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Featured Artist Interview - Thiago Santana
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Thiago Santana
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Thiago Santana utilizes the entire color palette in creating beautiful illustrations, thereby wowing his audience with the works of versatility and endlessly invigorating graphics. Black and white is not the word for him; whereas psychedelic would be a much suitable word for Thiago Santana.
The intensive use of colors in his design not only light up the dullest moments of our lives, but work as an antidote for the lifelessness and monotony of the mundane as well. This Brazilian freelance illustrator and graphic designer is wild about experimenting and continuously brings forth mind-blowing designs – a passion that we hope never fizzles.
Shaking off our yellow-black, TAXI dons a colorful outfit and sneaks into the mind space of the man who paints more colors than the rainbow can hold.
TAXI>>I would say that you are “in love” with colorful graphics. Among your print works, shades of yellow are observed to have dominated. Is there a unique reason for the frequent use of yellow in your art pieces?
Thiago>>It's not a conscious choice. I mean... there are three things I really love to see on every kind of artwork: light, colors and a vintage look (kinda 80's look). I love the look of an old sheet of paper (like old atari game manuals) and I also love white backgrounds. It has a happy feel to it. I guess that's why I use yellow and white so much. I like the way things look when immersed in light.
TAXI>>Your work tools include Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, traditional art creation and digital photography. Which is your favorite medium and why?
Thiago>>My favorite medium is traditional art. I have been drawing since I was a kid; I love Art Nouveau and Russian Constructivism and paintings like the ones by Delacroix and Mondrian always amazed me.
For me nothing can replace real paint, pencils, brushes and the organic look of everything. But I must say I've been in love with vectors lately. Specially using them to experiment with color blending and transparency. I also love photography, but I'm not a good photographer.
TAXI>>You focus on developing “efficient visual works”. What is then considered “efficient” to you and how do you go about achieving that?
Thiago>>An efficient visual work to me is a work that is fresh, simple and accomplishes its goal. I don't accept works that I think that won't look fresh and new. I mean sometimes a client comes to me and says “your work is beautiful. Please make this ad for me... but make it look like this one I saw on the internet”. I don't do that. It's simply boring. I sure need the money to pay the bills, but what makes me love my job is the fact that I'm hired to create.
If I can't create something new then what would be left for me to do? For example: people who've known my website since the beginning knows that it looks completely different from its first version and I've changed it 6 or 7 times in less than a year. I can get sick of one specific style very, very quickly and I like to keep it simple. The less I use flash the better. But most of the time clients ask me to do something in the style of one of my previous works. I don't have a problem with that.
TAXI>>Recently, you have ventured into online business selling t-shirts that you have personally designed. Other than for business purposes, how do you think this affects or improves the design industry?
Thiago>>First of all I have to say my online store is offline now. I didn't have time to set everything up so I took it offline. Answering to your question, I think making your own stuff gives you and people more freedom to choose and that encourages everyone to make new things. Products that the big corporations would never sell. So you wouldn't have to worry about seeing someone else wearing that cool hat you bought last week.
You express your thoughts and give people the chance to express theirs. And I'm not talking about philosophical theories or stuff like that. I'm talking about the simplest thoughts. For example, I made a t-shirt with Batman wearing jeans and a striped suit. When I made it I just thought “what if Batman was just a regular man who thinks he's a superhero?”. I'm sure everyone agrees with me that in the real world he wouldn't last 30 minutes.
Can you imagine Adidas putting that on a t-shirt?
TAXI>>In your website, you have a “Propaganda / Advertising” section of which there are two graphics that concern “wants” – Harley and iPod. Was it a personal desire that inspired the works and what is the main point that you wanted to bring across to the audience?
Thiago>>They're ironic ads. My intention was to talk about this “I want that over-hyped product for me” thing. Don't get me wrong. I love both the iPod and the Harley designs. I just wanted to put in adverts [sic] things that we usually think. Like “I want that thing, but I can't afford it. Damn”.
