Interviews with Gonzalo Alatorre

I have been working as a designer since 1992 while I was studying Graphic Design at a university in Mexico City, Mexico. Since then, I have been actively working as a designer, except for the period between 1997-2003, when I studied mathematics and evolutionary biology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

I studied Graphic Design at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, but actually, I started working in graphic design during high school for a local design firm doing newspaper ads. I did not grow up wanting to become a designer, but it is something I discovered late in high school. However, I come from a family of architects and art collectors. So art and design were always a topic of conversation in our house.

My priority is to make sure our clients feel well represented and that all of our work stands out in a market saturated with sameness and mediocrity.

Everything! I've always described my design process following the same sequence of events as any Tom Cruise movie:

Arrogance: I come in thinking I am a superstar.

Crisis. I crash and burn; I can't live up to my self-imposed expectations and standards.

Humility and lack of confidence: Maybe I am not as good as I think, and I should quit.

I find my muse and obsess: I find that one perfect idea. And I obsess about it until I get to the solution.

The exhilaration when I see the solution. I ride a motorcycle to the sunset with my muse.

I believe everything in your life shapes you as a designer. For example, my studies in Mathematics and Evolutionary Biology would appear to have, at first glance, no relevance to design. Yet, I would argue quite the opposite. They taught me to observe the system, not the organisms we studied. This plays a fundamental role in how I approach our projects. We don't look at just our clients. We look at our clients' competitive landscapes, understand their roles within it, and study the system to know how to make them stand out!

Our growth path is to get involved in more brand strategy and implementation areas. Get involved in the customer experience beyond the brand touchpoints that do not include face-to-face interactions.

One of my passions is hunting, and I try to feed my family as much wild game meat as possible as a healthier alternative to industrially farmed meat. A dream project would be to work with Italian brands like Beretta, Perazzi, or Renato Gamba; brands with immense brand equity in the hunting world yet are radically underleveraged.

Listen twice as much as you talk. Appreciate other designers' work, don't envy it or criticize it! You just don't know the context of the project.

I've learned that authenticity is essential to success in design. Take risks; it is not heart surgery. When we design something so that nobody hates it, nobody will love it either. Design for the few that will get it.

Every day is an adventure and a blessing. My day is spent supporting my team to become better than they think they are and, interacting with clients, learning about how we can support them better.

I have never believed in trends. A trend forces you as a designer to put style before function. It is the equivalent of designing from an emotional position and not from a place of actionable intelligence.

If it is fit for purpose. If it makes our clients feel properly represented and makes them stand out.

This moment is hard to describe, it is the moment when I feel at peace with the project when I can stop fighting to find a solution.

There are a few. I designed the emblem for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. We also designed the brand identity for Tonic Active, an activewear company actively competing with large brands like Nike, Adidas, and Victoria's Secret, in 48 countries worldwide. As well, and most importantly, the brand identity that won this award for BTY Group. We've worked with them since 2010 when they only had five offices across Canada. 12 years later, they have a presence in 4 continents with over 17 offices worldwide. I am proud to say that we have collaborated with them since, allowing them to respond to opportunities.

Dieter Rams. Massimo Vignelli. Both of them understood the importance and elegance that comes from simplicity.

My favourite city is impossible to define! I feel alive in Madrid. I feel humbled by Paris; it is a monument to humanity! Music plays such a special role in my creative process that my design firm is named after Philip Glass's Piano Etudes.

We believe in working with humility, leaving any egos behind. Always think about learning from each other, as opposed to trying to outdo each other. Our objective is to ensure our clients feel properly represented in their market landscapes.

I don't make any philanthropic contributions to society as a designer; my philanthropic contributions are focused on nature and habitat restoration.

It pushes you to work even harder; it enriches you as a designer as you see the wealth of work presented and how creative people were with their particular projects. It is a humbling experience overall!

BTY’s new logomark is an analytical & mathematical interpretation of the moment a gennaker sail gets deployed. It is also inspired by the disruption that a gennaker sail brought to the sailboat racing world.

