lola Castell y Anna Calvera. La larga conversacin fluida, pausada
y prolongada ha servido para poder redactar en comandita una sinpsis biogrfica
que lo es del diseador Pepe Gimeno pero tambin de los amigos de su quinta.
Pepe Gimenos Graphic DesignAnna CalveraValencia, 18th September 1998
What is Pepe Gimeno / Proyecto Grfico?
Pepe Gimeno is an arranger of space, a superb decorator of
the page He arranges space really impressively, which is the
hardest thing to do in graphic design, and the basis of the whole
thing. He always puts the right thing in just the right place. He is
a born orchestrator and fantastic organiser of graphic space.
Such was Daniel Nebots clear and forthright description of
his friend Pepe Gimeno. It is nevertheless difficult to see a person
of flesh and blood behind this definition and even harder to
imagine him as he actually is. It is an abstraction which
beautifully sums up a body of work and also characterises the
style of an author in a few lines, sketching out a graphic
personality. This is why it is a perfect definition academically
and professionally speaking, one which is also the best key for
interpreting this book, the leitmotiv of its nine chapters, the
common denominator of all the designs shown, the structure in
fact on which a whole body of graphic work has been erected
over quite a number of years now. But the truth is that Pepe
Gimeno, apart from a body of work, is also a person, a designer,
a graphic studio and a company. These all have the same name
but have each assumed a different logotype.
To answer the question Who is Pepe Gimeno? the editor
thought it would be a good idea to get a group of Pepes friends
and colleagues together at a round table on him and his
circumstances. It was not actually a round table, because the
table was oval, and because instead of the usual glasses, little
bottles of water, audience and timed talks there was food, good
wine, friends and a long hot night ahead to enjoy in the fresh
air. It was finally not the round table proposed by editor Pierluigi
Cattermole, but more a group of friends, colleagues and
companions in fortune and misfortune alike, chatting about the
real nature of design and the designers profession. It is not in
the least surprising that after explaining the reasons for our
getting together, Daniel Nebot, one of the guests, should be so
incisive and categorical on starting the proceedings with his
Pepe Gimeno description as above. Around the table were
Daniel Nebot, Pierluigi Cattermole, Paco Bascun, Vicent
Martnez, Nora Santos - Pepes wife and extremely efficient
manager, Pepe Gimeno, Lola Castell and Anna Calvera. The
conversation was free-flowing, steady and lengthy, and of great
use for jointly drawing up a biographical synopsis on designer
Pepe Gimeno, and also on the friends from his generation.
El Proyecto Grfico de Pepe GimenoAnna Calvera18 de Septiembre de 1998
El Proyecto Grfico de Pepe Gimeno
Pepe Gimenos GraphicDesign
10
Pepe Gimeno retratadopor su hijo Mauro.Lpiz de color. 1994.
Portrait of Pepe Gimenoby his son Mauro.Crayon. 1994.
-
Qu es Pepe Gimeno / Proyecto Grfico?
Pepe Gimeno es un gestor del espacio, un gran decorador del folio Gestiona
el espacio de una manera impresionante, lo cual es lo ms difcil y el fundamento
del diseo grfico. Siempre coloca lo que toca en el sitio que toca. Es un prescriptor
nato y un ordenador fantstico del espacio grfico.
As de claro y rotundo fue Daniel Nebot al referirse a su amigo Pepe Gimeno.
Es difcil sin embargo ver detrs de esa definicin a una persona de carne y hueso,
pero an es ms difcil imaginarse cmo es. Es una abstraccin que resume
perfectamente el conjunto de una obra y, por aadidura, caracteriza en pocas lneas
el estilo de un autor, el retrato de una personalidad grfica. Por eso es una definicin
perfecta, acadmica y profesionalmente hablando, que, adems, es la mejor clave
de lectura para ver este libro, el leit-motiv de los nueve captulos que lo componen,
el comn denominador a todos los proyectos mostrados; en definitiva, es la
diagramacin sobre la que se ha levantado toda una obra grfica a lo largo de unos
ya cuantos aos. Pero en realidad, Pepe Gimeno, adems de una obra, es tambin
una persona, un diseador, un estudio grfico y una empresa. Todos llevan el
mismo nombre pero cada uno ha adoptado un logotipo distinto.
Para desvelar la pregunta quin es Pepe Gimeno? el editor pens que sera
bonito reunir a un grupo de colegas y amigos de Pepe para hablar en una mesa
redonda sobre l y su circunstancia. No fue una mesa redonda, porque la mesa era
ovalada, y porque en lugar de vasos, botellines de agua, pblico y tiempos cronometrados,
haba manjares, buenos vinos, amigos y una calurosa larga noche por delante para
estar al aire libre. Al final, no fue la mesa redonda que haba propuesto el editor Don
Pierluigi Cattermole, sino una tertulia de amigos, colegas y compaeros de fatigas
conversando sobre la realidad del diseo y la profesin de diseador. No tiene nada
de raro que, una vez explicado el motivo que nos haba congregado, Daniel Nebot,
uno de los comensales, fuera tan incisivo y contundente al querer entrar en materia:
Pepe Gimeno es lo dicho. Alrededor de la mesa: Daniel Nebot, Pierluigi Cattermole,
Paco Bascun, Vicent Martnez, Nora Santos, esposa de Pepe y eficacsima intendente,
Pepe Gimeno, Lola Castell y Anna Calvera. La larga conversacin fluida, pausada
y prolongada ha servido para poder redactar en comandita una sinpsis biogrfica
que lo es del diseador Pepe Gimeno pero tambin de los amigos de su quinta.
Pepe Gimenos Graphic DesignAnna CalveraValencia, 18th September 1998
What is Pepe Gimeno / Proyecto Grfico?
Pepe Gimeno is an arranger of space, a superb decorator of
the page He arranges space really impressively, which is the
hardest thing to do in graphic design, and the basis of the whole
thing. He always puts the right thing in just the right place. He is
a born orchestrator and fantastic organiser of graphic space.
Such was Daniel Nebots clear and forthright description of
his friend Pepe Gimeno. It is nevertheless difficult to see a person
of flesh and blood behind this definition and even harder to
imagine him as he actually is. It is an abstraction which
beautifully sums up a body of work and also characterises the
style of an author in a few lines, sketching out a graphic
personality. This is why it is a perfect definition academically
and professionally speaking, one which is also the best key for
interpreting this book, the leitmotiv of its nine chapters, the
common denominator of all the designs shown, the structure in
fact on which a whole body of graphic work has been erected
over quite a number of years now. But the truth is that Pepe
Gimeno, apart from a body of work, is also a person, a designer,
a graphic studio and a company. These all have the same name
but have each assumed a different logotype.
