We recently had the pleasure of talking with María José Almanza, founder of Hispanica, a creative agency based in Mexico City. Launched in 2015, the studio is formed of a diverse team from different artistic disciplines and based in locations around world. The studio aims to create work which is a ‘celebration of creativity and uniqueness.’ Primarily focused on crafting exceptional visual identities, as María tells DbyW they strive to create, “powerful visual experiences, profound narratives and mesmerising imagery.” We were fascinated to find out more about this process and how the studio approaches a new client brief, their project process and how they overcome challenges.
Could you tell us a bit about how you approach a new visual identity client brief?
Our initial approach depends on the individual client. Sometimes they’ve sent a creative brief for us to work with or sometimes we help them construct one. This usually involves having a virtual meeting where we talk to them about the brand; how it was born, their points of reference and the brand’s objectives before we start the design process. After that, we meet as a team, to introduce the project to everyone. We see if anyone has any immediate ideas on how to approach the project brief, whether that be through strategy or design.
We usually focus on the personality of the brand and what characteristics make them unique. This helps us discover the best way to represent who they are through typography, images and other design choices. If the project doesn’t already have an established brand strategy, our team develops one so that we are all aligned with the project values and brand voice.
“We usually focus on the personality of the brand and what characteristics make them unique. This helps us discover the best way to represent who they are through typography, images and other design choices.”
What research do you usually undertake and where do you look for inspiration?
Our research often starts by creating mood-boards. Every designer in our team has a different approach and depending on who kicks off the project, this can consist of anything from graphic references, typefaces or images that convey a mood or colours which fit the brand values.
Our inspiration comes from various different sources, sometimes by reading, observation, conversations, traveling and the internet. For instance, right now we are creating an identity for an architect and a lot of her work focuses on mathematics and precision, so we’ve been doing some research on grid systems and typology. We also take inspiration from our clients – we’ve been very fortunate to work with a lot of talented creative individuals, whose products and services provide a good starting point. Whether this is taken from shapes, form or colour that help inform our selection of typefaces and visual direction and/or how we structure information according to the end application.
Another form of research that we do is directly related to Hispanica as a brand. Hispanica, above everything else, is a space for creativity and uniqueness. We use our studio as a form of visual expression, whether that’s exploring our individual cultures and places of origin, creating visual narratives, pushing our brand typography or working on self-initiated projects, like the range of branded merch we are releasing soon.
“Hispanica, above everything else, is a space for creativity and uniqueness. We use our studio as a form of visual expression…”
Do you have any project processes you usually go through as a studio?
We have appropriate phases for every project, which keeps us structured and ensures that everyone in then team are aware of the deliverables they need to work on. This structure gives us a way of getting clear feedback from the client and allows us to be in constant communication.
As a studio, we take the time to create brand strategies for each project we propose. This means we can identify objectives, thoughts, phrases and keywords that will inform the project outcomes. At the same time, we like to keep things a bit open-ended in our process because it allows us to be more creative in our approach to each client brief.
The bulk of our work is during the actual design process, when we’re creating explorations and assets for the client. The team collaborates a lot during this phase, whether that be the designers working together, brainstorming copy that will be best for the brand, researching materials, talking to suppliers or just asking each other questions about how to improve every iteration we create.
What type of challenges do you experience when working on this type of project and how have you overcome them?
As a studio, we have members of the team located in different countries and time zones which can, at times, make communication difficult. But we don’t view this as an obstacle we can’t overcome. We’re grateful that because of our diverse backgrounds we see different perspectives and have different ways of working and thinking.
As a team, we’re honest about our skills when it comes to tackling different projects. If someone feels uncomfortable creating illustrations, or unsure of typography, or doesn’t believe their photography style is best suited for a project, we come together and see who else in the team can help. Or we make an alliance and find someone to collaborate with outside of the agency that will help us achieve our best work. In this way, we’re very collaborative, despite being in different places and working remotely online.
“We’re grateful that because of our diverse backgrounds we see different perspectives and have different ways of working and thinking.”
Can you tell us about some recent visual identity projects you’ve worked on?
Some of the recent projects we’ve enjoyed working on include Sephia, an event organising agency in Mexico City and Loggia, a real estate development company based in Austin, TX. We’ve been really fortunate to have clients that believe in our creative spirit and entrust us with creating their visual identities. For each identity we work on, we focus on simplicity, timelessness and the small details that can make each project unique.
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Creative Agency:
Hispanica
Founder:
María José Almanza
Location:
Mexico City, Mexico
Founded:
2015
Services:
- Concept & Brand Development
- Art Direction
- Consultancy
- Photography
- Video
- Editorial
- Web Design
Article by Mary Hemingway
Founder : DesignbyWomen.