Interviews with The Reset Co.

We are about to celebrate 10 years as a design studio. Our clients range from small entrepreneurs to transnational corporations. We have worked for CEMEX, FEMSA, OXXO, SAGARPA, local brands such as Trick and Treats, Inkplant, DATAQ.

International projects in the U.S. Beauty Done Right (BDR), Photo Finish (By Modern); in the educational field with EGADE, Instituto Cumbres, Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Universidad de Monterrey.

In the health area, we have worked with private doctors such as José de Jesús Iñiguez Flores (Endocrinologist), Victor Melendez (Plastic Surgeon), and Laboratory of Pathology and Molecular Genetics (PGM).

It was always a challenge since the approach I had since I was little was very ordered, perhaps I saw it very far from design and closer to architecture. Also over time, I learned that every day the design changes and we have to adapt to it.

1_ The first step of our philosophy is to focus on the needs of our clients, always giving priority to solving and improving people's lives. 2_ Investigate thoroughly to fully understand the problems of the projects. 3_ Work to develop a solid concept that allows to differentiate the project from its direct competition. After having our concept, the graphic development part is the most fun stage. We create everything from scratch. We work with fellow photographers who help us develop our portfolio material.

Whenever we start a project we think that it fits our interests as a team. The most beautiful part of the projects is the process for creating the concepts. It is where we work in depth to generate creative ideas trying to surprise the target with our solutions. When we create the same conceptual line and find a way to join all the pieces of our puzzle and see the result working, it is the moment where we crown the work of the whole process.

The design phenomenon in my locality

2019 for us was a momentous year, we considered growth through having more exposure. With the pandemic, we have been working remotely on all our projects and as soon as the situation stabilizes, we will resume our growth objectives. We have already remodeled our entire workspace to make it more comfortable to work. Now our focus for 2021 is to increase our reach.

We are about to design several product packaging projects that we do not want to reveal at the moment. We are very excited.

Do not stop learning, do not believe everything you think and above all never give up, insisting with the things that are set as objectives is always what results in achieving it.

Research and conceptualization. A strong belief, is that all good design has a solid base in research and a conceptualization that unfolds from it. Research and references will make designs stand out from predictable results and take them to the next level. Something we never do when starting to develop a project is to go directly to the search for references. We don´t seek projects on the same type of product or service that we have.

In this way, we avoid contaminating our minds by taking ideas from other projects and we avoid having similarities in the graphic elements. The goal of solving design projects is to customize them and create differences to make them unique.

Coffee is always the kick off of the day, starting the morning with a hot drink is always a good argument to activate the mind. We practically live in the studio and we also teach graphic design students at the University. In the morning some days I go to the university to give a workshop and then I continue the dynamics in the study. Every day we have them busy in the projects we work on. We never let there be times without activities. In this way, our planning allows us to keep our minds busy.

We do not seek to follow a trend, we try to create particular approaches for each type of client. Perhaps a trend for us is innovation in the methodologies we apply and to be disruptive when designing.

Our goal is to be timeless, we do not seek to stand out for doing fashion design because it is not transcendent.

The design should focus on the target, not on whether I like it or not. This is a discipline of perception and everyone has a particular opinion of what is presented to them. This is why we mention so much the importance of functionality. Style should focus on the brief and the client's needs.

You just know it, when you have nothing to remove or add to design it is that you realize that it is ready to make itself known. Our general objective is our goal, however, as we meet smaller concrete objectives we can move forward with confidence.

We can say that our most challenging project in these almost ten years has been the design and communication campaign of the University of Monterrey this year 2020. This project is special for us because it has challenged us in many aspects to achieving the objectives. For being a recognized and diverse University, finding solutions to communicate to so many people has been our greatest challenge. Working with other creative professionals with a common goal has generated great learning. And then managing responsibility for such a huge reach has also shown us that we are ready to grow into the future.