To answer the question Who is Pepe Gimeno? the editor
thought it would be a good idea to get a group of Pepes friends
and colleagues together at a round table on him and his
circumstances. It was not actually a round table, because the
table was oval, and because instead of the usual glasses, little
bottles of water, audience and timed talks there was food, good
wine, friends and a long hot night ahead to enjoy in the fresh
air. It was finally not the round table proposed by editor Pierluigi
Cattermole, but more a group of friends, colleagues and
companions in fortune and misfortune alike, chatting about the
real nature of design and the designers profession. It is not in
the least surprising that after explaining the reasons for our
getting together, Daniel Nebot, one of the guests, should be so
incisive and categorical on starting the proceedings with his
Pepe Gimeno description as above. Around the table were
Daniel Nebot, Pierluigi Cattermole, Paco Bascun, Vicent
Martnez, Nora Santos - Pepes wife and extremely efficient
manager, Pepe Gimeno, Lola Castell and Anna Calvera. The
conversation was free-flowing, steady and lengthy, and of great
use for jointly drawing up a biographical synopsis on designer
Pepe Gimeno, and also on the friends from his generation.
El Proyecto Grfico de Pepe GimenoAnna Calvera18 de Septiembre de 1998
El Proyecto Grfico de Pepe Gimeno
Pepe Gimenos GraphicDesign
10
Pepe Gimeno retratadopor su hijo Mauro.Lpiz de color. 1994.
Portrait of Pepe Gimenoby his son Mauro.Crayon. 1994.
-
A space available for graphic design. As is the wont of people in
the design world, the conversation started by a visit to the studio
where we were going to have dinner. This is a new building in Godella,
a small town close to Valencia Trade Fair premises, a special area in
which a market garden with intruding buildings ends up in a hill dotted
with olive and carob trees, summer houses and warehouses. The
relations between the market garden and the city were also the subject
of conversation, a point at which citizen Gimeno enthusiastically put
forward his own point of view: the huerta - Valencias famous market
garden area - is one of the items which most accurately define the city
of Valencias character, with its limits that can be seen by following
the line drawn by the walls of the buildings backing onto the fields
which start at their feet. Pepe feels that one of the most urgent town
planning challenges today is to recover contact with the huerta: this
should be incorporated in the city and urban customs without being
divested of its essential qualities for this reason. He himself has a very
personal relationship with the market garden, whose spirit would seem
to have pervaded his studio. The arrangement of space, the colours
and geometrical order, the perfection and perfectionism seen in the
way furrows are painstakingly aligned are all there in the building, in
its architecture, in the treatment of interiors and the traces left at night
by the use to which this is put during the day.
One small detail: he has managed to make the white of the
tables hide that commonplace neutral tone of computer plastic. It is
furthermore one of the few buildings to have its own full moon: in
fact Pepe has one for each window. If it is indeed worthwhile having
a brief look at the studio this is because it very accurately reflects the
personality of the designer who works there: this is what was
expressed by his colleagues, both surprised and amused.
Five people work with him there: Ana Iranzo, Suso Prez, Luisa
Sanjun, Jos Gil, and Mara Chamorro. Together they form a
management and production team, carrying out all the different tasks
proper to graphic design. The most advanced techniques are combined
with simple manuals, for mounting, preparing originals, illustrating
and photography. There is also a student doing practical work, being
trained as a professional. Helping beginners find a way into the
profession is a responsibility assumed by recognised professionals
and Pepe undertook it right from the start, proud indeed to do to.
In the studio as a whole, designer and businessman Pepe Gimeno
acts as the conductor. Is he the creative author? Is he the art director?
Is he in charge of seeking and dealing with customers? He is in fact
all of these at the same time because he is ultimately a designer who
is highly representative of the way the profession is understood in
Spain today. This could lead us into a discourse on man and
circumstances at a time of global concepts, a burning question dealt
with in depth during the supper, but one we had better leave for later
on. It would nevertheless be useful to have a look, albeit superficially,
at what is meant by this Spanish way of conceiving the profession
and its business dynamics. It involves the figure of the designer who
has very often been accused of working as a craftsman, and this is
indeed the case. They direct small companies in which they perform
many different functions, but mainly that of designing: assuming
responsibility for design throughout the process of creation and
execution, even though they work with their colleagues as a team in
the later stages. They understand design as being a dual service: on
one hand the client, with whom they prefer to establish a personal
relationship, if possible one of complicity and teamwork, but
professional in any event, and on the other hand, as a service to the
group of readers, the people who are actually going to see their
designs out there in the streets.
Un Espacio Para El Proyecto Grfico. Como es habitual entre gente
del mundo del diseo, la charla empez visitando el estudio en el que bamos a cenar.
Es un edificio de nueva planta situado en Godella, un pueblo cercano a la Feria de
Valencia, esa zona tan especial en que una huerta invadida de edificios se entrega a
una colina llena de olivos, algarrobos, chalets y almacenes. La relacin entre la huerta
y la ciudad fue tambin motivo de conversacin, momento en que el ciudadano Pepe
Gimeno se emocion explicando su punto de vista al respecto: la huerta es uno de los
elementos que ms define el carcter de Valencia, una ciudad cuyo lmite se ve con
recorrer la lnea dibujada por las medianeras de unos edificios que dan la espalda a una
huerta que empieza a sus pies. Pepe opina que uno de los retos ms urgentes de la
planificacin urbana es recuperar el contacto con la huerta: hay que incoporarla a la
ciudad y a los usos urbanos sin por ello desvirtuarla. l por su parte mantiene una
relacin muy personal con la huerta y parece como si el espritu de sta se hubiera
colado en su estudio. La ordenacin del espacio, los colores y el orden geomtrico, la
perfeccin y el perfeccionismo del trazado de los surcos, todo est en el aire del estudio,
en su arquitectura, en el tratamiento de los interiores y en las huellas que quedan por
la noche del uso a que se le somete diariamente.
Un solo detalle: ha conseguido que el blanco de las mesas oculte ese color tan
neutro y socorrido del plstico de los ordenadores. Por otra parte, el estudio es uno
de esos pocos edificios que dispone de luna llena propia: de hecho, Pepe tiene una
para cada ventana. Si vale la pena hablar un poco del estudio es porque refleja muy
fielmente la personalidad del diseador que lo habita: eso manifestaron entre
sorprendidos y divertidos sus colegas.
Hay cinco personas trabajando en l. Son Ana Iranzo, Suso Prez, Luisa Sanjun,
Jos Gil y Mara Chamorro. Juntos forman un equipo de gestin y produccin, ejerciendo
todos las diversas tareas propias del proyecto grfico. Conviven las tcnicas ms
avanzadas con las manuales, las del montador, las del preparador de originales, las del
ilustrador y las del fotgrafo. Tambin hay un estudiante trabajando en rgimen de
prcticas. Se est formando como profesional. Facilitar a los que suben el acceso a la
profesin es una responsabilidad contrada por los profesionales reconocidos y Pepe
la asumi desde buen comienzo. Se siente orgulloso de hacerlo.
