Rafael López

Born in México City to architect parents, Rafael López grew up surrounded by art and the vibrant culture of an ancient city. His parents encouraged his innate curiosity and artistic explorations, and after graduation from high school he moved to California to attend Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

He has taken his early childhood experiences, and the dichos (folk proverbs or sayings) and myths he was exposed to as a child, and used them as the inspiration for his vibrant, emotion-laden illustrations for a variety of projects including children’s books, editorials, and a series of posters for the San Diego Blues Festival.

Many years ago I was fortunate to travel to México with Rafael to research and conduct interviews for an article on contemporary Mexican graphic design for Communication Arts magazine. We flew to México City and stayed with his Auntie Lucho, driving around the world’s most populous city in the car he drove while attending Art Center many years before. In addition to his drawing and painting skills, the man can navigate the most hellish traffic with a cool that brings to mind Steve McQueen in Bullet. Visiting the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacán and the National Museum of Art gave me an inside glimpse into his artistic influences.

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I’ve been spending a great deal of time lately sorting through boxes of papers from my days as managing editor at Communication Arts magazine. I’ve unearthed some amazing self-promotion projects in the process, which led me to think about what makes a memorable mailer. I always enjoy receiving multi-part promotions, where you grow to anticipate the next in a series of clever or compelling images that tell a larger story. I love it when the illustrator has included a personal note, or even hand-signed the mailer.

In the go-go 1990s, I received self-promotion projects ranging from a custom-designed box formed of a hubcap, to a cool wooden box full of plastic toys and gadgets from Seattle’s famous Archie McPhee’s (Thank you Modern Dog, I still have all the promo items you ever sent me!), to amazing posters and elaborate cards. In the 21st century, most of the promo pieces or PR vehicles seem to be found embedded in e-mails. While this is fine, and probably cost efficient, these e-mail blasts are not as effective since I get so many I’m not able to click through every one in a timely matter, and most often these “mailings” don’t have a specific focus.

Illustrators like Martha Rich, Joseph Daniel Fiedler and Barbara Nessim (the latter two have been featured in “Campaign Spotlight”), send postcards with riveting images and information about upcoming shows or new work that has been published. These end up displayed on my refrigerator and they prompt me to visit the illustrator’s site to see more recent work or to check out their blog for detailed information on specific projects.

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