The FIBA (International Festival of Theatre of Buenos Aires) is a major event that takes place every two years. During three festivals, I personally designed their image under the request of creating a unique identity for each FIBA. However, this year the strategy was different: the demand was to fix the last brand I did and the blue colour as identifiers, in order to stabilize the brand toward the future.
Thus, I was called to create particular elements of FIBA 2013. So I created two new elements: an especial background, that is a visually explosive component within the framework presented, as well as to systematize the application of a range of complementary variations of blues, in order to bring a deeper dynamic space onto the corporative image, plus to link the colours of the FIBA to the nightlife, at which the majority of the activities of the Festival and the world of theatre are performed.
For these backgrounds, I made a series of strong drawings which stresses in the entire corporate image of the festival, pictures that are releasing graphic expressions inside the parameters that I had previously created. For composing such aggressive and original strokes, the usual artistic techniques were not enough, because I called for something distinctive; hence I drew with objects, waste and coins:
I started to paint a black glass which then I broke it, looking for its aggressive angles that its fragments gave me. I also took long dry leaves and cane branches, which helped me to represent the idea of movement. Finally, coins resembling eyes in this set. With this material I formed scenes and characters, figures and abstract signs that can be perceived within the chaos of irregular and illogical background scenery.
I planted such objects on a white table I stood up on it and took pictures of the different situations that objects were creating. I processed these images by Photoshop, and for having black and white silhouettes I eliminated their halftones. Then I vectorized and exported files to the Illustrator program, where I coloured the three flat layers of figures that composed several illustrations.
After that, I systematized the material and sent the style’s manual to the production team of the Festivals of the City of Buenos Aires. They applied very well the designed scheme.
I think the designs worked fine. The final expression of the whole set the midpoint asked by the Festival, a point of tension between something structured and something free, predictable and unexpected. These images were positively complemented the logo, giving the requested poetry that the subject needed.
Sebastian Guerrini, 2013
Comments
One thought on “FIBA pictures: The making-of”