En el conjunto del estudio, el diseador y empresario Pepe Gimeno ejerce
de director de orquesta. Es el creativo?, es el director de arte?, es el encargado
de buscar y tratar a los clientes?. En realidad lo es todo a la vez porque en el fondo
no es sino un diseador muy representativo de esa manera de entender la profesin
que se tiene en la Espaa actual. Eso nos llevara a una disquisicin sobre el ser y la
circunstancia en una poca de globalidades, tema candente que se trat con bastante
profundidad a lo largo de la cena. Mejor lo dejamos para ms tarde. Sin embargo,
vale la pena explicar aunque sea por encima lo que significa esa manera espaola
de concebir la profesin y su dinmica empresarial. Hace referencia a esa figura del
diseador al que muchas veces se le ha echado en cara trabajar como un artesano,
y as es. Dirige una pequea empresa en la que realiza muchas funciones distintas
pero principalmente la de disear: se hace cargo del diseo a lo largo de todo el
proceso de creacin y de realizacin, aunque en esas fases trabaje en equipo con sus
colaboradores. Entiende el diseo como un doble servicio, por un lado al cliente, con
quien prefiere establecer una relacin personal, si puede ser de complicidad y de
equipo, pero profesional al fin y al cabo; y, por el otro, como un servicio a la colec-
tividad de los lectores, la gente que va a ver su diseo en la calle.12
Entrada del estudio de Godellay vista de un despacho yel jardn fotografiadas porJuan Garca en 1997.
Entrance to the Godella studioand view of an office andthe garden photographed byJuan Garca in 1997.
-
A space available for graphic design. As is the wont of people in
the design world, the conversation started by a visit to the studio
where we were going to have dinner. This is a new building in Godella,
a small town close to Valencia Trade Fair premises, a special area in
which a market garden with intruding buildings ends up in a hill dotted
with olive and carob trees, summer houses and warehouses. The
relations between the market garden and the city were also the subject
of conversation, a point at which citizen Gimeno enthusiastically put
forward his own point of view: the huerta - Valencias famous market
garden area - is one of the items which most accurately define the city
of Valencias character, with its limits that can be seen by following
the line drawn by the walls of the buildings backing onto the fields
which start at their feet. Pepe feels that one of the most urgent town
planning challenges today is to recover contact with the huerta: this
should be incorporated in the city and urban customs without being
divested of its essential qualities for this reason. He himself has a very
personal relationship with the market garden, whose spirit would seem
to have pervaded his studio. The arrangement of space, the colours
and geometrical order, the perfection and perfectionism seen in the
way furrows are painstakingly aligned are all there in the building, in
its architecture, in the treatment of interiors and the traces left at night
by the use to which this is put during the day.
One small detail: he has managed to make the white of the
tables hide that commonplace neutral tone of computer plastic. It is
furthermore one of the few buildings to have its own full moon: in
fact Pepe has one for each window. If it is indeed worthwhile having
a brief look at the studio this is because it very accurately reflects the
personality of the designer who works there: this is what was
expressed by his colleagues, both surprised and amused.
Five people work with him there: Ana Iranzo, Suso Prez, Luisa
Sanjun, Jos Gil, and Mara Chamorro. Together they form a
management and production team, carrying out all the different tasks
proper to graphic design. The most advanced techniques are combined
with simple manuals, for mounting, preparing originals, illustrating
and photography. There is also a student doing practical work, being
trained as a professional. Helping beginners find a way into the
profession is a responsibility assumed by recognised professionals
and Pepe undertook it right from the start, proud indeed to do to.
In the studio as a whole, designer and businessman Pepe Gimeno
acts as the conductor. Is he the creative author? Is he the art director?
Is he in charge of seeking and dealing with customers? He is in fact
all of these at the same time because he is ultimately a designer who
is highly representative of the way the profession is understood in
Spain today. This could lead us into a discourse on man and
circumstances at a time of global concepts, a burning question dealt
with in depth during the supper, but one we had better leave for later
on. It would nevertheless be useful to have a look, albeit superficially,
at what is meant by this Spanish way of conceiving the profession
and its business dynamics. It involves the figure of the designer who
has very often been accused of working as a craftsman, and this is
indeed the case. They direct small companies in which they perform
many different functions, but mainly that of designing: assuming
responsibility for design throughout the process of creation and
execution, even though they work with their colleagues as a team in
the later stages. They understand design as being a dual service: on
one hand the client, with whom they prefer to establish a personal
relationship, if possible one of complicity and teamwork, but
professional in any event, and on the other hand, as a service to the
group of readers, the people who are actually going to see their
designs out there in the streets.
Un Espacio Para El Proyecto Grfico. Como es habitual entre gente
del mundo del diseo, la charla empez visitando el estudio en el que bamos a cenar.
Es un edificio de nueva planta situado en Godella, un pueblo cercano a la Feria de
Valencia, esa zona tan especial en que una huerta invadida de edificios se entrega a
una colina llena de olivos, algarrobos, chalets y almacenes. La relacin entre la huerta
y la ciudad fue tambin motivo de conversacin, momento en que el ciudadano Pepe
Gimeno se emocion explicando su punto de vista al respecto: la huerta es uno de los
elementos que ms define el carcter de Valencia, una ciudad cuyo lmite se ve con
recorrer la lnea dibujada por las medianeras de unos edificios que dan la espalda a una
huerta que empieza a sus pies. Pepe opina que uno de los retos ms urgentes de la
planificacin urbana es recuperar el contacto con la huerta: hay que incoporarla a la
ciudad y a los usos urbanos sin por ello desvirtuarla. l por su parte mantiene una
relacin muy personal con la huerta y parece como si el espritu de sta se hubiera
colado en su estudio. La ordenacin del espacio, los colores y el orden geomtrico, la
perfeccin y el perfeccionismo del trazado de los surcos, todo est en el aire del estudio,
en su arquitectura, en el tratamiento de los interiores y en las huellas que quedan por
la noche del uso a que se le somete diariamente.
Un solo detalle: ha conseguido que el blanco de las mesas oculte ese color tan
neutro y socorrido del plstico de los ordenadores. Por otra parte, el estudio es uno
de esos pocos edificios que dispone de luna llena propia: de hecho, Pepe tiene una
para cada ventana. Si vale la pena hablar un poco del estudio es porque refleja muy
fielmente la personalidad del diseador que lo habita: eso manifestaron entre
sorprendidos y divertidos sus colegas.
Hay cinco personas trabajando en l. Son Ana Iranzo, Suso Prez, Luisa Sanjun,
Jos Gil y Mara Chamorro. Juntos forman un equipo de gestin y produccin, ejerciendo
todos las diversas tareas propias del proyecto grfico. Conviven las tcnicas ms
avanzadas con las manuales, las del montador, las del preparador de originales, las del
ilustrador y las del fotgrafo. Tambin hay un estudiante trabajando en rgimen de
prcticas. Se est formando como profesional. Facilitar a los que suben el acceso a la
profesin es una responsabilidad contrada por los profesionales reconocidos y Pepe
la asumi desde buen comienzo. Se siente orgulloso de hacerlo.
