El silencio perfecto
'El silencio perfecto' is an experimental dance-theater piece created by the immensely talented actress Patricia Ortiz. Once this ambitious production finally hit the big stage at the prestigious Centro Cultural del Bosque (a theater complex in Mexico City), that's when Patricia once again summoned me to work on the designs featured below.
These are the fastest drafts I have ever worked on: about an hour for both designs (the third one came later). The fact that I was involved in the show in a variety of ways from its early stages until its full production almost 3 years later has a lot to do with that.
Street signage
Negro de humo
An award-winning solo show written and performed by the gifted actor and playwright Fernando Bueno. There were many stagings and believe I worked on the graphics for all of them. Most of the designs featured below are from the staging at La Capilla Teatro in Mexico City.
It was great to be able to work in B&W and shadows, elements that the majority of theater productions in America avoid in their promotional campaigns. The lack of color works not only to denote the dire situation the character finds himself in, but also because the of polarized reality of our social inequity and the shadows somehow reflect the inner workings in the recesses of his mind.
PHOTOS BY PATRICIA ORTIZ.
Main poster
Foldable program
Social media campaign for 'Negro de humo'
Los idiotas
A wonderful Beckett-inspired play by Carlos Liscano and featuring the great Daniel Bretón which deals with the inherent human contradictions of moving while staying in place - and our perceptions of both states.
For the designs, we took to the streets of Mexico City with Patricia Ortiz as the photographer. This is a good example of how I approach design when the overall composition of the photo tells most of the story, and the design needs to add signifiers that will compliment the image, without being in the way.
One of the drafts features a different font. That was a conscious decision.
Main design for the show
Social Media Campaign
PHOTOS BY PATRICIA ORTIZ
Bisagra Teatro
A case study
Fernando Bueno rented a decrepit big space with two malfunctioning bathrooms in the heart of Pachuca, Mexico. In record time, and with the invaluable help of Daniel Bretón, they turned it into a full-blown theatre. After hundreds of hours of work, and countless YouTube videos watched on how to do everything from welding to setting up an electrical grid, the space was finished.
So when Fernando asked me to develop an identity for the space, I knew it had to reflect the grit that it took to get it done, and that it should convey the unpretentious, accessible kind of community-building theater that kind of space called for.
The logo
Bisagra means hinge in Spanish. It connotes connection and articulation. It does not mean to 'depend on' something as it's sometimes used in English.
Each of these drafts focuses on a different aspect of the space:
The first one stresses the use of a perspective, with its ideological connotation, and the 3 dimensional experience you only get in a live performance.
The second one focuses on the act of watching theater in a dark space, where hinge works as a way to connect with the audience.
The third one is a deconstruction of a hinge, signifying the collaborative nature of the theater in general, and of this space in particular.
Final version of the logo
The final version was based on the first draft. I worked on improving its execution by incorporating ideas from the other two.
B&W
Full Color
On the marquee outside the theatre
Color palette & fonts
The color palette that was based on the building and a mural featured in the theatre's garden. For the fonts, we went for Oswald for the title font, and Podkova as our paragraph typeface. Oswald has a great in-your-face simplicity that reminds me of a newspaper headline; and Podkova has a construction beam feel in its serifs that was well suited for this kind of space.
Brochure
To introduce the theatre to the community and to call for submissions, we created this brochure.
Fernando Bueno & Daniel Bretón during a cleaning break at Bisagra Teatro.
Other notable shows