We cannot define a favorite designer, we cannot see them as rockstars or a food dish. However, there is a list of names that have marked us as designers, and that have marked times since they have dared to go further. A good example is Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris who has been one of the most influential architects and designers of the 20th century. Walter Gropius who with his philosophy revolutionized the Bauhaus school and opened the way for the evolution of design and architecture. Lance Wyman who has created the starting point for the overall design. In our times there are many characters who follow this type of trends, such as Catalan designers such as Albert Folch and Alex Trochut.

Erika and I have always been influenced by elements that allow us to relax and clear our minds. Music is an example of these activities that we implement since it allows us to create a suitable environment to work creatively. We like working in spaces without walls where we have freedom of movement and constant exchange of ideas. Over time we have adapted elements such as plants that improve the environment and furniture that gives comfort as well as all the necessary tools to work on our ideas.

We love working between manual and digital disciplines to create a balance in our processes. All the elements and objects that stimulate our senses are our raw material for ideas. Touching the textures of papers and finishes, listening to new artists, traveling, and knowing the "B" side of each chosen spot. Eating and talking with people who have different ideas from ours are things that enrich them every day.

We do not start to develop the visual part of projects until we have a strong developed concept, that way we do not distract ourselves with visual references that have no foundation.

We believe strongly about co-design, our design studio is collaborative since we are currently 6 designers and we all share ideas and compliment the work we make.

We are involved in education, being teachers of the design career is for us the best example of giving back to our environment. Teach our students to be ethical and seek to improve their particular environment.

This connection with the university allows us to focus on the real social problems that we live in and to look for how to implement improvements to live in much healthier environments. In the workplace, we also develop projects that have sustainable approaches and seek to improve the lives of people or their target.

The prestige for having been selected from among many participants and countries that competed.

The book focuses mainly on essays of graphic designers in which they talk about their ideas and craft. The main inspiration for this design was the creative processes that graphic designers themselves follow to solve communication problems. We got inspiration from the way they simplify and synthesize complex messages into visual form so we developed an iconographic system that would, likewise, communicate the complex ideas discussed through immediate representative icons.

Being this a theoretical document, our main focus designing this work was to organize the texts in a a compelling way which would make the reading lighter and dynamic. We wanted the text to be the protagonist and we achieved it through typographical selections and composition to highlight the most important takeaways.

The first thing we want with this award is to wear it, for us it is a pride to participate in this type of contest and to have won. Showing that we have won is an achievement that pushes us to do better in each project. Participating in the following editions is something that we highly consider.

This project was developed in approximately 5 months since we had to adapt to the content configuration times.

The concept was created to summarize this theoretical and information-packed book, with elements that are very easy to interpret such as icons. This design was commissioned by Universidad de Monterrey as they were publishing this book in an upcoming local book fair.

The design was sold to Universidad de Monterrey.

Our agency is characterized by a profound love for editorial design and the detailed and silent craft of setting text. This project was an opportunity to keep doing what we enjoy and at the same time it brought its own challenges we were excited to solve, specially touching on a topic we’re passionate about: graphic design.

We have always admired the work of colleagues trying to break the status quo while respecting the technicalities of function and form, such as folch studio

It is focused on designers, teachers, and students who live the educational environment day by day. It is a specialized book for professionals who understand academic issues and the design approach.

What makes this design special is making the most with the least. The brief of this project came with its own restrictions, and in this case we were limited in terms of color. However we managed to achieve a simple and interesting aesthetic through our conceptual and typographic choices, thus reinforcing one of the bases of graphic design itself: less is more.

The name Texts from Graphics was given to us and it is quite direct and descriptive as it is intended to be a theoretical document for consultation purposes.

We used InDesign, Illustrator, paper and pencil.

The custom iconographic system we developed and how it unfolds throughout the book, creating a new layer of visual communication.

We worked for hand in hand with the content writing team of the University of Monterrey, it was the team that contacted us to participate in this project. The team was comprised of University academics, design professionals, and administrative staff.We also work with Karina Zertuche, who photographed the book and has collaborated with us on many of our projects.

In this particular design we utilized technology as a tool to develop the design in our respective programs, but as well to assure optimal reading experiences for the user.

The research is based on the opinions of graphic design teachers who, through essays, provide a project that guides students for professional improvement. We also interview design students as end-users to understand them and develop the concept of the book.