The function of an ad is to make you want something so bad that you don't even bother if you can or cannot afford it. It just makes you want to buy it. Sometimes I think it would be funny if I saw an ad of a plasma TV saying “Hey, I'm worth $5,000. What a shame you can't buy me”.
The main point is some products nowadays are almost like a religion and some people buy them because of the “coolness” status they're supposed to give.
TAXI>>Share with us the funniest experience that you have had throughout your career in the design industry.
Thiago>>Once there was this woman. She owns a clothes store and wanted to give her store an “andes” theme. Something very south american. I thought it was a great idea, but then she said she wanted a “llama” look. I then asked “what?” She said the theme should be a Llama (a typical south american animal that lives in the Andes mountains).
To sum everything up: I had to find a real llama to put in her store. But it ended up well. I got fake snow, fake indians, a real llama and I made one huge illustration of a pinkish blue sky and snowden mountains for her store walls (by the way, I wish I could work more with environment design). You can't go wrong with a llama. Can you?
TAXI>>What was your main motivation when you first started out in this industry?
Thiago>>My main motivation was to do what I love and my love for colors. The possibility of creating new things is what makes me love all this. I'm a graduate of graphic design, but I also love illustration and nowadays being a graphic designer living in a time when illustration is very valued again is great. And I'm sure most people think of me more as an illustrator.
TAXI>>Given the topic “TAXI”, what kind of graphic designs / illustrations would it inspire you to create?
Thiago>>Furry white spheres covered with yellow paint jumping around in an empty chess board like painted room.
It also comes to my mind photos of taxis from around the world put together forming a big yellow smiling face.
TAXI>>I'm sure everyone would love to see your current working space. How about showing it to us?
Thiago>>It's too messy and full of sheets of paper, drawings and pencils right now. It's very simple. It has a computer, a printer, a scanner, a laptop and some framed ads from the 1930's/1940's.
TAXI>>Okay, before we end, where would you like a TAXI to take you to now?
Thiago>>To many places around the world. But I've been to europe in 2006 and really liked it, so I'd love to live and work there if I had the chance. Plus my wife loves London.
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
The intensive use of colors in his design not only light up the dullest moments of our lives, but work as an antidote for the lifelessness and monotony of the mundane as well. This Brazilian freelance illustrator and graphic designer is wild about experimenting and continuously brings forth mind-blowing designs – a passion that we hope never fizzles.
Shaking off our yellow-black, TAXI dons a colorful outfit and sneaks into the mind space of the man who paints more colors than the rainbow can hold.
TAXI>>I would say that you are “in love” with colorful graphics. Among your print works, shades of yellow are observed to have dominated. Is there a unique reason for the frequent use of yellow in your art pieces?
Thiago>>It's not a conscious choice. I mean... there are three things I really love to see on every kind of artwork: light, colors and a vintage look (kinda 80's look). I love the look of an old sheet of paper (like old atari game manuals) and I also love white backgrounds. It has a happy feel to it. I guess that's why I use yellow and white so much. I like the way things look when immersed in light.
TAXI>>Your work tools include Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, traditional art creation and digital photography. Which is your favorite medium and why?
Thiago>>My favorite medium is traditional art. I have been drawing since I was a kid; I love Art Nouveau and Russian Constructivism and paintings like the ones by Delacroix and Mondrian always amazed me.
For me nothing can replace real paint, pencils, brushes and the organic look of everything. But I must say I've been in love with vectors lately. Specially using them to experiment with color blending and transparency. I also love photography, but I'm not a good photographer.
TAXI>>You focus on developing “efficient visual works”. What is then considered “efficient” to you and how do you go about achieving that?
Thiago>>An efficient visual work to me is a work that is fresh, simple and accomplishes its goal. I don't accept works that I think that won't look fresh and new. I mean sometimes a client comes to me and says “your work is beautiful. Please make this ad for me... but make it look like this one I saw on the internet”. I don't do that. It's simply boring. I sure need the money to pay the bills, but what makes me love my job is the fact that I'm hired to create.