This logomark represents the excitement of a more purposeful future, a future of people leading technology, not the other way around.

A gennaker sail provides efficiency and speed. Maximum lift with minimum resistance. Gennaker sails were integral in the changes that allowed boats formerly racing at 35km/h to increase their speed upwards of 100 km/h.

But just like artificial intelligence, without people making the right decisions while racing the boat, the boat’s newly acquired performance and speed would be without purpose.

Of all the things we do at Etude.Digital, nothing takes more work and is deceptively complex than what goes into designing a brand identity. In particular, a logo has so many values it needs to represent, and it needs to do so with radical simplicity.

It takes a lot of work to communicate a clear set of values and vision in one stylized and straightforward idea.

The following article is a statement of the work we did for our latest brand identity, which we undoubtedly think could be the best we have ever created.

1st Step - Actionable Intelligence

Our goal is to understand thoroughly what our client does and be able to define it in a simple thought. This statement should describe beyond the services or products they sell; we need to understand what the client “ultimately” sells:

BTY provides real intelligence to transform the built environment for people, the planet, and collective prosperity.

In growing cities worldwide, BTY’s award-winning independent professional services push the built environment forward through viable projects that provide the foundation for thriving and sustainable communities.

2nd Step - Create a Brand Benchmark

As a second step, we need to define a set of branding principles that will be our north star and benchmark by which we measure all efforts:

BTY’s Brand Guiding Principles:

In growing cities worldwide, BTY’s award-winning independent professional services push the built environment forward through viable projects that provide the foundation for thriving and sustainable communities by focusing on:

The Future.

With the exponential revolution that computing power and artificial intelligence are bringing to our lives, we need to ensure that all decisions shaping the communities of the future are rooted in:

Real Intelligence.

BTY takes a stand against artificial intelligence by understanding that it is a tool and not the end game. The critical decisions shaping humanity’s future will have to come from:

Human Capital.

BTY believes in people that act locally yet think globally. People that are hungry to make the world a better place and have the drive and intelligence to do so. BTY believes that its role in shaping the communities of the future is to serve as a:

Catalyst.

BTY understands its purpose to be an agent of progress and innovation by providing real intelligence to transform the built environment for people, the planet, and collective prosperity.

Having established our guiding principles and strategic direction, we can begin the design process. Designing a brand identity without a clear strategy and guiding principles is like starting a trip without a plan or a map. It sounds like an exciting adventure, but most likely, it will take longer to get to where you want to go.

Our work for this project and winning design is just beginning. The new logo and brand identity got unveiled in January 2022; however, this rebrand intends to support our client's business objectives that are undergoing some fundamental operational changes that will disrupt their industry. Once these changes have been finalized, all brand touchpoints will be redone, with the design, marketing, and communication strategy centred around the company's new direction.

Overall, the process took three to four months and hundreds of sketches in pencil and paper. However, my vision for this project was clear from the beginning as it stemmed from that position of actionable intelligence. It was just a matter of finding that one shape that clearly communicated our objectives.

We needed to develop a brand identity that would communicate across many cultures and languages. The design of the logo is a mathematical interpretation of a moment in time – when a gennaker sail gets deployed. It also needed to be easily reproducible across all mediums and printing techniques (litho or digital), making black the obvious choice and using a very vibrant yet standard yellow to help our client stand out in a market full of greys and blues.

This design is the new brand identity for our client, BTY Group.

We needed to develop a brand identity that would communicate across many cultures and languages. The design of the logo is a mathematical interpretation of a moment in time – when a gennaker sail gets deployed. It also needed to be easily reproducible across all mediums and printing techniques (litho or digital), making black the obvious choice and supported by a very straightforward yet really vibrant yellow.

For sure, we work as a team at Etude.Digital. Collaboration and being open to input are essential values we hold in our office. Yvonne Hsu worked closely with me in the development of this brand identity. Along with us, the rest of the team at Etude.Digital, Ben Regan, John Short, Gianfranco Valentini, and Katie Date were influential in the outcome of this project.

