Interview with Paolo Iarossi

Paolo Iarossi ("PI") interviewed on Tuesday, 2 June.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

PI : I studied at the Scuola Italiana di Comix in naples attending the two-year illustration course and then a concept art course that lasted two more years and a master in concept art. Two weeks after the end of the master I found a job at a company that dealt with the development of 2D graphics in my city. I worked at this company for about a year and a half, but it was not my first job, during my studies I did various jobs including development of material for Italian studies for the development of video games, a spash page for a small Italian publisher and I participated in the development of a project for a smartphone game and in a motion comic commissioned to us through a school professor in the role of art director. Now I quit my job at the company I worked for to start my freelance career, I deal with 2d illustrations of character design and 2d animation on commission for video games, board games and book covers.

How did you become a designer?

PI : I mainly work as an illustrator and concept artist, and I definitely got closer to this world for my passion for video games, board games and illustrated books. Art has fascinated me since I was a child, both classic and more modern, in fact I loved going to museums to see statues and paintings and still when I need to be with myself a bit I go around museums alone as if I were looking for some answer to questions I don't know. My passion for art has turned into passion in practicing drawing and painting that until a certain age I practiced only as a personal passion. I found myself then in a very strange period of my life where when I was 19 years old, in which I seemed to have no direction, I finally left the university and decided to follow my passion for drawing, with many difficulties, I I found with fellow students who were far ahead of me studying for many years. During my studies then I discovered that the thing that I was most passionate about drawing was giving a new shape to things by following my imagination and I think it was that joy that I feel when I express my imagination that led me to choose to become a concept artist. However if I think back to the past I can't say if I chose the design or if it is the design that chose me.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

PI : I work in digital, I mainly use photoshop as software and as a tool a cintiq 13, however I always try to bring the procedures of the classic and manual drawing into my work. When I approach a new project I start with a very sketchy study for two reasons, the first is that in the initial phase it is better not to take as long as most of the drawings will be discarded and the second because drawing sketched gives me the opportunity to explore more ideas and stimulate the imagination more.When I work I always try to communicate a feeling, so I reflect a lot on the background of the character or the environment trying to get into the emotional state that I would like to convey.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

PI : the design phase is very exciting, it usually makes me enthusiastic, especially the initial phase where we proceed with the drafts and the ideas begin to take shape. it is as if I were about to know something new and the curiosity for the result is very high, in fact I express myself much better in this phase where I am free to come up with ideas and have fun with the concepts compared to the final realization phase that I see more as a technical question. Ultimately I think the most interesting part of the job is the initial draft where you are really creative.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

PI : Surely one of the characteristics that helped me was my resilience, it is a job that is basically made up of obstacles to overcome and in some moments it can be a little frustrating, I also believe that my ability to solve problems has helped me a lot together the fact that I don't want to be satisfied and always try to raise the level a bit. many of these characteristics have gone to support my learning and working phase helping me to assimilate a lot from the artists I respect and from my teachers, in fact they are the ones who have influenced me the most, artists like Andrea scoppetta, Barbara ciardo and Mario theodosio who they taught me not only to be a better artist but to overcome obstacles using my tenacity.this has helped me a lot in my path which up to now has been very exciting although full of obstacles to overcome, I don't think I have yet found my ideal dimension to fully express myself, I am looking for a context or a job that allows me to express my ideas in full rather than being employed only as a performer.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

PI : My growth path has been very intense and tiring, I have been able to recover many years compared to my fellow students, so I had to work a lot more and this was stressful at certain times. However, this allowed me to get to know myself better and to understand my potential both as an artist and as a person and surely this recognition of the A design award is a result of that period. I have many plans and hopes for the future, I recently left a job in a studio because I felt I didn't have the opportunity to express myself fully and I started my freelance career, at the moment I work as an illustrator for several clients, some also in the 'videogame field, but I hope to be able to work also in the publishing sector as a cover artist and as a designer and illustrator for board games. I have many projects in the pipeline, a board game and a video game for which I am definitely assembling a team. I think I can give my best in the initial design phase of a concept, so I would like to have the opportunity to work in that phase of a project with some animation and video game development companies, and maybe to be able to work in the role of art director.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

PI : I faced various obstacles during my studies and work, both practical and work related to the choices I made, one of these was the isolation in which I often closed myself to devote myself body and soul to crativity what which often caused me many relational problems too. For this reason the advice I feel I can give to those who have just started is to be ambitious to always give the best but not to aim for perfection, perfection does not exist and if it existed it would be boring, the most important thing is to combine a good result fun while working, it is very important in this job, our job is full of our emotions, so give your best but do not obsess with the competition, take care of your work, commit yourself and have fun, and never forget to nurture your affections, they are the most important thing, you need to build a welcoming environment to be creative.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

PI : I think the best advice I can give to other artists is not to focus on looking too much like their reference points. The artists we are inspired by are fundamental but you have to get away from it at some point to develop your own personality, and experiment. Experimentation is essential for me, to get out of the comfort zone and not limit yourself to what you think is your own style.

