Veerle's blog

Our always extending journey in finding good talent out there is taking us to Canada this time.

Hi There! My name is Mauro C. Ramalho, I had my first contact with advertising while working in a design studio located in São Paulo, Brazil, where I designed print and other offline material for various local accounts. In 1998, I expanded my design knowledge and experience by moving to an interactive agency, where learned the art of designing for online media. By mid-2001, I was hired as designer by Lumina, where I worked for clients such as: Kinder Ovo, Telefonica (worldwide telecom company), Brasil Telecom, and DHL. Two years later, in 2003, I joined AgenciaClick, the biggest Internet agency in Brazil as an Art Director. My focus was interactive media for clients such as Coca-Cola, Fiat, MSN, Multibras (Whirpool), WWF, C&A (leading fashion retail), Credicard, and Embraer, among others.

In 2005, I transferred to McCann Erickson, where I worked for clients like General Motors (Chevrolet), Xbox 360, Siemens, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, Mastercard, American Airlines, Kibon, TIM (largest telecom company), Sprite (Coca-Cola Company), and Kuat (Coca-Cola Company).

Last year, I made the trek north to Toronto, Canada, for my current position as a Senior Art Director. My current responsibilities include leading the design direction on high-profile projects from ideation through launch, for Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Geek Squad, and many others.

Mauro's work is perfect for the advertising world with its burn effects and elegant colorful shapes. His designs are like the perfect good-looking wrappers, which make product very appealing in a hip and flashy way. I especially like the work he's done for Jeep, very stylish.

Do you first sketch your illustrations on paper? Can you reveal a bit of your usual technical process? Which applications do you mainly use?

It all begins with an idea. I feel that at first, no ideas are bad ideas, so I like to put all of the options on paper before I begin to even think about designing anything. Then I choose the best techniques that will express those ideas and begin to work on the composition. Most of the time I start in Illustrator and I finish it in Photoshop. To be honest, I usually end up starting about 10 times in Illustrator and finish more than 20 in Photoshop ;)

How do you come up with the ornaments you regularly use in your work?

Using my XBOX 360 project as an example, I can say that all of my “ornaments” came from deep within my imagination. You have to get beyond the expected, and really think about new ways of approaching every little thing you do. For each project I like to try and come up with a new unexpected technique, to push the boundaries and move beyond my familiar comfort zone. That is how good ideas can become great executions: When everything comes together, including different color palettes, typographical exploration, etc. It’s all about trying something new, and more importantly, having fun.

Do clients give you complete carte blanche in your work?

I'm not sure there is such a thing as a client who gives complete carte blanche in any aspect of our work. But, it’s all about trust. I feel that it is a designers’ job to build trust with their clients by always delivering good work so that over time you can earn the freedom and respect to not just deliver the expected, but to surprise them with new and interesting solutions.

Did the Internet influence your work?

Yes, it did! The Internet literally opens up a world of new ideas and new thinking, and most importantly, more ways of sharing those ideas with people you would never had been exposed to before. It’s a big, new collaborative space to play in, and that community aspect has influenced the real world as much as the online world as we know it. Billboards, games, mobile, video, and so much more has become interactive in ways we could not have even imagined just a few years ago.

What interests you most in an illustration?

What attracts me the most to good illustration (and design) is how effective it can be at connecting with people and influencing their lives in different ways. I like how design allows people to stop and think, whether I’m working on building a brand, or introducing a consumer to a new product. It’s all about the relationship between the art and the audience--and it takes very effective designs and illustrations to effectively break through the clutter and connect with an audience.

More examples at Mauro's website.