If I can't create something new then what would be left for me to do? For example: people who've known my website since the beginning knows that it looks completely different from its first version and I've changed it 6 or 7 times in less than a year. I can get sick of one specific style very, very quickly and I like to keep it simple. The less I use flash the better. But most of the time clients ask me to do something in the style of one of my previous works. I don't have a problem with that.
TAXI>>Recently, you have ventured into online business selling t-shirts that you have personally designed. Other than for business purposes, how do you think this affects or improves the design industry?
Thiago>>First of all I have to say my online store is offline now. I didn't have time to set everything up so I took it offline. Answering to your question, I think making your own stuff gives you and people more freedom to choose and that encourages everyone to make new things. Products that the big corporations would never sell. So you wouldn't have to worry about seeing someone else wearing that cool hat you bought last week.
You express your thoughts and give people the chance to express theirs. And I'm not talking about philosophical theories or stuff like that. I'm talking about the simplest thoughts. For example, I made a t-shirt with Batman wearing jeans and a striped suit. When I made it I just thought “what if Batman was just a regular man who thinks he's a superhero?”. I'm sure everyone agrees with me that in the real world he wouldn't last 30 minutes.
Can you imagine Adidas putting that on a t-shirt?
TAXI>>In your website, you have a “Propaganda / Advertising” section of which there are two graphics that concern “wants” – Harley and iPod. Was it a personal desire that inspired the works and what is the main point that you wanted to bring across to the audience?
Thiago>>They're ironic ads. My intention was to talk about this “I want that over-hyped product for me” thing. Don't get me wrong. I love both the iPod and the Harley designs. I just wanted to put in adverts [sic] things that we usually think. Like “I want that thing, but I can't afford it. Damn”.
The function of an ad is to make you want something so bad that you don't even bother if you can or cannot afford it. It just makes you want to buy it. Sometimes I think it would be funny if I saw an ad of a plasma TV saying “Hey, I'm worth $5,000. What a shame you can't buy me”.
The main point is some products nowadays are almost like a religion and some people buy them because of the “coolness” status they're supposed to give.
TAXI>>Share with us the funniest experience that you have had throughout your career in the design industry.
Thiago>>Once there was this woman. She owns a clothes store and wanted to give her store an “andes” theme. Something very south american. I thought it was a great idea, but then she said she wanted a “llama” look. I then asked “what?” She said the theme should be a Llama (a typical south american animal that lives in the Andes mountains).
To sum everything up: I had to find a real llama to put in her store. But it ended up well. I got fake snow, fake indians, a real llama and I made one huge illustration of a pinkish blue sky and snowden mountains for her store walls (by the way, I wish I could work more with environment design). You can't go wrong with a llama. Can you?
TAXI>>What was your main motivation when you first started out in this industry?
Thiago>>My main motivation was to do what I love and my love for colors. The possibility of creating new things is what makes me love all this. I'm a graduate of graphic design, but I also love illustration and nowadays being a graphic designer living in a time when illustration is very valued again is great. And I'm sure most people think of me more as an illustrator.
TAXI>>Given the topic “TAXI”, what kind of graphic designs / illustrations would it inspire you to create?
Thiago>>Furry white spheres covered with yellow paint jumping around in an empty chess board like painted room.
It also comes to my mind photos of taxis from around the world put together forming a big yellow smiling face.
TAXI>>I'm sure everyone would love to see your current working space. How about showing it to us?
Thiago>>It's too messy and full of sheets of paper, drawings and pencils right now. It's very simple. It has a computer, a printer, a scanner, a laptop and some framed ads from the 1930's/1940's.
TAXI>>Okay, before we end, where would you like a TAXI to take you to now?
Thiago>>To many places around the world. But I've been to europe in 2006 and really liked it, so I'd love to live and work there if I had the chance. Plus my wife loves London.
© 2003 - 2008 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.