What is your day to day look like?

PI : The first thing I do in the morning in addition to organizing the work and responding to customer emails is to go and look at the drawings that my reference artists have published, often when I feel stuck or bored it is right in the galleries of my favorite artists that I find refuge and new stimuli, to face also new technical experiments and new approaches. Surely the thing that makes me more enthusiastic in a day of work is when I have a job or a commission on which I know I can freely express myself.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

PI : Observing market trends is very important, whether you decide to align your style or decide to observe them only in part, for this reason it is important to observe the other artists and the products that companies publish. As far as I am concerned I always keep an eye on trends without homologating, I try to understand how to insert them in my work but I am not interested in working according to the fashion of the moment to find work more easily, I think an artist must always be updated on the trend of moment but must develop it according to its own vision without limiting itself. I try to take the elements that I like and insert them in my work but the artistic research is by definition also something that detaches itself from the fashion of the moment so to stay in a working context in my opinion you need to find a balance between market fashion and personal research.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

PI : As a concept artist and illustrator my artistic skills must support some practical needs of the job and the market. A job well done is as regards what is beautiful to look at but also functional for the purpose, we could make the most beautiful design ever seen but if it does not work and cannot be finalized it is a job that serves no purpose. The most common mistake I see is seeking too much perfection in the details rather than the vision of the whole, without the vision of the whole we tend to fill up with details to give strength to the design but in reality if a work is not conceived correctly in the its entirety will be only weak and confusing.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

PI : When I work I don't try to create a successful job, I have a commission I have to do it to the best of my ability based on the time and costs of the project and these are two fundamental factors to keep in mind when planning a job. I have a tendency to always try to improve a product and I never feel fully satisfied, for this reason I try to set deadlines to complete a job, there are jobs that often need a final touch up, others don't, simply to me a design is ready when it is both aesthetically beautiful and functional for the purpose for which it was created and credible.

What is your biggest design work?

PI : Certainly the "orfeo e euridice" project is one of my works of which I am most proud, not only for the final result but also for the design phase and for what I learned while developing it, it gave me the opportunity to experiment with new shapes and a new work approach that allowed me to take a step forward. I realized it as an experiment during my training master in concept art and the challenge was to propose a classic myth in a new more modern perspective by modifying the story to adapt it to the new context. This has required me a lot of work and study on all the characters both in the design phase and in the creation of technical material for the development of the characters and the final illustrations. Lately having recently started the work of the freelance I am taking advantage of the time between a commission and the other to devote myself to personal illustrations that recall classical painting clearly in a modern key in a fantasy imagery, a new challenge.

Who is your favourite designer?

PI : I have many artistic landmarks, for classical painting my favorite artists are Caravaggio and Van Gog for painting and Bernini for sculptures. The modern ones are many, Antony Ones, Ruan Jia, Mike Azevedo, Raphael La Coste, Thoot Wu, Antonio De Luca, they are all great artists who have achieved great results in their careers and who have taught me a lot with their works.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

PI : I live in naples which besides being the city where I was born is also my favorite city, the cultural heritage preserved in this city has certainly inspired me in my journey. Music is part of my creative process helping me to relax on certain occasions, however I don't like working with music in the initial design phase because I prefer to be silent. I am currently working on commissions of private customers as an illustrator and for a company as an illustrator and animator for 2d video games. Design certainly influences the quality of life, both from an aesthetic and functional point of view, as we said before, good design is something that not only gives you visual pleasure, it must be a beauty aimed at the practicality of the product.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

PI : Currently I work alone as a freelance, or with some partners, I have also worked in a team both as a team member and as art director. I don't know how easy it is to work with me, I am a person who always tries to create a good product, I am not discouraged and I tend to solve problems in the least expensive way possible, but I am also very demanding with me and with others, in fact I prefer I usually work with people who have a great imagination and desire to do, people who can stimulate the creative process even more.I currently deal with illustrations for individuals and the production of characters, assets, backgrounds and animations for companies that I have as customers. and my task is not only to produce the necessary material but to make sure that everything is done in such a way as to facilitate the work of the programmers who will have to assemble the job.I think this job is full of challenges and moments of crisis to overcome therefore I think the best skill you can have is not so much the technical ability but the ability to solve problems quickly in a functional way at work and respect for the initial idea.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

PI : I have participated in the past in cultural events in which I exhibited my works, certainly an artist for a long time in society, not necessarily participating in public events pro bono, I think the value of what an artist from society is in the work he does every day enriching everyone's visual culture and I think this is something that will be supported mainly based on my experience.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

PI : It was exciting to participate in this design competition both personally and professionally. It is important to use these opportunities as a test to understand if you are proceeding on the right path and to show your work. Surely whether you win or not there are various advantages including visibility and a recognition of quality in being selected. Being the Design of the day is certainly a great satisfaction, this experience confirms that I have to continue on this path.

Paolo Iarossi Profile