Xavi Martínez

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Elliott Moody
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Xavi Martínez

Xavi Martínez is an independent Spanish Graphic Designer specialising in branding and editorial design. Xavi is currently a part of the team at Bunch in Zagreb. Check out our chat with him below.

EM You’ve worked as a designer at ruiz+company, Artofmany & now at Bunch. How have those experiences differed?

XM Well, I don’t know exactly how to define it, or how to explain their way of thinking. Of course, each studio has different approaches to design and different points of view. But they mostly use the same process, and all of them are really accurate and precise, they always care about every detail.

EM What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learnt in those studio environments?

XM I would say that the most valuable thing that I have learnt in those studios is how to think, how to find a concept and use it to create a new brand, and this is the most important thing for me. But also how to create a system, be always coherent, be fast and efficient, don’t fall in love with the first idea, and think how to organise time. These are some of the most important values that I have learnt at those studios.

Xavi Martínez

Every project starts differently and varies a lot.

EM What is the inspiration behind the changing logo you designed for Insite Food?

XM Inside Food is an architect and interior design studio, so they distribute and organise food places and this is the main concept. I wanted to create a playful brand, but keep the simplicity so I proposed a dynamic and modular logotype. The logo has been solved with a simple typographic exercise with different compositions.

EM Do you have a set method to approaching a new project?

XM Yes and no, every project starts differently and varies a lot, but I mostly like to start by talking with the client, defining the brief and having a dialogue with them about which way would be better to solve the problem. Then I spend a lot of time thinking and brainstorming, doing research on the subject, reading the history. This helps me find the way, find some tools to create, and without this part it’s quite hard for me to find any ideas to develop any project.

EM What’s your favourite part of a project?

XM My favourite part of a project is always the beginning, the creative process, thinking, researching, looking for references. I also really like to be involved in my clients’ work, I try to understand them as much as possible and know everything of their business. It’s very important for me to get their essence so I can reflect it in the final product.

Xavi Martínez

EM What’s your favourite typeface?

XM Well, I’ve always been fond of sans serif typefaces and I would have to say that the most used type in my portfolio is Helvetica, but I like other types such as Univers, Gotham, Brown and Circular. However, in terms of serif I’m in love with Domine.

EM Which studios do you admire?

XM I could name a long list of studios that I admire. As a young designer I think is really important for me be always looking for new and good projects from other studios. I am more focused on studios from Barcelona, I think there is a big and good community of designers, but as time goes by I am becoming more interested in studios from other parts of the world. I would like to mention studios such as Kurppa Hosk, Design Studio, Design by Atlas, Spin, Experimental Jetset, Mucho and Hey Studio as really good design references.

EM Your El Imparcial project has been very popular on design blogs. How did you get involved in that project?

XM Yes, it seems that people like this project, and it has done well on social media and blogs. Well, they had found me on Domestika, this is a portfolio platform for designers similar to Behance, and they contacted me by mail. We had a meeting in Madrid and from the beginning we had a good feeling and good relationship. They are also art and design lovers, so it was quite easy working with them and this has been reflected in the entire project very well, not just in the brand identity. We could also feel it in every part of the project, such as the space, the interior design and the business concept.

Xavi Martínez
Xavi Martínez

El Imparcial is a restaurant, bar and concept store located in Madrid.

EM What is the inspiration and reasoning for your solution?

XM El Imparcial is a restaurant, bar and concept store located in Madrid. Their philosophy is to fill all their spaces with different artists, expositions, conferences and food. They are changing the available space for different events all the time. Because of that my design is based on division of the brand in two parts, cultural center and restaurant and I showed that division in two shapes. One shape is a circle, I wanted to do a metaphor of one plate (because of the restaurant) and the other one a square as a metaphor of a frame (because of the cultural centre) and I fill these two shapes with different textures which are changing as frequently as their spaces.

EM Where do you look for inspiration?

XM To be honest, I’m used to going through different blogs, and some studio’s websites every day. As I said before, it is important for me to be constantly checking out new projects and see how other designers solved some problems in a brand. It’s interesting to see and learn from that, but I also find my inspiration in my own projects. I think that every project is always interesting enough to give me the tools for design. If you read the business history, if you learn how it works and you know every detail, you must find some inspiration there.

People are a great inspiration to me. I learn every day from people who are around me, such as my friends, family and obviously, the most important, my co-workers. The designers that I learnt from are a great inspiration as well. I think that they are a big part of the designer that I am today. Also I like to travel and meet new people who have a different way of thinking, and these new experiences always make me see the projects from a different point of view.

Graphic Design

Xavi Martínez

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