Alex Trochut

It’s not like we pretend to know everything that’s going on around us but we do take pride in being in contact with new talented Spanish artists coming out, particularly of a certain kind (hard to explain which one!) so we were surprised to see some guy from Barcelona illustrate on of the latest issues of the magazine Beautiful Decay, that we have been carrying here in Subaquatica since their (and our) beginnings. Alex Trochut, (www.alextrochut.com) is that artist and he certainly deserves that attention and today it’s us that take a look at his work and have a chat with him.

Beautiful Decay Issue T (cover, detail)

First a question we always ask: why, when and how did you begin to consider yourself an artist?

I’ve never considered myself an artist. I started studying graphic design and I’ve always been interested in the more expressive side of this profession. So I think that it’s always been there, without ever seeing myself as anything but a designer and never ceased to feel like one. I try to approach my profession and new jobs in a natural and honest way, as a graphic designer, although I do use illustration as a tool.

The basic thing I wanted to discuss with you, because your work is a clear example of this, is how the line between graphic designer, illustrator and artist is so blurry. From which elements of each discipline do you nurture your work?

I agree with you that the hybrid conception of a designer is spreading more and more. The way I see it is that there’s a need by designers of expressing himself and, why not?, to use artistics approaches more personal and expressive. At the end of the day the labels: art, illustration or graphic design come, in a certain way, from the context where you find them and those contexts are changing and making borders not so defined. When we refer to working with images and visual communication many art techniques are migrating into this world. It’s not so much that bnew things are being done but where you find them. It’s a question of adaptation and change.

Psicotipo print for MadinSpain 07

A new generation of visual artists get comission jobs from agencies and brands and graphic designers show their work at art galleries. It seems that the distinction lies in the purely creative purporse of the work or if iot adresses some particular communicative goal other than those of the artist. Is there, in your case, a purely creative work or do you feel that you have enough to deal with with the work you do for your clients?

Truth is that working for other people and having them put new things in front of my eyes that otherwise I wouldn’t find by myself is a good way to evolve and learn. On the other hand I do feel the need to do something that departs from that commercial side of things and portray things that are more reflexive or simply outside the realm of the consumist act. In fact I’m preparing this show to be exhibited in London and I’m very happy because I can deal with m y own theme.

Cover illustration. Kult magazine # 4

A given job I imagine can be a challenge and as such something attractive and at the same time a limitation of your creative expression. How do you deal with this balance?

Many times it depends on how open the person you deal with is to see outside the established reference and as far as comission jobs go it’s always also a question of the barriers we build ourselves and how we use formulas that limit the job to a few specific possibilities mostly because the lack of time and the fear of trying new things.

Poster for Arjo Wiggings (with Marta Cerdá)

On the other hand I imagine that the more known you are the more jobs you get but the more clients ask for something they’ve seen that you’ve done before. How do you manage to avoid being narrowed down to do the same thing over and over again because of that?

It’s true. Very often clients look for what they want in my previous work and the portfolio becomes like a menu in a restaurant where no client is going to choose something that just isn’t there. That’s why I truy to diversify as much as I can and show different styles so the possibilities are open in each new project. Where I find the most freedom is with collaborations because of how you can take risks and experiemt and try new stuff so you can put a new dish in the menu. It stills depends very much on the client or art director you have as travel companion. There’s the ones that like travelling because they can discover new things and there’s the ones that just want to go see the places in the postcards.

In your website you refer to how your style changes with every new project. Is there still an Alex Trochut style that one can find in all your works and what would be the elements that stay and you identify with?

I guess you can still see the same hand behing every work and as common elements I would say that there’s some “horror vacui”, weakness for lettering and admiration for the graphic design from the 60’s and 70’s.

Lettering designs for the “Rolled Plus Gold” album by the Rolling Stones (Zip Design for Universal)

Besides the graphic designer-illustrator you are also a typographer and a huge fan of typography. There’s many, many letters in your work but you take them to a very elaborate and complex style. How do you find a balance between the aesthetic aspect of letters and legibility

Yes, very often I care m ore about the aesthetic over legibility and I find it difficult to get rid of a nice abstract form in exchange of a more legible letter but I do try to find a balance. Forgetting legibility altogether is a big price to pay but so is making the overall design weaker. I always find myself in that struggle, trying to contain my ilegible side. However I find it neccesary to go through this abstract aspect in letters in order to obtain forms that are both simple and legible as well as original.

It seems as if many of the new creative people all around are at the same time very different in style and very close in attitude in the way the preconception of what you are supposed to do and not are not as important anymore. Do you feel part of that same generation?, What other artsists and designers you admire the most?

Yes, in that sense I like to feel free to work without limitations or norms and I also think that the world of design is less and less limited to the traditional sacred and dogmatic principles of design. People I admire: Mario Hugo, Rinzen, Luca Ionescu, Serial Cut, Inocuo, Deanne Cheuk, Siggi Eggertsson, Aaron Horkey, Justin Thomas Kay, Parra, Si Scott, Dvein… and many others that are also a big influence on me.

Numeric alphabet (BBH for British Airways)

What have you been up to lately?

I’ve been designing some snowboards for K2, a campaign for The Guardian, a poster for the new edition of “If you could”, the cover for Taiwan magazine Xfuns, a campaign for Nike with VillarRosas,…

Any new plan coming up you want to tell us about?

My first art show :-)

Any project you would like to do but still haven’t been asked to?

I’d like to put my work in motion….

Any artist or initiative in particular you want to recommend?

Parra, -the one and original-, and his upcoming show at Vallery. If you are in Barcelona don’t miss it!

“Liquid Illustration” (personal project)

December 3rd, 2007 01:15am Administrador