The budget was the most obvious limitation, as we faced several challenges. On the one hand, we had to develop a book for designers that was quite attractive to read, and on the other hand, we had to find a way to summarize these essays with graphic elements that would make the reading much more digestible. For a production with these characteristics, a colorful book is expected as well as functional.

The challenge that the development of this book represented to us and the result that it had, when exposed at the 2018 book fair, was what motivated us to submit it to the competition. We believe that showing how we found the solution for the customer should be counted and shown to more people.

We learned again about how the materials for the production of the book, despite being economical, stand out through the design and implementation of the concept developed and the finishes implemented. He challenged us at all times and all the objectives set were met.

Something to highlight is the design of the index since we look for a way to get away from the conventional to highlight the name of the teachers and the name of their essays. In this way, we build a different dynamic in the development of this theoretical book in which the protagonists are the same teachers.

Our philosophy is based on the development of concepts. For us, form and functionality cannot exist independently if the goal is to solve communication problems.

We became designers because it was a challenge. Design challenges you everyday and it requires you to be so many things: from dealing with clients, creating and maintaining brands, making them effective. We've realized that since we're in this discipline our heads are constantly busy and spinning around, its a personal challenge that you face everyday. And one of the biggest challenges of Graphic Design is that it requires you to connect with the human side of projects.

We both chose to become designers and pursue our careers further than a bachelors degree, which is why we studied a graphic design master's degree at Barcelona, where we met.

Our specialty as a studio is branding and editorial design. However, we work in constant experimentation to create different formulas in each project and adapting solutions from different approaches. Recently we've been expanding our work into the fields of publicity and communication strategies which was really exciting, and we look forward to keep expanding into that direction.

Research and conceptualization. A strong belief in Reset Co. is that all good design has a solid base in research and a conceptualization that unfolds from it. Research and references will make designs stand out from predictable results and take them to the next level.

The ability to question yourself with each new project that comes.

Good design solves the client's problems, it is functional and the form follows that function.

The value of good design is ubiquitous: it's in everything that sorrounds us. We think the value of good design is to be able to better peoples lives by beautifying the communication around them. Investing in good design means investing in better, thoughtful ways of living that everyone would benefit from.

We would like to design and implement solutions for a Center Pompidou exhibition, from the conceptual elements, the museography, the user experience, the identity of the event, and all the peripherals that improve the environment.

In terms of packaging we really want to design a wine bottle. A magazine that allows us more creative liberties and experimental design. And for branding we want to have more projects that create a user experience going further that just a brand and covering communication, strategy and publicity.

We work with different methodologies and design strong concepts that are based on research. We do not start to develop the visual part of projects until we have a strong developed concept, that way we do not distract ourselves with visual references that have no foundation.

We are really inspired by the fundamentals of design. Starting with Russian Constructivism, Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Lance Wyman and Massimo Vignelli. We are also really inspired by the Catalan school of design in which the most important idea is that form follows function. The list can go on and on, but these are a few to mention that have formed us visually.

Elephant Magazine by Folch Studio, Nicollet by Pentagram, All of the projects from Stranger & Stranger. What all these projects have in common is how they dare to do different things, always experimenting and innovating.

We don't have a favorite project, however, for now, we can say that our most challenging project in these almost ten years has been the design and communication campaign of the University of Monterrey this year 2020.

The objective of the 2020 campaign was to create a communication approach for the target, generation Z, since this is not identified with the old communication efforts that sought to attract other types of public. We develop all the messages, the concept, and the focus of the campaign, the styling design, to achieve a complex system.

Enjoying themselves outside of design! Living their life and hobbies with the eyes of an artist, looking for inspiration in other places and then bringing that back into your work.

Erika would have become an architect. As of me (Julián) I always knew I wanted to be a designer, but I would have become a musician.

The design for us defined in one word is "opportunities", to improve people's lives through beautiful communication speeches.

For both of us our families have been our biggest supporter. Personally my parents and sibilings, and for Erika specifically her father.

Discipline, working hard and restlessly. Never being still, always moving and facing challenges as they come.