En el conjunto del estudio, el diseador y empresario Pepe Gimeno ejerce
de director de orquesta. Es el creativo?, es el director de arte?, es el encargado
de buscar y tratar a los clientes?. En realidad lo es todo a la vez porque en el fondo
no es sino un diseador muy representativo de esa manera de entender la profesin
que se tiene en la Espaa actual. Eso nos llevara a una disquisicin sobre el ser y la
circunstancia en una poca de globalidades, tema candente que se trat con bastante
profundidad a lo largo de la cena. Mejor lo dejamos para ms tarde. Sin embargo,
vale la pena explicar aunque sea por encima lo que significa esa manera espaola
de concebir la profesin y su dinmica empresarial. Hace referencia a esa figura del
diseador al que muchas veces se le ha echado en cara trabajar como un artesano,
y as es. Dirige una pequea empresa en la que realiza muchas funciones distintas
pero principalmente la de disear: se hace cargo del diseo a lo largo de todo el
proceso de creacin y de realizacin, aunque en esas fases trabaje en equipo con sus
colaboradores. Entiende el diseo como un doble servicio, por un lado al cliente, con
quien prefiere establecer una relacin personal, si puede ser de complicidad y de
equipo, pero profesional al fin y al cabo; y, por el otro, como un servicio a la colec-
tividad de los lectores, la gente que va a ver su diseo en la calle.12
Entrada del estudio de Godellay vista de un despacho yel jardn fotografiadas porJuan Garca en 1997.
Entrance to the Godella studioand view of an office andthe garden photographed byJuan Garca in 1997.
-
Por esa razn, la mayora de empresas de diseo en Espaa son pequeas PyMES
para decirlo en la terminologa tcnica al uso y prefieren llamarse estudios; tambin,
por esa razn la mayora de los estudios infunden a los trabajos que llevan a cabo
el sello de la personalidad del diseador que los dirige. Paco lo resumi en dos
palabras: el titular del estudio es fundamentalmente su alma mater. Por otra parte
y desde una perspectiva histrica, ese perfil profesional del diseador surgi en
Espaa a principios de los aos setenta exactamente cuando Pepe, Dani, Paco,
Vicent y Lola se hicieron mayores, se fue consolidando durante la dcada de los
setenta y en los ochenta salt a la palestra como estructura profesional del sector,
aunque conviviendo con los grandes despachos y los pequeos estudios de las
agencias, caractersticos de otros pases, a los que ha ido desbancando, aunque a
sus protagonistas les sea difcil darse cuenta de ello. El diseador espaol es un
profesional cuya eficacia depende de su capacidad para intervenir en todas las fases
del proceso: un seor que boceta, dibuja, teclea, recorta y pega, graba y modela,
que se pelea con el impresor a pie de mquina y que asiste personalmente a las
entrevistas con los clientes, que gestiona el encargo desde que lo llaman y que
elabora su propio briefing cada vez que se pone a trabajar.
Pepe Gimeno se extiende mucho al explicar su peculiar relacin con los
clientes. Sus amigos, Dani y Paco, al frente de sendos estudios similares, comparten
experiencias y puntos de vista. Han asumido que la relacin con ellos, los clientes,
es a menudo mucho ms prxima de lo deseable en una relacin estrictamente
profesional: incluso cuando no se llega a ser amigos, el cliente llama a todas horas,
consulta muchas cosas, tambin las que no tienen nada que ver con el diseo, o que
no pueden resolverse con un impreso. La imagen del divn planea sobre la
conversacin. Es lgico. La relacin que busca el diseador con su cliente est basada
en la confianza, en la confianza mutua y en la complicidad que da la creencia
compartida en la calidad y el inters del producto a partir del cul se trabaja.
Esa es, en palabras de Pepe, la gran diferencia entre el diseo grfico y la
publicidad: en este ltimo caso, que Pepe conoce muy bien porque fue en ese sector
donde empez su carrera, es difcil comprometerse y creerse la bondad del producto
que se anuncia, sustraerse a la banalidad de fondo que los productos presentados al
consumo tienen cuando son slo eso, productos que se presentan al mercado para
ser consumidos, es decir, engullidos. Conviene destacar la diferencia. El mero hecho
de marcar distancias con respecto a la publicidad, sus fines y sus procedimientos
constituye un dato fundamental para conceptualizar la postura de un profesional
determinado. Fue la clave en la definicin del diseo grfico como profesin especfica
en la Suiza de finales de los aos cincuenta, la que adopt ICOGRADA desde su
fundacin, y, en Espaa, fue tambin el caballo de batalla entre los que se decan
diseadores grficos, la generacin de los setenta, frente a sus antecesores, la
generacin de los que se denominaban grafistas, heredera a pesar suyo de los antiguos
dibujantes publicitarios, cuya actividad se desarroll principalmente en el sector de la
publicidad aunque siempre trabajaron con la idea de grafismo en la cabeza.
calls at all times of day, enquires about all sorts of things, also
asking about questions which have nothing to do with design,
or that cannot be solved with a printed form. The image of the
divan hovers over the conversation. This is understandable,
because the relationship that designers seek with their clients is
based on trust, on the mutual faith and complicity provided by
the common belief in the quality and interest of the product from
which the work stems.
This is, in Pepes words, the great difference between graphic
design and advertising: in the latter (which Pepe knows very well,
because his career started in this field) it is very hard to become
committed and believe in the virtues of the product being
advertised, to get away from the banality lying behind products
presented for consumption when they are merely this, products
presented on the market to be consumed, that is, swallowed up.
One should perhaps make the difference clear. The mere fact of
marking out differences compared with advertising, its purposes
and procedures, constitutes a fact of fundamental importance for
conceptualising the position of a particular professional.
This was the key in the definition of graphic design as a specific
profession in Switzerland in the late fifties, the one adopted by
ICOGRADA from its founding, and in Spain it was also the central
issue between those who called themselves diseadores
grficos, the seventies generation, as compared with their
predecessors, the generation who called themselves grafistas,
inheritors albeit unwilling of the former advertising draughtsmen,
whose work was done mainly in the advertising sphere, though
they always worked with the idea of graphics in their heads.
For this reason most design companies in Spain are small-scale
setups - SMEs, to use the proper term commonly used for these
- and prefer to be called studios; this is also why most studios
imbue the work they do with the personality of the designer
directing them. Paco summed this up in two words: the owner
of the studio is basically its alma mater. On the other hand,
from a historical angle, this professional profile of the designer
took shape in Spain in the early seventies, just when Pepe, Dani,
Paco, Vicent and Lola were coming of age.
It was then consolidated over the seventies and in the eighties
came to the fore as the sectors professional structure, though
combined with the bigger offices and small studios of agencies,
characteristic of other countries, which it has gradually been
ousting, however hard it may be for the authors to realise this.
The Spanish designer is a professional whose effectiveness
depends on his or her capacity to intervene in all the stages of
the process: someone who sketches, draws, types, cuts out and
sticks, engraves and models, who battles with the printer right
down on the shop floor and personally handles interviews with
his customers, who deals with the commission right from the
first phone call and organises his or her own briefing every time
they set to work.
