He leaves it here.
I leave it here. Because I can. My father couldn’t.
His father was…
Antoni Morillas, pioneer of graphic design here, with Enric Huguet: brand design, commercial communication.
What did he contribute?
They united art and design. The first order in Morillas was for a pharmaceutical brand, in 1966: Biodramina, from Sandoz…
Brochures for doctors?
Yes. I worked alongside him. In the studio she read Kafka aloud. She illustrated Espriu’s poems in pen, which I took to the poet.
What did you learn from your father?
“Give it another spin.” She repeated it when faced with an idea or a graphic. I remember it a lot. The day my father died…
Get emotional.
That day, 40 years ago, I lost half of myself. I worked like crazy not to sink.
And you will have obtained satisfaction.
Morillas is one of the eleven best branding consulting agencies in the world, says The World Brand Design Society 2022.
What is branding?
Build a brand, with the elements – style, values ??– that make it recognizable.
What is a brand?
What you think of her. Her personality, character, image of her: a crush. As with a person, you want to be introduced to them. Graphic design is the great branding tool, beyond the logo.
And how has all this evolved in the last half century?
We experienced such an explosion that we all said: “Do you study or work?”
Nineties, it’s true.
Barcelona’s buses are still today as we designed them in 1992, for the Olympic Games.
Mention me other designs of yours.
The small bottle of Schweppes tonic. The black and gold Lays potato chip bag. Mesoestetic… too. The Osborne brand. The Jamón 5J brand, Zacapa rum…
My favorite, seriously exceptional.
Bottle, label, speech… In all brands we combine elements of science, aesthetics, medicine…
What methodology do they use?
I study each client to elucidate what they need. That’s where the creative process begins. And we wear trend tanks.
What is a trend tank?
They are annual dossiers that are prepared to anticipate what is to come in various areas, fashions. Then it will be time to convince the client.
And does the client obey the consultant?
Every change is scary, right away. The client resists. But if you make him understand that this change will make him money…
Of course, of course.
And the real truth is that not investing in design… always turns out to be expensive.
And what is the key to selling well?
The ability to convey a purpose. And it should not be mere makeup, because in the end people will always detect that.
No green makeup.
Going for the cosmetic, the costume, is the most wrong decision, in the medium term.
What trends would you say are currently coming to branding?
The phigical: the physical plus the digital. Computers will be an extension of the body. 85 people work in this agency in this line and others: my son takes the reins.
Will they use artificial intelligence?
We use it for mechanical processes, but it will always be useless to differentiate you.
What values ??will rise in branding?
Authenticity, sustainability, diversity. Any brand that aspires to work must combine these three factors.
Point out some other relevant aspect to me.
Packaging: it is important that the packaging of your product stands out among the others at the point of sale, so that the buyer tends to choose you.
I see a motto written on one of the walls of your agency…
Yes: “Create something extraordinary.” Because there are no excuses when it comes time to create: you must create something truly unique every time.
Give me an example of a creation of an “extraordinary” nature.
“I love NY” by Milton Glaser (with a red heart instead of the word love), in the 80s: how simple and synthetic! It is one of the best brandings in all of history.
Any creations of yours along that line?
Three colored lines forming a triangle and a motto: “Andorra, the country of the Pyrenees”. And that of the UAB. The one from ComRàdio…
I have lived surrounded by its marks, I see…
Ha, ha, ha… Well yes: in the supermarket, the bar, the bank, the bus… But now… I’ll leave it here!
And that’s how he titled his farewell book, with many inspiring phrases. Choose one.
“You can’t spend your entire life trying to earn it.”