BTY Group is the trusted intelligence to meet investment objectives in real estate, infrastructure, and clean energy development. Their target audiences are local, state, and national governments and investors looking to invest in and develop large infrastructure projects changing communities worldwide.

The industry where BTY is competing is full f very conservative and safe brand identities. It is full of logos that are simply wordmarks and in pale blues and greys. Our client has historically done things differently by providing additional value to their services and making sure they provide progress at every stage of every project. We believe the BTY brand identity captures a message of excitement for things to come versus the more traditional approach of communicating a brand identity with values of risk-averse and safety.

This is the name of the organization. It is based on the initials of the founders of the company.

90% of the work was done in pencil and paper. The rest was done in Adobe Creative Suite.

It is a very different take on what a logo should look like from a few different perspectives: it is a mathematical and analytical visual representation of a moment in time when a sail gets deployed.

Yvonne Hsu, one of our designers. Yvonne has the capacity to draw the thoughts that come to my head. Now that is a talent!

None other than the inspiration. The conception of the logo was done the old-fashioned way, in pencil. Afterwards, the design needed to be translated into the electronic medium, and it was fine-tuned there to make sure all proportions are correct, and all curves are natural curves.

No. It is influenced only by creativity.

It took hundreds of iterations for us to arrive at a design that we felt was perfect. The challenge was also knowing when we were done when we had arrived.

We knew the quality was there as it was immediately adopted by the client, and it has been continuously praised by everyone who has seen it.

I learned not to stop until that vision that I know is the perfect solution is achieved, regardless of the complexity of the outcome. In my head I was chasing this complex shape that needed to be simple at the same time. It wasn't easy!

I studied Graphic Design in the Universidad Iberoamericana, in Mexico City, Mexico. I also have a Bachelor's in Science degree in Mathematics and Evolutionary Biology from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC.

I love the problem. I believe I have an innate understanding of what a brand is, and how to make that brand stand out. I thrive emotionally when presented with a problem and tasked with

I don't have a clear answer to that. I did not grow up being into art or music. I have always been into sports and the outdoors. Yet, somehow I ended up in design, and I have a particular affinity for brands and the effect they have on the world and people.

We have clients across many industries and sectors, so we have the opportunity to experience every type of design. We like them all. We love the system, not the client.

This is difficult for me to answer, as I don't consider myself a legend; that is a title for others to give me and their reasons why. I believe I am still in the stage of my life where I need to learn from others more than I can teach other people.

Humility. Attention to detail. Seeing the big picture. A designer than understands the importance of simplicity and the elegance that comes with it.

God is in the details. Does it propose something new? Does it challenge the status quo? Have all the unnecessary elements been removed?

I believe Steve Jobs said: Great design is great because of how it works. This is a great statement, but in a way it is incomplete. Design also looks to elevate the aesthetic into a universal beauty. Without this pursuit of beauty, it becomes just engineering.

We love the system of design, not necessarily the design project itself. Design in many ways, for me, is like food. Even if you have a particular food that you love so much, having it every day makes it banal and stops being special. Variety is the spice of life.

One of my passions in life is hunting. By hunting, I get to spend many days in the mountains alone, connecting with nature. I also get to feed my family wild meat (the ultimate organic)n and avoid supporting industrial farming, where animals are raised in cruel conditions. One of my dream projects would be to work on the brand strategy, identity, and touchpoints of brands like Beretta or Sako, which have immense brand equity, yet are underrepresented by poor brand touchpoints.

Pay attention to your clients. They know their business better than anyone else. As well, make decisions from a position of actionable intelligence. Otherwise, you are just leaving it to chance.

From every designer out there. I love seeing other people's work. I always get amazed as to how they solved the design problem and learned from it.

So many to name a few, but the one thing they all have in common is the fact that they proposed something new, and have the elegance of simplicity.

I hold all of our work at the studio in the same regard because we only have one level of quality we provide to our clients. We do not accept providing our clients with anything that is not exceptional.

Listen more, talk less.

A biologist.

The opportunity to solve a problem in the human context, where part of the solution includes the pursuit of universal beauty.

Everyone around me. From my family and wife to those who accepted working with me, especially the clients who trusted us with their brands.