Years ago when we first started there wasn't such a boom of design in Mexico and there wasn't really a wide offer regarding design jobs or learning programs. That's why we had to make this extra effort to go study abroad looking for something we didn't have in our hometown.

With thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Sometimes the energy curve of creating a project collapses when we get to the end result, but presenting our work, wether it be on behance, show rooms, presentations, requires lots of attention to detail that communicates what we've been talking about since the beginning: excellence in every step of the process.

We want to grow in an organic way and create different departments within our studio to professionalize each discipline. We already specialize in branding, packaging and editorial. In the future we want to have an animation and motion graphics department and a team for strategy and communication. We want to have the opportunity to create our own department of innovation where we are constantly exploring.

Growing and reaching an international exposure.

They expect functional, high quality work with deep concepts and attention to detail that solves visual communication problems through an elevated user experience.

Design solves really punctual human problems through functional and beautiful solutions that follow this function. Design betters our environment in a beautiful functional way.

We are currently still working with the communication campaign we designed for University of Monterrey but we are now applying it into all the events and institutional documents in which it bleeds to, and it is really exciting to see how all this work we made is getting applied and coming to life into the University.

Projects that allow creative freedom and where our clients have the responsibility to actually implement the design in the way we recommend them.

Specially in the times we're living right now in this pandemic, we really look forward to see how the design industry in the future can create solutions for these problems, even maybe creating virtual jobs, or design solutions that go out of aesthetic results. We look forward to a design industry that moldes into the new realities we will be living in the next decade.

We think it's really interesting how design is now expanding into fields of speculation, designing for urgency, apocaliptic approaches, etc. We think in the future the design field will move into actually turning theses speculations into realities.

It depends on the project. Each design project has its own brief, complexity and timeline, so we adapt ourselves to it.

A brief that let us know the specifics of the project, defining deliverables and setting a time frame and work plan. the brief and investigation gives you the tools to solve it.

The concepts are the basis that guides our design process and the analysis of each case. To build solutions, we review the guidelines and present custom strategies. The exchange of opinions is the key to the generation of ideas, innovation, and growth.

Design sets the trends.

Technology is the tool that allows us to speed our design processes and achieve results with meticulous attention to detail.

We work with all Adobe design programs, since they are our main tool, however we focus our solutions a lot on adapting manual tools and then integrating them into digital media.

They really do play a pretty important role in design, varying in its different fields of course. In our field of graphic design color plays a crucial part in out projects and it is one of the first tools we use uplift old designs or create systems. As of materials, they often come to be part of the last parts of the process for example in editorial or in stationery by deciding the weight or finishes these products will include. Even if materials become one of the last decisions to be made it does always follow along the lines of our investigation and concepts. From the type down to the weight of the paper you choose, every decision communicates.

We love being asked about our inspirations and concepts. Most times when people outside and inside design see creative work they like it because of the aesthetic part, but once we get to share our process and the rationale behind it people can really understand where it all comes from and it becomes way more interesting and powerful.

"I love that, How did I not think about that?"

We believe strongly about co-design, our design studio is collaborative since we are currently 6 designers and we all share ideas and compliment the work we make.

As design teachers we are always interacting with students and being nourished by their ideas. Being faculty members is something that maintains us constantly actualized, knowledgeable and more open.

For me (Julián) "The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes" by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson and "Veintidos consejos sobre tipografía" by Enric Jardi. For Erika many methodology books like Ellen Lupton's but also psychological methodologies that allow a deeper understanding of the client and encourage thinking differently.

Following our design methodologies, reading, researching, questioning our clients and innovating.

Julián: Joseph Guardiola and Jorge Valdano. Erika: Any female designer from Bauhaus and Lans Wyman.

It takes a lot of work. There is a lot of great work out there and getting noticed and it is definitely something that takes time, effort, and putting yourself out there. We had struggled to get our work noticed but with this design award we're sure there are many more to come.

For me (Julián) my favorite color is blue, favorite food is meat, favorite season is spring, favorite place is London, favorite things are plants and my favorite brand is Nike. For Erika, favorite color is yellow, favorite season: summer, favorite place: Barcelona, favorite food: meat, favorite thing: pijamas and favorite brand: Ted Baker.

