The Magic Touch of Graphic Designer Bruno Martinez
Bruno Martinez is quick to make the distinction between traditional art and his vocation of graphic design. While he appreciates the lineage of the fine arts, he’s adamant that the sweet spot of mixing creativity and business has always been something he has been drawn towards. He’s been renowned for his innovative approach and unique style, embracing modern ideas and the use of varied ways to expose the public to his designs. Growing up in a creative family, Bruno was always encouraged to draw and paint. After traditional Arts education in Spain and the UK, Martinez began breaking the rules and creating his own style. It’s no surprise that so much of his work has been lauded by the community and brands which espouse the same free-spirited approach. In present day, the moniker maverick has been a bit overused but is completely appropriate when describing Bruno who declares, “I found my niche and have never looked back. I’ve come to realize that everything we do is experiential, from a web page to signage and videos to brochures.”
Modern media and connection has propelled the role of a graphic designer further than that of previous generations. The internet has changed the way we consume things forever. A company’s visual identity used to strike a consumer once or twice throughout the entire buying process but we’re now exposed to a brand’s logo, colors, style, voice, and values hundreds of times from our first contact to our first purchase. Martinez communicates, “Salesmen don’t know how to create a brand’s personality and marketing folks don’t know how their understanding of the market translates into a visual identity. Therein lies the need for graphic design professionals who have experience in creating effective brand identities.
It’s not simply pushing a button and clicking a few functions in Photoshop. It’s a complicated industry with its own ecology made up of incredibly hard working individuals that is routinely undermined by its own customers. I see Design not as a job, a career, or a calling but rather a lifestyle. We dominate decision making that is about cultural construction and make-up: music, food, bikes, clothing. A great graphic designer doesn’t just make logos, he or she digs deeper into a company’s needs and a consumer’s expectations, finding the best solution as a result.”
Bruno’s work while in Australia with Match Boys Collective defined the identity and perspective of the brand, resonating in a pure frequency with fans of the lifestyle. As a lead Graphic designer, he not only created the designs but also directed the marketing campaigns. In a very progressive move, Martinez conceptualized and worked with a production team to create the documentary Vanguards and Visionaries. The film received critical acclaim with appearances at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, Mexico Fashion Film Festival, Fashion Film Festival Milano, and others. Vanguards and Visionaries also had the effect of causing a number of the industry’s leading brands to seek out collaborations with Bruno and Match Boys. Pukas is a leading name in Spain and Europe’s surf industry. Possessing the largest surf factory in Europe and establishing themselves as one of the most prominent voices of the past forty years, Pukas turned their attention to Bruno’s work with Match Boys. The culmination of this collaboration was “Riding together dying alone”, a full clothing line and series of six surfboards. Companies like the legendary Insight 51 (founded in the 90’s and perhaps the most original and daring brand of all times in the industry), Nectar Sunglasses, and more have followed suit. While he’s proven himself malleable to numerous brands and products, the common thread that has continually amplified Bruno’s talent is emotion. The designer specifies, “The driving force behind all our decisions is emotion. It’s what makes us human, is what defines who we are and how we react to different situations. All of the things we push through our work are that of humanistic traits. This is because brands, products and services have become something that we establish a relationship with. Having a firm understanding of how people feel and in turn, how a design has the ability to make people feel, is paramount to what we do. This understanding can be used as a way to drive emotion through a plethora of subtle, intricate, and bold positions that evoke an array of feelings for the audience.”
