Interview with Guillermo Flores from Mexico

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Guillermo Flores

Guillermo Flores is a Mexican designer and illustrator based in Guadalajara that has combined forces with famed companies serving as a creative and art director!



Interview with the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards Winner - Guillermo Flores

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.

I am a Mexican designer and illustrator based in Guadalajara specialized in collage, illustration and digital art. I have collaborated with companies around the world such as: Sephora, Cirque du Soleil, Nike, Citi Private Bank, Marc Jacobs, Adobe, Domestika, Burning Man, Envision Fest, Tequila Patrón, Momentum Worldwide, HMR Design, Cloe, GDL Open Akron, Grupo Expansión among others, serving as a creative and art director in multiple projects, developing illustration, brand identity, strategy, planning and execution.

I graduated with a degree in graphic design, specializing in animation and web design from Universidad del Valle de Atemajac UNIVA in 2004.

2What made you become/why did you choose to become a creative?

I come from a musical family and in my house there were always, in addition to instruments, albums which caught my attention due to the images on the covers.

When I was a kid, in my house there were books and encyclopaedias that were accompanied by illustrations and botanical art. Surrealism is undoubtedly my most direct influence, the work of Salvador Dalí when I met him at a university blew my mind, the possibility of a surreal world seemed fascinating to me.

This ‘chance’ meeting allowed me to live during my adolescence with the art of Hipgnosis made up of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell, these covers full of details and such powerful messages showed me in a very natural way a narrative that was based on concepts, in addition the musical and graphic way of expressing it was so seductive because it came hand in hand with incredible music. In discovering Radiohead, I also discovered Stanley Donwood, the graphic artist of the band.

3Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
I have my own studio since 2008 where I do creative direction, art direction and a lot of commercial illustration for companies around me. I have focused on advertising illustration for a few years collaborating with incredible brands all over the world.
4What does “creativity” mean to you?
I found a definition in a book recently which I think is great - The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. "To create is to bring something into existence that wasn't there before". I believe that creativity belongs to everyone, it is the way in which we can solve anything in life.
5To you, what makes a “creative” idea and/or design?
Definitely, the way of approaching it is key to achieving it, taking the risk of proposing anything, I believe that there are no limits to creativity, from something very simple to something very elaborate. There are no bad or good ideas, they work or they don't.
6Tell us about your creative and/or design process.
I really like to observe, pay attention to details, take the time to appreciate things before moving on, in my process I always document myself and read a lot about the subject, I think that the result of immersing itself in the subject provides more durability.
7What's your favorite part of the creative process and why?
I love the research stage, doing a deep search and learning more about the subject- I usually buy books about it and do a lot of research before I even start sketching.
8Describe your creative style and its main characteristics.
I love botany and nature, I find the world of birds fascinating, so this is a key element in my work, if we observe nature carefully it gives us shapes and amazing colors!
9Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your creativity process?
Totally!! Mexican culture is full of color, shapes, elements and symbols, I love the folklore in it and you can see it reflected in my illustrations.
10Congratulations! As the winner of the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
It is a great honor for me to receive this recognition and to be at the side of great projects. I think it is a reflection of the effort and passion that we inject into each project. It's a great teamwork.
11Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
It was a commissioned project, where the request was to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. So on the one hand, I wanted to show the kind of projects that are done in my country, it was also a good excuse to pay tribute to my culture by showing it to the whole world.
12What was the biggest challenge with this project?
There were so many requirements in the project, on the one hand we wanted to show the whole culture but it is so vast that the choice of elements that will represent the Hispanic culture was a great challenge, I consider that 'less is more' and the conceptualization was key to get it.
13How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
It is a great reference that helps me to verify that we are on the right track! A recognition is always good, in this profession it is a good incentive.
14What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?
Talent and creativity. Whether it's analogue or digital, the results can be amazing. Dream do comes true. Great things can be achieved in this industry. There are no limits when creating an idea.
15What makes your country specifically, unique in the creative industry?
Crafts are key in my culture, contact with indigenous communities provides a deep link with our history and traditions.
16Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Artificial intelligence is definitely a big watershed in the graphic industry, however, doing things manually will always be present and I don't even think it will lose value.
17If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Creative Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?
As Guillermo del Toro says "Triumph is an instrument of torture, just like beauty and perfection. Perfection does not exist, the beauty of the world is imperfection, and success is a myth that is sold to us. If you get up in the morning to work on something that makes you happy, you've already done it."
18What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?
Public relations, office work, sending emails, trying and trying, reading, documenting more, but above all practicing and practicing.
19Tell us something you have never told anyone else.
Before being a designer, I considered being an archaeologist or a chef.
20Who has inspired you in your life and why?
My mother is a great reference for me, she managed to raise her children, she works hard and dreams big, she is my great inspiration.
21What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
"Sometimes you get out of bed in the morning and you think you can't make it, but you laugh inside because you remember all the times it made sense to you that way" Bukowski.

Winning Entry

Animated Album Cover for Pandora by Xfinity | 2023

MCA-guillermo-flores-animated-album-cover-for-pandora-by-xfinity
CONNECT TO THE BEAT - Animated album cover for Pandora, commissioned to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage ...
(read more at MUSE Creative Awards)

Guillermo Flores

Guillermo Flores is a Mexican designer and illustrator based in Guadalajara that has combined forces with famed companies serving as a creative and art director!


Read more about this interview with Dmitry Moystsrapishvili from Georgia, the Gold Winner of the 2023 MUSE Creative Awards.

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