One funny thing that happened to the studio as designers was when we visited a client in the United States and drove all the way to Houston, Tx. All of our journey was filled with unexpected tragedies that are really funny to look back. We arrived to the place and our driver had a low sugar so his driving was all over the place, out hotel room didn't have a bathroom, it got late for us to leave because we were enjoying our meal so we had to wander around town looking for another hotel to stay the night in. Finally, when we were driving back to our hometown a terrible storm hit and there was a lot of rain, thunder and lightning hitting the pavement while we were driving. It was really an adventure.

Challenging projects are what most keep us motivated to create. We love analyzing them, identifying their needs and adapting to them. Projects that make new questions make our days great. We also understand and aboard design projects with a human approach.

For me (Julián) it was very clear, but as we mentioned earlier Erika was going to be an architect.

We believe that technology will dilute the human part and perhaps we will not understand life as it is known today.

Never let anybody tell you you cannot do something, because you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Always dare to achieve your goals.

We are about to celebrate 10 years as a design studio. Our philosophy is based on the development of concepts. For us, form and functionality cannot exist independently if the goal is to solve communication problems. We always had a creative approach and we always knew that graphic design would be our goal.

We are a team with a multidisciplinary approach, our study seeks the solution and consulting of design problems where our specialty is branding and editorial design. However, we work in constant experimentation to create different formulas in each project and adapting solutions from different approaches.

The design for us defined in one word is "opportunities", to improve people's lives through beautiful communication speeches. The design serves to beautify our environment.

As we mentioned before, we specialize in brand design and in the construction of editorial structures to improve the way information is presented to a user. However we love the development of infographics, audiovisual animations and building communication strategies.

We don't have a favorite project, however, for now, we can say that our most challenging project in these almost ten years has been the design and communication campaign of the University of Monterrey this year 2020.

The objective of the 2020 campaign was to create a communication approach for the target, generation Z, since this is not identified with the old communication efforts that sought to attract other types of public. We develop all the messages, the concept, and the focus of the campaign, the styling design, to achieve a complex system.

The first project that we developed nine and a half years ago was "Coordinates for Living" for the multinational "FEMSA", which included various graphic elements for branding, in addition to an iconographic system and a coffee table book. The objective of the project was to give identity to a social program focused on regenerating the social fabric of Mexican youth, at a time when the insecurity and violence of the Mexican cartels led a large section of youth to commit crimes.

We work with all Adobe design programs, since they are our main tool, however we focus our solutions a lot on adapting manual tools and then integrating them into digital media.

The projects that challenge us are the ones that most motivate us to create. No matter where or when they are presented to us, we seek to adapt to each one. Furthermore, creativity is a practice that works and is not born from moments of inspiration.

We strongly believe in the importance of research and the implementation of methodologies that generate creativity and allow us to be disruptive.

We can define them as illusion and exciting

We always talk about how glamorous the results can be, however the process to achieve the objectives of each project is what drives us to continue learning.

Design is successful when it solves a client's problems, when they are fulfilling a function and also improve the environment.

The design should focus on the target, not on whether I like it or not. This is a discipline of perception and everyone has a particular opinion of what is presented to them. This is why we mention so much the importance of functionality. Style should focus on the brief and the client's needs.

We have the responsibility to help our society to constantly educate and inform itself, to improve our environment and our possibilities and in this way to improve the lives of more people.

Design is what makes any activity different. Creative disciplines are constantly growing from Russian constructivism and BAUHAUS. Design together with technology and innovation is changing in a very short time, life as we traditionally know it. In these times of pandemic for example, technology and new solutions in which design participates, have changed the paradigm and now it is easier to live, access basic services, communicate, be informed, etc.

We do not participate in any kind of exhibition yet.

We love cinema, architecture, traveling and in this way sharing ideas with people who don't think like us. All these activities feed our curiosity and the desire to experiment in design.

In a way, having a team as diverse in both ideas and ages allows us to always analyze all our perspectives. All our team has the creative freedom to contribute and exalt the group. In this way, we achieve a midpoint for the implementation of solutions and enrich our creative dynamics.