Pepe Gimeno goes on at length about his particular relations
with clients. His friends, Dani and Paco, who run two similar
studios, share experiences and points of view. They have accepted
that the relationship with their customers is often much closer
than the ideal situation in a strictly professional association:
even when they do not actually become friends, the customer
14
Marcas utilizadas por Pepe Gimenoen diferentes estudios.(arriba) Marca de Pepe GimenoS.L. utilizada desde 1986/89.(abajo) Pin de Gimeno / Laverniautilizada desde 1990/95.
"1415" utilizada desde 1975/79.
Trademarks used by Pepe Gimenoin different studios.(above) Trademark of PepeGimeno S.L. used from 1986/89.(below) Pin of Gimeno / Laverniaused from 1990/95.
"1415" used from 1975/79.
Los componentes de PepeGimeno / Proyecto Grficofotografiados por EnriqueCarrazoni en 1998.(de izquierda a derecha)Luisa San Jun, Suso Prez,Jos Gil, Pepe Gimeno,Amparo Ivars, Mara Chamorroy Ana Iranzo.
The staff of Pepe Gimeno /Proyecto Grfico photographedby Enrique Carrazoni in 1998.(From left to right)Luisa San Jun, Suso Prez,Jos Gil, Pepe Gimeno,Amparo Ivars, Mara Chamorroand Ana Iranzo.
15
-
Por esa razn, la mayora de empresas de diseo en Espaa son pequeas PyMES
para decirlo en la terminologa tcnica al uso y prefieren llamarse estudios; tambin,
por esa razn la mayora de los estudios infunden a los trabajos que llevan a cabo
el sello de la personalidad del diseador que los dirige. Paco lo resumi en dos
palabras: el titular del estudio es fundamentalmente su alma mater. Por otra parte
y desde una perspectiva histrica, ese perfil profesional del diseador surgi en
Espaa a principios de los aos setenta exactamente cuando Pepe, Dani, Paco,
Vicent y Lola se hicieron mayores, se fue consolidando durante la dcada de los
setenta y en los ochenta salt a la palestra como estructura profesional del sector,
aunque conviviendo con los grandes despachos y los pequeos estudios de las
agencias, caractersticos de otros pases, a los que ha ido desbancando, aunque a
sus protagonistas les sea difcil darse cuenta de ello. El diseador espaol es un
profesional cuya eficacia depende de su capacidad para intervenir en todas las fases
del proceso: un seor que boceta, dibuja, teclea, recorta y pega, graba y modela,
que se pelea con el impresor a pie de mquina y que asiste personalmente a las
entrevistas con los clientes, que gestiona el encargo desde que lo llaman y que
elabora su propio briefing cada vez que se pone a trabajar.
Pepe Gimeno se extiende mucho al explicar su peculiar relacin con los
clientes. Sus amigos, Dani y Paco, al frente de sendos estudios similares, comparten
experiencias y puntos de vista. Han asumido que la relacin con ellos, los clientes,
es a menudo mucho ms prxima de lo deseable en una relacin estrictamente
profesional: incluso cuando no se llega a ser amigos, el cliente llama a todas horas,
consulta muchas cosas, tambin las que no tienen nada que ver con el diseo, o que
no pueden resolverse con un impreso. La imagen del divn planea sobre la
conversacin. Es lgico. La relacin que busca el diseador con su cliente est basada
en la confianza, en la confianza mutua y en la complicidad que da la creencia
compartida en la calidad y el inters del producto a partir del cul se trabaja.
Esa es, en palabras de Pepe, la gran diferencia entre el diseo grfico y la
publicidad: en este ltimo caso, que Pepe conoce muy bien porque fue en ese sector
donde empez su carrera, es difcil comprometerse y creerse la bondad del producto
que se anuncia, sustraerse a la banalidad de fondo que los productos presentados al
consumo tienen cuando son slo eso, productos que se presentan al mercado para
ser consumidos, es decir, engullidos. Conviene destacar la diferencia. El mero hecho
de marcar distancias con respecto a la publicidad, sus fines y sus procedimientos
constituye un dato fundamental para conceptualizar la postura de un profesional
determinado. Fue la clave en la definicin del diseo grfico como profesin especfica
en la Suiza de finales de los aos cincuenta, la que adopt ICOGRADA desde su
fundacin, y, en Espaa, fue tambin el caballo de batalla entre los que se decan
diseadores grficos, la generacin de los setenta, frente a sus antecesores, la
generacin de los que se denominaban grafistas, heredera a pesar suyo de los antiguos
dibujantes publicitarios, cuya actividad se desarroll principalmente en el sector de la
publicidad aunque siempre trabajaron con la idea de grafismo en la cabeza.
calls at all times of day, enquires about all sorts of things, also
asking about questions which have nothing to do with design,
or that cannot be solved with a printed form. The image of the
divan hovers over the conversation. This is understandable,
because the relationship that designers seek with their clients is
based on trust, on the mutual faith and complicity provided by
the common belief in the quality and interest of the product from
which the work stems.
This is, in Pepes words, the great difference between graphic
design and advertising: in the latter (which Pepe knows very well,
because his career started in this field) it is very hard to become
committed and believe in the virtues of the product being
advertised, to get away from the banality lying behind products
presented for consumption when they are merely this, products
presented on the market to be consumed, that is, swallowed up.
One should perhaps make the difference clear. The mere fact of
marking out differences compared with advertising, its purposes
and procedures, constitutes a fact of fundamental importance for
conceptualising the position of a particular professional.
This was the key in the definition of graphic design as a specific
profession in Switzerland in the late fifties, the one adopted by
ICOGRADA from its founding, and in Spain it was also the central
issue between those who called themselves diseadores
grficos, the seventies generation, as compared with their
predecessors, the generation who called themselves grafistas,
inheritors albeit unwilling of the former advertising draughtsmen,
whose work was done mainly in the advertising sphere, though
they always worked with the idea of graphics in their heads.
For this reason most design companies in Spain are small-scale
setups - SMEs, to use the proper term commonly used for these
- and prefer to be called studios; this is also why most studios
imbue the work they do with the personality of the designer
directing them. Paco summed this up in two words: the owner
of the studio is basically its alma mater. On the other hand,
from a historical angle, this professional profile of the designer
took shape in Spain in the early seventies, just when Pepe, Dani,
Paco, Vicent and Lola were coming of age.
It was then consolidated over the seventies and in the eighties
came to the fore as the sectors professional structure, though
combined with the bigger offices and small studios of agencies,
characteristic of other countries, which it has gradually been
ousting, however hard it may be for the authors to realise this.
The Spanish designer is a professional whose effectiveness
depends on his or her capacity to intervene in all the stages of
the process: someone who sketches, draws, types, cuts out and
sticks, engraves and models, who battles with the printer right
down on the shop floor and personally handles interviews with
his customers, who deals with the commission right from the
first phone call and organises his or her own briefing every time
they set to work.
