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Arutza Rico Onzaga

  • Article by Camila Cardeñosa

Arutza Rico Onzaga by Camila Cardeñosa

Interviewing Arutza was a big challenge. Besides being one of the most important branding designers in my country (Colombia), she was my professor at university and my professional career began in her studio: Arutza Studio. At that time she gave me a tip that I still remember and always try to follow: “A good design is a combination of a good concept and good typography”

Today we are friends and in recent years we have worked on a couple of projects together. Due to the pandemic in 2020, we had only seen each other via Zoom so we took the opportunity of the interview to catch up. With hot teas in hand, we began our conversation by talking about success. For Arutza, success is the sum of talent and luck. Her professional career has involved both small and great moments of serendipity, which in combination with her talent, passion and dedication, have made her a reference point for Colombian design.

Her work has been featured in various design blogs and books and been recognised internationally, receiving awards, such as the Communication Arts, the Type Directors Club and the LAD Awards. Alongside this she has never stopped studying and is always open to new challenges. Whenever she sees the opportunity to learn, she takes it up: “Every new thing grabs my attention and I’ve found every project I’ve worked on interesting, whether it’s a small bakery or the branding for a hotel like the Four Seasons“.

Two new tips I took away from our chat: firstly, always be open to new possibilities and expose yourself to luck, “if you don’t show up, you will never be seen”. Secondly, the importance of reading. Novels, are sociological and psychological studies in themselves, you can read the thoughts and reflections of a time. As Arutza describes it, “you’ll also learn about sociology – according to various theorists, branding is a complete performance, you have main themes, narratives and points of emotion similar to in a novel.” Arutza reads every day and from all this she manages to find tools that she believes enrich her creative and design processes.

We finished our cups of tea with two mini doughnuts and an elbow goodbye and I left home feeling grateful that I am still able to  learn from my teacher.

When did you realize that you were interested in design and why did you want to work as a designer?

I have been interested in design since I was little. I used to pay attention to the covers of books, the papers on which they were printed and the illustrations and letters they have. For me, going shopping for school supplies and exploring the books for hours was a pleasure. My grandmother had a lot of fabrics and sewing magazines, and I liked those textures and patterns too. At school one of my favourite classes was drawing. I remember that I handed in my chemistry reports with only drawings that today I can see were infographics. I almost flunked chemistry that year.

Tell me about your career so far. What were your steps it took to get where you are?

I studied graphic design at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. In my last term there I had a marketing class at 7am in the morning and I was one of the few that attended and did all the readings. It turned out that the son of my professor needed a designer and I ended up working with him. When the project ended he recommended me to one of his friends who was the main editor of LOWE, an important advertising agency of the time. Lucho Correa, one of the most prestigious designers in Colombia, was the creative director. He hired me.  It was a mixture of judgment, talent and loads of luck. After four years of working in the agency, I founded my own studio which celebrated last year on reaching, ‘sweet sixteen’.

What do you enjoy most about being a designer?

Solving aesthetic problems, meeting new people and doing art and crafts.

You have specialised in restaurant design and have a class on Domestika teaching the subject. How did this come specialism come about?

It was again the result of luck, friendly connections and what was happening in Bogotá, my hometown. At that time, the gastronomy boom took off in  Columbia and a friend I worked with at the advertising agency recommended me to one of the two largest restaurant groups in my country: the Takami group. I worked with them for over six years and you know, this had a snowball effect.

Has being a woman impacted your career?

Yes. Yes, it has. On one hand, when I started, I was one of the few women who led a design studio in my country and that gave me visibility. In 2010 I won the Woman to Watch  award, which clearly I would not have obtained if I was a man.

In your experience, do you think there is an equity and diversity for men and women in the world of design?

I believe that we are in an unequal world and that design is part of that world.

If you could go back and start your career over, what advice would you give yourself?

Be nice to your clients and your employees.

How do you get inspired? What are your first steps to start a new project?

My secret is this: reading. I read novels, essays, philosophy, aesthetic theory, sociology, poetry, history, psychology, among others.

When I start a new project I try to get to know the client. I spend several sessions listening to them and talking to them. I find out them about their life, about what they like. I get to know them first as people and then I am interested in their business. That is essential. Create a relationship with the client.

What advice would you give to women who are currently thinking about starting a creative career?

Motherhood is a full-time job.

Traditionally women have been told they have to be mothers and that motherhood is the most beautiful thing in the world. And for me truly, it is! However, there is another side of motherhood that is mentioned less often and has to do with the enormous amount of work that it brings, the huge amount of time you spend on it, and the guilt you experience if you don’t do it right. If you have your own studio or want to have one, I recommend you think about having a business partner to help you during at least the first two years of the babies life, this will help you to maintain a healthy work flow. If you work in a studio, talk to your bosses about the possibility of flexi time because you will want to be with your child or you may have to go to school meetings which are generally during work hours.

This is a very fortunate time for us because we can work, we can have our own money and we also begin to understand that having a man beside us is not the only purpose of a woman’s life. But on the other hand, it is also demanding because society asks us to be very good at everything. In our professional role and as mothers. That’s two full-time jobs. I have two full-time jobs.

How do you see yourself in 5 years?

I will be closed to my fifties. I want to look healthy.

What designer, artist, photographer, creative inspires you?

I love this question because most of my inspirations are female.

How has being a mother influenced your work?

Let’s say the business model changed. Ha ha ha. I decided I wanted to spend time with my son, so I started working from home and I have freelance designers that help me when I need it. But most of the projects, I do alone. 

Can you recommend three current creative women that you find inspiring.

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Article by Camila Cardeñosa

Camila Cardeñosa is one of our DesignbyWomen collaborators who has curated and written a series of inspirational features showcasing Spanish speaking female designers based in Latin America and Europe.

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