I don't consider myself a great designer. That is a title for others to give me if I have earned it, and they can describe what makes me a great designer. However, if I had to answer the question, I would say the trust from every client and former employer that gave me an opportunity to work.

All obstacles I have come across have been, in hindsight, self-imposed. Not believing in myself, not making sacrifices, or working hard enough. I can't blame anyone else for my failures or the obstacles I have faced in life.

With humility and not forcing the vision we have as designers on our clients.

We have many projects on the go. We are working with clients that are changing the world. We are supporting their vision with clarity because clarity is compelling.

Disrupt the market landscapes our clients operate in. Make our clients stand out.

A commitment to elevate their brand, to make their brand be superbly represented in a market saturated with sameness.

By proposing something new and challenging the status quo. I did a TEDx talk in 2005 that talked exactly about this subject. It can be found in Youtube.

All of our projects excite me equally. I love the system/discipline of design.

Every project where our clients trusted us blindly and took a risk in their positioning and brand identity.

The elimination of the commoditization of design by the use of technology. We should all be working to elevate the discipline of design, yet many people see the opportunity to make a lot of money by providing subpar design at cheap pricing. This is affecting our profession.

I don't know. Predicting is difficult, particularly the future.

Every project is different, depending on its complexity. They take as long as they need to take because we do them right the first time around.

By learning every thing there is to learn about our clients and their target market.

Listen and think before you speak.

Design sets trends. I believe that when the trends set the design, this is the mark of a poor designer.

It is nothing but a tool to realize our vision.

We use pencils and paper first, followed by Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Sketch, and everything in Mac computers.

These are all components of the language of design.

What is the context and background of the project? We are trying to solve a communication problem. Without understanding the problem, how do you know if we have solved it?

Wow. I am always amazed by the work of other people.

Of course. My team. We all approach every project without egos where all ideas are valid. All the work we do is collaborative.

All of our clients. It is their communication problem we are trying to solve. They shape and mold the work we do.

The Harvard Business Review.

Work, work, work. Our work is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration.

Jacques Custeau. Charles Darwin. Coppernicus. Joaquin Sabina.

When the 2010 Olympic Logo was unveiled, I got a chance to experience what fame can be like. It is a knife that cuts both ways. It is hard to stay humble and your feet on the ground. It can bring the best and the worst of people at the same time.

I have never been able to define a favourite. Why is blue better than orange or fuchsia. How is paella better than chorizo, bolognese, or rendang beef? Life is too short and beautiful to choose favourites.

When I started to work as a designer for the great Alfonso Huerta in Mexico City around 1992-1993, I was the junior designer in the firm. I was taken by Alfonso to client presentations. Still, I had to carry the big Mac computers, keyboards and monitors to these meetings, and I was in charge of working on the computer during the presentation. I look fondly on these days and always chuckle. I learned a lot about doing what it takes to make the client feel they matter. It was a lot of work, and I had no voice in these presentations, but I had a pair of ears that allowed me to learn how clients need to be taken care of.

Seeing my team thrive. I manage each designer individually based on their personality. gives my role as a creative director a meaningful existence.

Nope. Never crossed my mind.

Life will be radically different than it is right now, but impossible to know how it will be different.

That design thrives from collaboration. I am only the result of the teams I have been lucky enough to collaborate with.

I studied Graphic Design at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, but actually, I started working in graphic design during high school for a local design firm doing newspaper ads. I did not grow up wanting to become a designer, but it is something I discovered late in high school. However, I come from a family of architects and art collectors. So art and design were always a topic of conversation in our house.

We are an award-winning creative agency for brands committed to standing out in a market saturated with sameness. We are composed of a culturally-diverse team with an unstinting commitment to our client's vision and an unwavering commitment to do the right thing the first time around.

Many things. Design, to me, is the oldest profession in humankind. Hammers have been around for at least 3.3 million years, but someone had to design them! The discipline of design as we know it looks above all to solve a problem, yet what differentiates it from engineering is the pillar of aesthetics. Without having the aesthetic philosophy behind it, then it is just engineering. However, without the problem-solving foundation, it is just art as it would lose its purpose, its essence. So, in summary, design is that intersection between science and art that elevates human existence.