Pepe Gimeno goes on at length about his particular relations
with clients. His friends, Dani and Paco, who run two similar
studios, share experiences and points of view. They have accepted
that the relationship with their customers is often much closer
than the ideal situation in a strictly professional association:
even when they do not actually become friends, the customer
14
Marcas utilizadas por Pepe Gimenoen diferentes estudios.(arriba) Marca de Pepe GimenoS.L. utilizada desde 1986/89.(abajo) Pin de Gimeno / Laverniautilizada desde 1990/95.
"1415" utilizada desde 1975/79.
Trademarks used by Pepe Gimenoin different studios.(above) Trademark of PepeGimeno S.L. used from 1986/89.(below) Pin of Gimeno / Laverniaused from 1990/95.
"1415" used from 1975/79.
Los componentes de PepeGimeno / Proyecto Grficofotografiados por EnriqueCarrazoni en 1998.(de izquierda a derecha)Luisa San Jun, Suso Prez,Jos Gil, Pepe Gimeno,Amparo Ivars, Mara Chamorroy Ana Iranzo.
The staff of Pepe Gimeno /Proyecto Grfico photographedby Enrique Carrazoni in 1998.(From left to right)Luisa San Jun, Suso Prez,Jos Gil, Pepe Gimeno,Amparo Ivars, Mara Chamorroand Ana Iranzo.
15
-
Modos y maneras de un diseador. Para Pepe, la relacin con el
cliente forma parte de su sistema creativo. Es una opcin metodolgica. Una entrevista
le da la suficiente informacin como para situar los parmetros del trabajo, para detectar
los caracteres grficos con los que el cliente puede sentirse a gusto y verse reflejado en
el resultado, los que le permiten familiarizarse con la obra y sentirse satisfecho con el
diseo, en definitiva lo que le permite compartir la obra con el diseador. No quiere
decir eso que Pepe sea un mercenario de los estilos, ni un diseador polivalente, sino
todo lo contrario. Esta es una caracterstica comn a todos aquellos diseadores que
defienden la idea de servicio al hablar de su actividad, los que saben que el diseo est
ligado a, por lo menos, tres grandes personalidades: la del cliente o emisor, la del
usuario o pblico receptor y la del diseador o transmisor en trminos de Cassandre,
traductor en los dHenry Wolf. Pepe, como Dani, Paco, los empresarios Vicent, Lola,
Pierluigi, y yo tambin, sabemos y pensamos que el buen diseo y deseo que les guste
la metfora es en realidad un billar a tres bandas: ha de responder por igual a tres tipos
de exigencias, a saber, las que impone el cliente y sus intereses, las que se derivan de
los lectores, sus gustos y necesidades, con quienes el cliente interacta informndoles,
y las que impone el diseo por el mero hecho de tratarse de diseo, el cual dispone de
una tradicin propia y de unos modos especficos que son los que, al fin y al cabo,
establecen criterios de calidad muy concretos. Todo nuevo diseo se inserta en una
realidad a la que aporta algo, y la novedad de la aportacin slo puede establecerse
en trminos de diseo, por referencia a una tradicin plagada de ejemplos anteriores
y coetneos en relacin a los cules un diseo nuevo adquiere identidad. La obra de
Pepe, el conjunto de sus diseos, la mayora de las veces eficaz con respecto a las
exigencias de clientes y lectores, forma parte de la historia reciente, eso s, dada su
edad y de la realidad del diseo tanto en nuestro pas como en la colectividad
internacional, y eso depende exclusivamente de la calidad de los diseos en s. Lo acre-
ditan los numerosos premios y distinciones recibidos desde que puso estudio en 1987.
A designers modes and manners. For Pepe, the relations
with the customer form part of his creative system. This is a
methodological option. An interview gives him enough information
to be able to locate the parameters of his work, to detect the
graphic characters with which customers may feel comfortable
and see themselves reflected in the results, the ones that will
enable them to become familiar with the work and feel satisfied
with the design, definitively what will enable them to share the
work with the designer. This does not mean that Pepe is a
mercenary of styles, nor a polyvalent designer - quite the opposite.
This is a trait common to all the designers who defend the idea
of service when talking of their work, those who know that design
is associated with at least three overall personalities: that of the
customer, or emitter, that of the user or receiving public, and that
of the designer, or transmitter, in Cassandres terms - translator
in those of Henry Wolf. Pepe, like Dani, Paco, businessmen/women
Vicent, Lola, Pierluigi, and I myself, know and believe that good
design (I hope you like the metaphor) is in fact a three-way billiards
game: it has to respond equally to three types of requirements;
namely, the ones set by the customers and their interests, those
stemming from the readers, their tastes and needs, with whom
the customers interact by informing them, and those imposed by
design through the simple fact of being design, which has a
tradition of its own and certain specific modes which are ultimately
what establish very particular quality criteria. Any new design
takes a place in a reality in which it contributes something, and
the novelty of the contribution can only be established in terms
of design by reference to a tradition abounding in prior and
contemporary examples in relation with which a new design takes
on identity. Pepes work, his designs as a whole, mostly effective
as regards the demands of customers and readers, forms part of
the history (admittedly recent in view of his age) and of the quality
of design both in our country and in the international world, and
that depends only on the quality of designs themselves. This can
be vouched for by the many awards and distinctions received
since he set up his studio in 1987.
1
17
1, 2,3 y 4. Ilustraciones paraetiquetas de Marlboro Jeans.1984.5, 6 y 7. Etiquetas para Grin's.1983/84.
8. Imagen de campaade la 22 Feria Internacional delMueble. 1985.9 y 10. Displays de lascolecciones de calzado Afro yLolitas para Sabrina. 1986.
1,2,3 and 4. Illustrations forlabels of Marlboro Jeans. 1984.5, 6 and 7. Labels for Grin's.1983/84.
8. Campaign image forthe 22nd International FurnitureFair. 1985.9 and 10. Display units for theAfro and Lolitas footwearcollections for Sabrina. 1986.
