12 Questions: Meet Xavier (Spain)

In our 12 Questions blog series, we feature interviews with someone from the crowdSPRING community. For these interviews, we pick people who add value to our community – in the blog, in the forums, in the projects. Plainly – activities that make crowdSPRING a better community. Be professional, treat others with respect, help us build something very special, and we’ll take notice.

We’re very proud to feature Xavier (crowdSPRING username: Badaboom) today. Xavier lives and works in Madrid, Spain.

1. Please tell us about yourself.
Hola! I am a 40 something French-Spanish world traveler now living in the wonderful city of Madrid. It has been nearly a year now since I joined the great crowdSPRING community. I have lived in different countries in Europe, America and Africa.
2. How did you become interested in design?
I think it all started somewhere between the age of my Lego and Construction Blocks childhood when I was living in a famous surfing town in France and watching first Breakdance movies somewhere in the early 80’s. Watching lots of TV series and films from the great 70’s Culture are probably a big part of my Graphics and other Creative early interests: Colors, Cars, Travel, Cities and Buildings etc.
3. Which of your designs are your favorites and why?
I admit I do have some kind of retro vision, I love many things done during the last Century and try to get concepts from them translated into a Classic and Balanced feel, but trying not to fall into a fashionable trend that won’t stand too long. I try to use all kind of different external “ingredients” from Pop Culture to Industrial Mechanical Instructions, from Science Fiction to Street Art.
4. Who/what are some of the biggest influences on your design work?
Whaow! Many many things from the XX Century! Although thanks to internet and the huge amount of great ideas and visual concepts coming from anywhere of the world, this last decade has proven to be
amazing. I think at the same time this huge amount of information and data can become negative if it doesn’t go thru a personal filter. Apart from trying to work more like an artisan,
I can go thru long phases of stopping feeding my visual memory bank from the superfast changing “What’s ON” or “What’s IN Now”. The concept of Artisan work has a big relation between my own creative intuition and imagination connections, my visual background culture and how I use tools.
5. How do you come up with ideas for concepts after you read a buyer’s
creative brief?
Well, there is a process into it. I would say it is very much like cooking, but in this case it is like cooking in a restaurant but you don´t have a direct action with the customer. I usually take the briefing reading moment as a different creative process, it helps me to extract main ideas, inspiration and first sketches, like doing a shopping list for a menu. Another process that comes from my Entrepreneur background, is to try to get as close as possible to the client Business Information. Why that name? for example … or even how the briefing was written. Then comes the hard work and fun and communication then …BADABOOM!!
6.Mac or PC?
Early MAC! Yep … I work on a small G4 laptop with a HUUUUGE screen!
7. What is your dream project?
Any project that involves different materials from early stages.
8. How do you promote your work?
I started my first business (a magazine) when I was 17, then had a Videostore, launched City Tourism Commercial Advertisement maps and brochures, worked as a freelancer for nearly 20 years, etc … So one of my favourite ways of promoting my work is doing or producing Objects, Exhibitions, Parties, Products and Services … linking all of then with the Badaboom way of doing it.
9. Please describe your typical work day.
Many hours producing and generating concepts and ideas … the day goes very fast!

10. What is the design industry like where you live?
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and North Coast are the major creative and design centers in Spain. Of course the creative background of painters like Goya, Velazquez, Picasso, Miró or Dalí to name a few, fashion designers like Balenciaga or Paco Rabanne and companies like Zara or Mango, architects like Gaudí, Calatrava, Moneo and many others, sculptors like Chillida + films, photographers and advertising agencies … give a good idea of the creativity in Spain. In the years after the Olympics of 1992 and Mariscal designs or Almodovar films posters and Madrid “Movida” underground artists, there has a been a boom in a huge new generation of very well prepared independent artists and designers. Some have started doing T-shirts and now are well established International studios or brands: Custo, Kukuxumusu, Jordi Labanda, etc. I have to say that there is a huge passion and amazing artists in drawing, illustration and comics as well (a Madrid store “Akira” just got this 2012 Best Comic Store). And for fantastic previous graphic designers work in Spain, I highly recommend visiting this page www.graphicspioneers.com
11. If you weren’t designing, what would you be doing?
Preacher? Making nanorobots? Retired? … NO. Next question please.
12. What do you do with your free time?
Family, Meeting friends from around the world, Movies, Photography, Collecting American Diecast Cars and 1950-1980 Memorabilia, Making Architectural models, Making Paper and Photo Collages, Bike, Music, Mountain …

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Gracias & merci, Xavier!