I like working on the brand strategy and understanding the difference that exists between how our clients position themselves and what position they actually hold in their customers' minds. From that position of actionable intelligence, I love working on building the different components that make a brand identity and pushing my design team to produce work that makes our clients proud.

In 2003 I was lucky enough to win the national competition in Canada for the 2010 Olympic Games logo. Over 1800 designers from Canada entered the contest. My logo submission (and winning logo) represents my experience as an immigrant to Canada, whereas a 25-year-old Canada welcomed me with open arms. The 2010 Vancouver Olympic logo project is my favourite, not because of the outcome of the logo itself or because my logo won the competition, but because of everything that resulted from it. It allowed me to meet other designers from around the world, Olympic athletes, and seeing your work change the look of a nation is exhilarating. Even more than 12 years later, I still see people wearing clothes with the emblem. However, the greatest sense of pride I got from the design was inspired by the inukshuk (a man-made stone landmark or cairn built for use by the Inuit), representing a person with open arms. At the time, these inukshuks were somewhat known. However, I felt they did not have the recognition they deserved. After the Olympic logo was unveiled, people took an interest in these, and you could see inukshuks everywhere, from beaches to hiking trails, rivers, and on top of mountains. This was the most rewarding aspect of this project: people paid attention and learned about the Inuit culture from Northern Canada.

The brand identity for a local charcuterie, Oyama Sausage, in Vancouver. It is inspired by the flags used in the Palio Di Sienna horse race and pays homage to the Iberico pigs from Spain.

It is still the good old-fashioned brain and a pencil and piece of paper. The material, platform, or technology are just tools, but the great ideas still come from thinking and hard work, not from the tools used.

Anytime during the deep explorations we have with our clients. Great conversations can be exhilarating and accelerate the creative process.

On the bigger picture: What does it all mean? What does our target audience leave thinking about?

Everything! I've always described my design process following the same sequence of events as any Tom Cruise movie:

Arrogance: I come in thinking I am a superstar.

Crisis. I crash and burn; I can't live up to my self-imposed expectations and standards.

Humility and lack of confidence: Maybe I am not as good as I think, and I should quit.

I find my muse and obsess: I find that one perfect idea. And I obsess about it until I get to the solution.

The exhilaration when I see the solution. I ride a motorcycle to the sunset with my muse.

A lot of pride, but I also see the last 10% that could be better, and if given the opportunity, how I would improve it. I also become obsessed with understanding the change and impact we have brought to our client's organizations.

Success in our field is measured by many different metrics. However, to make it simple to understand, I consider a project successful if it allows our clients to stand out in a market full of sameness. If our client's brand becomes meaningful to consumers and different from its competitors.

I only judge designs where I know the context of how it was created and what problems it was trying to solve. Otherwise, I find it disrespectful to other design professionals.

If I do know the context and problems it is trying to solve, I ask myself:

Does it work?

Does it elevate the world of design?

Does it challenge the status quo?

Does it propose something new?

In 2005 I gave a TEDx talk in Mexico about how design should be like a liquid quesadilla. In this talk, I mention these points above.

We have an ethical responsibility to inform and not deceive. To guide our clients to adopt more environmentally-friendly solutions and more inclusive practices. To support each other as design professionals, rather than attack each other. We should all work to elevate the design discipline!

There seems to be an intense fight between those who want to commoditize design and those fighting against that. In my opinion, this will create a big divide between great design and the rest. I don't believe design as a discipline is in danger from artificial intelligence, yet some design jobs may be in danger. However, I think the roles of some designers as production designers may change from a position of utility to a place of intelligence. Those that understand how to get there will survive the threat of being replaced by computers.

I am not an artist, so I don't have exhibitions. However, our work represents our client's brands every day in over 45 countries, and I consider these our exhibitions. Every day, prospective clients judge our work, compare it to the alternatives, and decide positively or negatively. We are successful in our work if we have communicated the brand attributes clearly and tip the balance in favour of our clients.