2 3 4
56 7
8
9
10
-
Modos y maneras de un diseador. Para Pepe, la relacin con el
cliente forma parte de su sistema creativo. Es una opcin metodolgica. Una entrevista
le da la suficiente informacin como para situar los parmetros del trabajo, para detectar
los caracteres grficos con los que el cliente puede sentirse a gusto y verse reflejado en
el resultado, los que le permiten familiarizarse con la obra y sentirse satisfecho con el
diseo, en definitiva lo que le permite compartir la obra con el diseador. No quiere
decir eso que Pepe sea un mercenario de los estilos, ni un diseador polivalente, sino
todo lo contrario. Esta es una caracterstica comn a todos aquellos diseadores que
defienden la idea de servicio al hablar de su actividad, los que saben que el diseo est
ligado a, por lo menos, tres grandes personalidades: la del cliente o emisor, la del
usuario o pblico receptor y la del diseador o transmisor en trminos de Cassandre,
traductor en los dHenry Wolf. Pepe, como Dani, Paco, los empresarios Vicent, Lola,
Pierluigi, y yo tambin, sabemos y pensamos que el buen diseo y deseo que les guste
la metfora es en realidad un billar a tres bandas: ha de responder por igual a tres tipos
de exigencias, a saber, las que impone el cliente y sus intereses, las que se derivan de
los lectores, sus gustos y necesidades, con quienes el cliente interacta informndoles,
y las que impone el diseo por el mero hecho de tratarse de diseo, el cual dispone de
una tradicin propia y de unos modos especficos que son los que, al fin y al cabo,
establecen criterios de calidad muy concretos. Todo nuevo diseo se inserta en una
realidad a la que aporta algo, y la novedad de la aportacin slo puede establecerse
en trminos de diseo, por referencia a una tradicin plagada de ejemplos anteriores
y coetneos en relacin a los cules un diseo nuevo adquiere identidad. La obra de
Pepe, el conjunto de sus diseos, la mayora de las veces eficaz con respecto a las
exigencias de clientes y lectores, forma parte de la historia reciente, eso s, dada su
edad y de la realidad del diseo tanto en nuestro pas como en la colectividad
internacional, y eso depende exclusivamente de la calidad de los diseos en s. Lo acre-
ditan los numerosos premios y distinciones recibidos desde que puso estudio en 1987.
A designers modes and manners. For Pepe, the relations
with the customer form part of his creative system. This is a
methodological option. An interview gives him enough information
to be able to locate the parameters of his work, to detect the
graphic characters with which customers may feel comfortable
and see themselves reflected in the results, the ones that will
enable them to become familiar with the work and feel satisfied
with the design, definitively what will enable them to share the
work with the designer. This does not mean that Pepe is a
mercenary of styles, nor a polyvalent designer - quite the opposite.
This is a trait common to all the designers who defend the idea
of service when talking of their work, those who know that design
is associated with at least three overall personalities: that of the
customer, or emitter, that of the user or receiving public, and that
of the designer, or transmitter, in Cassandres terms - translator
in those of Henry Wolf. Pepe, like Dani, Paco, businessmen/women
Vicent, Lola, Pierluigi, and I myself, know and believe that good
design (I hope you like the metaphor) is in fact a three-way billiards
game: it has to respond equally to three types of requirements;
namely, the ones set by the customers and their interests, those
stemming from the readers, their tastes and needs, with whom
the customers interact by informing them, and those imposed by
design through the simple fact of being design, which has a
tradition of its own and certain specific modes which are ultimately
what establish very particular quality criteria. Any new design
takes a place in a reality in which it contributes something, and
the novelty of the contribution can only be established in terms
of design by reference to a tradition abounding in prior and
contemporary examples in relation with which a new design takes
on identity. Pepes work, his designs as a whole, mostly effective
as regards the demands of customers and readers, forms part of
the history (admittedly recent in view of his age) and of the quality
of design both in our country and in the international world, and
that depends only on the quality of designs themselves. This can
be vouched for by the many awards and distinctions received
since he set up his studio in 1987.
1
17
1, 2,3 y 4. Ilustraciones paraetiquetas de Marlboro Jeans.1984.5, 6 y 7. Etiquetas para Grin's.1983/84.
8. Imagen de campaade la 22 Feria Internacional delMueble. 1985.9 y 10. Displays de lascolecciones de calzado Afro yLolitas para Sabrina. 1986.
1,2,3 and 4. Illustrations forlabels of Marlboro Jeans. 1984.5, 6 and 7. Labels for Grin's.1983/84.
8. Campaign image forthe 22nd International FurnitureFair. 1985.9 and 10. Display units for theAfro and Lolitas footwearcollections for Sabrina. 1986.
2 3 4
56 7
8
9
10
-
This matter is more important than it may seem at first sight. It
soon came up in the conversation in fact, and this time the most
radical voice was that of Daniel Nebot. If I can convey what he
said correctly, Dani said he was absolutely against any
characterisation of a designer and his designs based only on
what part of the world he happens to have originated in. In his
opinion any description that starts by describing a designer as
being Valencian is doomed to failure because it has no interest
anyway: it cannot in the least reflect either the reality of a designer
or his particular relationship with his work. What is more, neither
the fact of being Valencian, or Spanish, or any national attribute
is of the slightest help for understanding the character of a body
of work. These are merely adjectives which at most let us know
where someone was born, or where they were brought up, but
that is all. For him, in this age of universalising communication
media and immediateness of information, design is only good
or bad. There is a lot of truth in what he says too, because the
design community is international and as universal as that of so
many other professions. The value criteria are the same for all
communities, stemming from the very evolution of design in the
modern and developed worlds, but more than that, design, only
through its essential modernity, involves the international facet,
the universal quality of its proposals as one of the essential
requisites of the notion itself.
It may well be boring to examine but still, the fact of having
to affirm something which may seem so obvious is an interesting
symptom of the historical reality of the times we have to live in.
The balance between the local and the global spheres, a
dichotomy so commonly found in the world of modern culture,
is on the table, more or less ideologically tinged in each particular
case, but there is no doubt that this is part of the agenda in
international debate, coming to the fore much more often than
it would appear at first sight, even as a possible argument for
taking positions on the international market. The endemic free-
exchange, exporting and anti-protectionist tradition of the
Valencian Communitys economy, as Vicent Martnez so rightly
pointed out, should not be ignored in any attempt to understand
Valencians interpretation of the international sphere. The
experience of La Nave group in the Valencia of the nineteen
eighties is the case that we all have in mind. This was precisely
the example given by Paco when the conversation was appraising
to what extent the market, the expectations of the designers
natural interlocutors, the sociological reality and cultural substrate
in which the designer moves act as real conditioners of the
design being made in any particular place.
La cuestin es ms importante de lo que parece a simple vista. De hecho, surgi
enseguida en la conversacin y, ah, el ms radical fue Daniel Nebot. Espero haber
podido recoger el sentido de sus palabras. Dani declar su ms firme rechazo a toda
caracterizacin de un diseador y de sus diseos en base a su origen geogrfico
solamente. Segn l toda descripcin que comience calificando a un diseador de
valenciano est condenada al fracaso porque, adems, no tiene ningn inters: no
puede reflejar en ningn modo ni la realidad de un diseador ni su peculiar relacin con
la obra. Es ms, ni la valencianidad, ni la espaolidad, ni cualquier atributo nacional
puede dar pista alguna para comprender el carcter de una obra. Es un adjetivo que, a
lo sumo, sirve para saber dnde ha nacido alguien, o dnde se ha criado, pero nada ms.
Para l, en la poca de la globalizacin de los medios de comunicacin y la inmediatez
de la informacin, el diseo slo es bueno o malo. Lleva mucha razn porque la
comunidad del diseo es internacional y tan global como la de otras tantas profesiones.
