With a little over a month to go before 2018 Loeries Creative Week begins, media update caught up with design category jury president Sebastian Padila.
media update’s Aisling McCarthy chatted to Padila about his start in design, the
2018 Loeries Awards and the importance of diversity in creative industries.
The
Loeries has always been more than ‘just an awards show’, and is now gearing up for its 40th edition of the biggest creative awards show in Africa and the Middle East. The
Awards aim to inspire creativity and push the standard of creative work across both regions.
Having never visited South Africa before, Padila’s maiden voyage to the
Loeries will see him serve as jury president of the
Design category.
Humble beginnings in design
The
Design category is the perfect fit for Padila, who has a passion for both architecture and design. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, his decision to work in the creative arts was almost inevitable with a prominent architect for a father.
Despite his father’s architectural influence, Padila chose to pursue graphic design at Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM). This decision was based on his thought that graphic design is the most noble branch of design, and would allow him to easily seek out other disciplines should he want to.
After graduating from UDEM, he spent a year working at an advertising agency in Monterrey. In 2008, Padila, along with Mike Herrera and Gustavo Muñoz, created Anagrama in 2008, where they worked out of a tiny bedroom in Muñoz’s house.
Today, Anagrama has offices in both Monterrey and Mexico City, and has a staff of over 30 designers, architects, programmers and software engineers. The firm has produced work in over 40 countries across the world and has an impressive client list including brands like Armani and Nike, as well as singer Rihanna.
Looking ahead to the Loeries 2018
With just over a month to go before
Creative Week begins, Padila says he is excited to be part of the
Awards. He says that he is most excited “to be able to meet people from different parts of the world and from different creative realms”.
Diversity within the creative industry is vital to telling stories that are culturally relevant to various audiences. Without a diverse range of cultures and points of view, it is impossible to tell emphatic and nuanced stories.
The diversity within the
Loeries jury presidents alone, with Padila from Mexico, Fabian Frese from Germany and Nicolas Courant from Singapore, will undoubtedly make the
2018 Creative Week one for the books.
Padila says that it is “extremely important” for creative agencies to invest in staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, particularly if they want to create stand-out work.
“A different mix of ingredients is what makes anything interesting.”
The 2018 Loeries Awards is set to be the most exciting to date. Find out more about the Awards in our article, #Loeries2018: 40 years young and just getting started.