Our ideas always come from a position of actionable intelligence, and our inspiration comes from learning everything about our clients, competitors, and markets.

I don't believe I have a style, as I don't design alone. We design as a team at Etude Digital. So it is impossible to have a defined style as it combines everyone's input. My hiring philosophy is to only hire people that are better designers than me and design with a universal sense of aesthetic. As a Creative Director, I am often faced with the reality that I may not like what our designers present as the solution for a project. However, I believe that if I don't like it purely because it is a matter of taste, then I need to let the designer's work see the light of day. Having many styles can only enrich the work that comes out of a design agency. For example, at the moment, our design team is composed of people from Canada, China, and Iran. They all bring in their own sense of aesthetics, yet we all pursue the universal truth of beauty.

I live in Vancouver, Canada. Yes, I believe Canadian design and culture play a vital influential role in our design; however, I also have a strong influence from growing up in Mexico. Yet it seems to me that Vancouver being a multicultural city, we are immersed in many cultures at the same time. It is impossible to not be influenced by the cultures that thrive in this beautiful city.

We believe we should be considered as part of our client's teams. We need to make sure our clients think of us as part of their organization and that we have their best interests in mind.

Work with designers who understand that you, the client, are the expert in your business and understand your needs better than the designers. If the designers are not humble enough to acknowledge this, they are not worth working with.

100% committed to our client's success. We don't believe in doing things quickly, and we believe in doing things right the first time around. Regardless of how long it will take, it will not have to be redone later on if it gets done right.

A pocket knife. The keyless lock. The sprinkler system in the garden (which I designed myself), Yeti coffee mugs, the Jura coffee machine.

Every day is different, but every day is a blessing. We are trusted by our clients to represent their brand. My day is spent pushing my team to be better and making sure they thrive, collaborating with our clients by understanding their business objectives, and finding a way to meet their needs.

You are much better than you think you are. Just work hard, and learn from others. Pay attention, and don't be jealous of other designers' work. Appreciate what other designers come up with and how different they solved the problem. Also, this is a critical message to younger generations: Creativity does not come from technology. Creativity is found between your ears and eyes, in your brain. Grab a pencil, and learn to use it. Get out, experience art, life, nature and cultures; pay attention to the world around you. Learn about all your client's businesses and their needs. Stop staring at screens.

I believe everything is positive. It is up to us to educate clients and society that what we do is important.

That design is not heart surgery. Be creative. Take risks.

The ability to see the big picture, as much as be obsessive about the details. The rest can be learned.

My brain. Pencil, paper. Adobe Creative Suite. HBR. Music.

Time mastery has to be part of the toolbox of any great designer. In the role of a creative director, my time is dictated by the needs of my clients and staff. I need to support both sides.

The necessary time to make it outstanding. You cannot take shortcuts: a project can take one hour or 300 hours, but it will be done when it perfectly represents the objectives set forth.

Can you help me?

The most important job experience was working for the worst designer and human being I had ever worked for. She was dishonest with staff and clients alike, and though she could fool the world. She taught me everything to not do in life.

We have multiple clients across many sectors. Too difficult to name some and leave others out. But we believe in not specializing in any particular industry, we believe in the richness that comes from cross-pollination.

Being involved in all aspects of the design process. From the initial strategy sessions to seeing the projects take life and impact our client's organizations.

I also genuinely enjoy the long-standing relationships we have built with these clients, as the more work we do for a client, the better the work becomes.

Growth, professionally and personally. Take Etude.Digital to its full potential and vision we have for it. Support and grow young designers into professionals that elevate the discipline of design.

We always work as a team. We have a fundamental belief in Etude.Digital: We all win and fail together. When we succeed, we always talk in the "we. We own our mistakes, and we share our successes.

We have about 100 projects on the go. All of our work is confidential until it becomes public as it represents a competitive advantage for our clients, so we are never in a position to talk about what we are working on.

I can be reached at my email: gonzalo@etude.digital or phone number +1 (604) 739-1915.