Los criterios de valor son los mismos para todas las comunidades, derivan de la evolucin
propia del diseo en los mundos modernos y desarrollados pero, adems, el diseo, slo
por su modernidad esencial, tiene la internacionalidad, la globalidad de sus propuestas,
como uno de los requisitos esenciales de la nocin de diseo.
Ser un aburrimiento hablar de ello pero, sin embargo, tener que afirmar eso
que puede parecer tan obvio es un sntoma interesante de la realidad histrica que nos
ha tocado vivir. El equilibrio entre lo local y lo global, esa dicotoma tan habitual en el
mundo de la cultura moderna, est sobre la mesa, ms o menos ideologizado segn los
casos, pero no cabe duda que est sobre la mesa del debate internacional y aflora
muchas ms veces de lo que parece a simple vista incluso como posible argumento para
posicionarse en el mercado internacional. La endmica tradicin librecambista, exportadora
y antiproteccionista de la economa de la Comunidad Valenciana, como muy bien
recordaba Vicent Martnez, no debera ser un dato despreciable para comprender
la interpretacin que los valencianos tienen de lo internacional. La experiencia del gru-
po La Nave en la Valencia de los aos ochenta es el ejemplo que todos tenemos en
mente. Fue exactamente el ejemplo que puso Paco cuando la conversacin valoraba
en qu medida el mercado, las expectativas de los interlocutores naturales del disea-
dor, la realidad sociolgica y el sustrato cultural en que se mueve el diseador operan
como condicionantes reales del diseo que se ejecuta en un determinado lugar.18
3
1. Cartel de exposicin en la salaAnastasia Klein. Castelln. 1977.2. Cartel de exposicin en la salaAnastasia Klein. Castelln. 1978.3, 5. Folleto y cartel de la exposicin
"Pensant en la dona", sala Gisal,Valencia. 1977.4. Cartel de la exposicin en la salaCITE, Valencia. 1971.6. Cartel de exposicin en la sala Gisal.Valencia. 1978.
1. Poster for an exhibition at theAnastasia Klein rooms. Castelln. 1977.2. Poster for an exhibition at theAnastasia Klein rooms. Castelln. 1978.3, 5. Brochure and poster for theexhibition "Pensant en la dona"(Thinking of woman), sala Gisal,Valencia. 1977.4. Poster for the exhibition at the CITErooms, Valencia. 1971.6. Poster for an exhibition at the Gisalrooms. Valencia. 1978.
5
4
6
1
2
-
This matter is more important than it may seem at first sight. It
soon came up in the conversation in fact, and this time the most
radical voice was that of Daniel Nebot. If I can convey what he
said correctly, Dani said he was absolutely against any
characterisation of a designer and his designs based only on
what part of the world he happens to have originated in. In his
opinion any description that starts by describing a designer as
being Valencian is doomed to failure because it has no interest
anyway: it cannot in the least reflect either the reality of a designer
or his particular relationship with his work. What is more, neither
the fact of being Valencian, or Spanish, or any national attribute
is of the slightest help for understanding the character of a body
of work. These are merely adjectives which at most let us know
where someone was born, or where they were brought up, but
that is all. For him, in this age of universalising communication
media and immediateness of information, design is only good
or bad. There is a lot of truth in what he says too, because the
design community is international and as universal as that of so
many other professions. The value criteria are the same for all
communities, stemming from the very evolution of design in the
modern and developed worlds, but more than that, design, only
through its essential modernity, involves the international facet,
the universal quality of its proposals as one of the essential
requisites of the notion itself.
It may well be boring to examine but still, the fact of having
to affirm something which may seem so obvious is an interesting
symptom of the historical reality of the times we have to live in.
The balance between the local and the global spheres, a
dichotomy so commonly found in the world of modern culture,
is on the table, more or less ideologically tinged in each particular
case, but there is no doubt that this is part of the agenda in
international debate, coming to the fore much more often than
it would appear at first sight, even as a possible argument for
taking positions on the international market. The endemic free-
exchange, exporting and anti-protectionist tradition of the
Valencian Communitys economy, as Vicent Martnez so rightly
pointed out, should not be ignored in any attempt to understand
Valencians interpretation of the international sphere. The
experience of La Nave group in the Valencia of the nineteen
eighties is the case that we all have in mind. This was precisely
the example given by Paco when the conversation was appraising
to what extent the market, the expectations of the designers
natural interlocutors, the sociological reality and cultural substrate
in which the designer moves act as real conditioners of the
design being made in any particular place.
La cuestin es ms importante de lo que parece a simple vista. De hecho, surgi
enseguida en la conversacin y, ah, el ms radical fue Daniel Nebot. Espero haber
podido recoger el sentido de sus palabras. Dani declar su ms firme rechazo a toda
caracterizacin de un diseador y de sus diseos en base a su origen geogrfico
solamente. Segn l toda descripcin que comience calificando a un diseador de
valenciano est condenada al fracaso porque, adems, no tiene ningn inters: no
puede reflejar en ningn modo ni la realidad de un diseador ni su peculiar relacin con
la obra. Es ms, ni la valencianidad, ni la espaolidad, ni cualquier atributo nacional
puede dar pista alguna para comprender el carcter de una obra. Es un adjetivo que, a
lo sumo, sirve para saber dnde ha nacido alguien, o dnde se ha criado, pero nada ms.
Para l, en la poca de la globalizacin de los medios de comunicacin y la inmediatez
de la informacin, el diseo slo es bueno o malo. Lleva mucha razn porque la
comunidad del diseo es internacional y tan global como la de otras tantas profesiones.
Los criterios de valor son los mismos para todas las comunidades, derivan de la evolucin
propia del diseo en los mundos modernos y desarrollados pero, adems, el diseo, slo
por su modernidad esencial, tiene la internacionalidad, la globalidad de sus propuestas,
como uno de los requisitos esenciales de la nocin de diseo.
Ser un aburrimiento hablar de ello pero, sin embargo, tener que afirmar eso
que puede parecer tan obvio es un sntoma interesante de la realidad histrica que nos
ha tocado vivir. El equilibrio entre lo local y lo global, esa dicotoma tan habitual en el
mundo de la cultura moderna, est sobre la mesa, ms o menos ideologizado segn los
casos, pero no cabe duda que est sobre la mesa del debate internacional y aflora
muchas ms veces de lo que parece a simple vista incluso como posible argumento para
posicionarse en el mercado internacional. La endmica tradicin librecambista, exportadora
y antiproteccionista de la economa de la Comunidad Valenciana, como muy bien
recordaba Vicent Martnez, no debera ser un dato despreciable para comprender
la interpretacin que los valencianos tienen de lo internacional. La experiencia del gru-
po La Nave en la Valencia de los aos ochenta es el ejemplo que todos tenemos en
mente. Fue exactamente el ejemplo que puso Paco cuando la conversacin valoraba
en qu medida el mercado, las expectativas de los interlocutores naturales del disea-
dor, la realidad sociolgica y el sustrato cultural en que se mueve el diseador operan