Sonia Alins

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Sonia Alins ("SA") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

SA : My artistic background consists of artists such as Picasso, Goya, the surrealist painters (Dalí, for example) and some illustrators from the 1960s. When I was 23, I completed a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Salamanca University and, after that, I completed an Illustration master’s degree at Escola Massana in Barcelona. I also have taken part in several workshops.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

SA : I always have had the need to create. There are a lot of thoughts and feelings in my mind that I need to express and, for me, the best way is expressing them through my artistic works.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

SA : Since I was a child, I always wanted to become a creator.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

SA : I usually illustrate books but I love to create great wall paintings and other large artworks.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

SA : I think that to become a great creator it’s necessary to enrich your experience as a creator with a lot of experimentation in order to find a personal and unique artistic way.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

SA : The creation of the great designer will stay forever within us.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

SA : For me, a good design has to be a proposal that combines a good concept with an innovative aesthetic form and also a high degree of functionality.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

SA : Good designs improve the world and societies. So, people have to invest in good design.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

SA : I would like to design decorative pieces or decorate walls and I would like to design for some of my favorite brands.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

SA : Creating my “Water Women” series in large sizes would be great. I’m dreaming all the time with this possibility.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

SA : My secret ingredient is being in love with life and art.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

SA : Yves Klein, Joseph Cornell, Miquel Barceló, Pablo Picasso, Barbara Morgan, Wynn Bullock, Jheronimus Bosch, among many others.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

SA : The artwork that has always been present in my life and my artistic career is The Garden of Earthly Delights of Jheronimus Bosch.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

SA : I consider the “Water Women” series my greatest artistic project because I found exactly what I was searching and that is wonderful. These artworks show, as I wanted them to, ethereal and surreal atmospheres through different levels of transparency in the form of delicate collages.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

SA : My advice is to work steadily and be non-conformist: exploring new ways is the key to improve.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

SA : Actually I don’t know… I can’t imagine myself doing anything different from being an artist.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

SA : For me, design is the ability to create works with great concepts, very beautiful and very functional.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

SA : I'm a lucky person, I have had many many people there helping me. First of all, my family and after them, some friends and teachers.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

SA : My self-confidence, my constancy and my imagination.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

SA : Creating for customers who didn’t appreciate innovation nor originality and who just wanted the same time and time again.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

SA : In a clear and understandable way, as well as ingenious.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

SA : I’m planning to experiment with a new “Water Women” series and I’m also designing some editorial projects.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

SA : To keep experimenting and to reach aesthetic conclusions that I feel proud of.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

SA : I think people expect to see more works that excite and surprise them and I hope to do it.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

SA : Design can help creating beautiful, creative and efficient environments in order to get happier people.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

SA : I'm working on new artworks related to my “Water Women” series.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

SA : My “Water Women” series without any doubt. The artworks have had a great reception and a very interesting feedback.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

SA : I would like to see more interest in creativity and innovation.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

SA : I don’t know exactly, but I think that design has to be present in all the aspects of our life.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

SA : Actually, it depends on many factors. Each artistic project needs a different timing.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

SA : I follow an intense process of documentation and immediately afterwards I begin to draw many sketches.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

SA : Keep working, I believe in inspiration, but it needs to find you working.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

SA : Great designers create new trends and, later, this trend is followed by other designers. An original idea is always the beginning.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

SA : I use a computer and a graphics tablet in my work very often and I like technology. However, I prefer to work with manual techniques.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

SA : I have a Wacom Cintiq in my studio connected to my Mac, and I also use Adobe Photoshop CC.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

SA : For me, color is an important aspect and it is able to alter the meaning of a project. The materials help you find design solutions and discover new paths. The environment also plays an essential role defining the personality of the project.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

SA : I don’t have a favorite question but I like the idea of being asked about it because that means they are interested in my project.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

SA : I think about the starting point (how and why it was created) and the whole process to arrive to the successful conclusion.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

SA : I love to work with my husband, Juanjo Barco. We have always worked as a team and the level of complicity and mutual understanding is very high. So, of course I believe in co-design.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

SA : My husband, Juanjo Barco, we both share our own studio. For me, he is a great support and a constant influence. We are a team and he makes possible the improvement of every one of my projects.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

SA : I love reading books about artists: Jheronimus Bosch, Yves Klein, Francesca Woodman, Matisse, Picasso… They had and keep having a great effect on my designs.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

SA : Working steadily and studying the great masters’ works. That’s the key for me.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

SA : I really would like to meet Francesca Woodman and talk to her.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

SA : It is very nice to receive a recognition or award for your work because you feel it has been worth the effort, that it has been rewarded.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

SA : Purple, Corfu, paella, spring, a book, Bang & Olufsen.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

SA : I don’t have a particularly funny memory in mind, but I remember with great affection every the trips that I have been able to make around the world thanks to my projects.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

SA : Working on a good project or having a great inspiring idea, these are things that motivate me a lot, of course.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

SA : When I was a child I wanted to become an artist. When you have a passion for something, it can drive you wherever you want.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

SA : Actually, changes are happening so fast nowadays that I think any prediction would fall short.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

SA : I appreciate and thank all the support from the people who are interested in my work and I invite all of them to keep in touch with me through my website, www.soniaalins.com, and also through my profiles in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.