Without a doubt, we live in a place where design is a social phenomenon. We dare to say that Monterrey is one of the two most important cities in Mexico in terms of design. It is a hotbed of great creative minds and a constantly growing business space. This has allowed business entrepreneurs to bet on design as a boost for the growth of their companies and for designers to constantly work on the implementation of solutions without rest, thus achieving an ideas laboratory that has changed the citizen's perspective towards two directions. It is a city of opportunities.

We always follow a methodology, but our design process changes radically depending on the type of client we work with. You cannot follow the same guidelines for a clothing boutique for a coffee table book.

In any case, the circle of trust that is created in the development of a project is often broken because companies stigmatize designers as informal or seek to take advantage of any situation because customers are not used to it. to invest in design. And the question is always the following: When you go to see the doctor, do you question his opinion in order to pay less? Of course not, you blindly trust what he says, because you trust that his opinion will solve your health problem. It is one of the great problems that we face in our profession.

We work with different methodologies, since two different projects cannot be approached in the same way. Our goal is to always build conceptual dynamics with verbal exercises until we have a clear story defined. Generating creative ideas at this stage is essential to differentiate projects from your competition. Until we have defined our concept, we do not advance to the stage of visual development. This completely distances us from the search for references to try to tackle the project.

We love our two diamond bertoia chairs, we also have a spot for indoor plants, a ficus lirata is our favorite. We have just added to the room a tubular lamp in the shape of a triangle, golden color, which makes our living room in a very cozy space.

Item number 4 is a brushed marble coffee table, which gives a feeling of good taste but without getting close to perfection. It has grains that make it look like a piece of charred wood. And last but not least, a concrete wall clock that frames the divide between the kitchen and the hall.

Coffee is always the kick off of the day, starting the morning with a hot drink is always a good argument to activate the mind. Breakfasts are always small and practical since the days are full of activities. We practically live in the studio and we also teach graphic design students at the University.

Do not stop learning, do not believe everything you think and above all never give up, insisting with the things that are set as objectives is always what results in achieving it.

In short, my work is not work, I do what I always wanted to do, my profession is what I practice every day. I always see the glass half full, seeing it half empty is not motivating. The challenges have brought me here.

Research and work tirelessly.

The profile that we seek and that refers to our study is the ability to never give up. We must always achieve the goals no matter how long this takes. It is what works for us.

Illustrator, photoshop, indesign, netflix, spotify. A coffee maker, paper, pens, markers, camera, tools, board games, puzzles etc.

Without a doubt having a defined agenda for each fixed task and thus adding the daily variables, allows you to find leisure times. Respect this vitacora, it is essential not to be consumed. Organizing time allows you to do more things in one day.

It depends on how big or complex a project is.

How do you create a concept that makes a project unique and different?

Work together with other professionals from different disciplines to develop the same projects.

From small businessmen, universities, government, retailers to doctors and plastic surgeons. The type of clients has been very wide throughout so many years.

We enjoy the projects we specialize in (Branding and editorial) however we really like to explore new disciplines and design challenges.

2019 for us was a momentous year, we considered growth through having more exposure. With the pandemic, we have been working remotely on all our projects and as soon as the situation stabilizes, we will resume our growth objectives. We have already remodeled our entire workspace to make it more comfortable to work. Now our focus for 2021 is to increase our reach.

We always work as a team, this has allowed us to grow in a short period of time. Although the team is small, it is very efficient and they always integrate their criteria for the solution into the dynamics of the projects.

We have several things in development and also projects that have already been developed but that we continue to manage. As we mentioned before, right now the communication campaign for the University of Monterrey is our most challenging project and of which we are most proud. The launch was made in November 2019 and this year the media plan is already being implemented. We have developed all the academic offer brochures as well as the campaign and marketing pieces.

Through our website www.reset.mx, on social networks such as @madebyreset and Behance.

There is something that is part of our philosophy and that we cannot fail to mention. For us, adaptation is a working lifestyle. Being for comfort working your whole life in one category is a limitation, so experimenting with new challenges every day is a must.