A thoroughbred designer: Arminda Carbonell
Arminda Carbonell is a creative who transforms design with passion, experience and futuristic vision.
In this interview, we spoke with Arminda Carbonell, the creative mind behind the corporate identity of Monapart and a leading designer with over 20 years of experience in UX/UI design and branding. We talked about her creative process, her sources of inspiration and how her home reflects her philosophy of life.
Tell us about yourself and your work. Where did your vocation come from?
I am Arminda Carbonell, designer, expert in branding, user experience and UX/UI interface design. With more than two decades in the field of design and communication, I started my studies in design when it was still a little-known discipline, long before the famous phrase "design and communication". "do you study or do you design? A teacher pointed out my talent for design, and that motivated me to pursue my studies.
When I finished my studies, I started working. I remember how you signed up on the ADG-FAD job lists and they called you the next day... I started in a small design and illustration studio, at the time of Letraset, amazing! The profession has evolved a lot in terms of technology and specialisation. I soon made the leap to advertising agencies as Art Director. In the 90s and 2000s, working in an advertising agency was exciting and intense: advertising investment budgets were very high, it was a good living, although it was difficult to see the sun and it meant leading a frenetic life. I worked for agencies such as Lorente Grupo de Comunicación, McCann Erickson or El Laboratorio, and later in digital agencies such as Herraiz&Soto and DoubleYou.
I currently run my own studio, L'estudi de l'Arminda (Arminda's studio)where I collaborate with agencies and work directly with clients, which is what I like best.
"I am currently exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence in design, investigating how it can enhance creativity and provide innovative visual solutions."
What do you find most satisfying about your work?
You have to be constantly evolving, and that is something that gives me great satisfaction, but also a certain amount of anxiety. Nowadays, it is impossible to acquire as much knowledge as you would like. Our profession is constantly changing and adapting, and keeping up to date is a challenge: every year you have to learn new ways of working. Right now, for example, I'm exploring the use of generative AI in design, investigating how it can enhance creativity and bring new visual solutions.
I am proud of the projects that work on a human level, the ones where you complement the people you work with and everything flows. Those are the projects with which life rewards you.
What is your creative process like, what are your sources of inspiration, any particular music while working?
You have to put yourself in the shoes of your audience or the audience you want to communicate to and ask yourself: Who are they? What do they want? What can I do to improve their lives? How can I get their attention? All answers must have harmony, a clear idea and a clear focus.
My sources of inspiration in design and Art Direction are the classics: Louis Danziger, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Ivan Chermayeff, Josef Müller... there are many great references, and in them lies the essence of design. Simple forms and simple ideas. As Paul Rand said: "Design is simple; that's why it's so complicated".
It depends on the day and what I'm doing, but I usually listen to music or radio in the background while I'm working.
Favourite colour, book, film and record - in that order! ;D
Very difficult to choose just one, but I'll put the first thing that comes to mind:
Is your home a reflection of who you are? Tell us what it smells like, your favourite corner, your favourite decorative object or piece of furniture, if you treasure a collection... And if you have a pet, introduce it to us!
I'm afraid so, although I'm becoming more and more minimalist. I used to accumulate a lot of books, fetish objects, design pieces, antiques and more, but after moving several times, I've been getting rid of almost everything. The truth is, it's quite liberating; you stop feeling attached. I'm giving more and more space to experiences and less and less to belongings.
Even so, I still have quite a few books and I keep some things: some posters from the 80's and 90's; a very old collection of wise pencils from the 20's, with some framed pages; joke articles I used to buy when I was a child at the Industrial Bolsera. I also have photographs by García Alix, Christine Spengler or Miguel Ángel Nalda, as well as my own designs and photos of family trips.
If you could buy anything right now and take it home, what would it be? Anything!
A hammock of a thousand colours and a huge plant for the garden.
A great plan at home always includes...
A classic film with my daughter.
Do you have a signature dish?
He always cooks at home, but when it's time to make "Escudella i carn d'olla" or a variety of salads, I'm the cook.
Where is your favourite place in your city and abroad?
My home and wandering aimlessly around Barcelona, always discovering something new.
Abroad, the Rio Dulce National Park in Guatemala, I was very impressed by the journey from Lake Izabal to Livingston. It is a river with a depth of 50m, inside a huge crevice that separates two mountains and through an impressive aquatic mangrove system, we even saw a manatee.
In places like this, the world around you becomes focused on you, and you understand that there is something higher: the planet we live on.
