estudio Laia en ADC (Art Directors Club)

We interviewed ADC Design Sphere winner Santos Bregaña for the summer newsletter. He and partner Anne Ibañez Guridi are the giant forks (to be explained) that make up Laia, a design studio based in Basque Country. A ten-year collaboration between Laia and Mugaritz, a restaurant of the Basque region, yielded a remarkable, successful, sustained and award winning design program. Santos spoke with us about his Basque roots, the relationship with his client, the work done for the Guggenheim Bilbao Restaurant, revealed his favorite dish, while explaining how a small studio like Laia wowed the ADC's Design Sphere jury.

This year Marc Gobé, ADC Design Sphere jury chair and President and Editor of Emotional Branding LLC, and his jury elevated Laia's work for Mugaritz, along with TAXI Canada's work for Telus, as outstanding in this new category that honors sustained programs of design innovation for clients by a single design firm. Interviewed by Regan Murphy,

regan@adcglobal.org.

ADC: Tell us about Laia and how it got started.

SB: Laia emerges from a symbiotic relationship between two very different designers. Anne possesses a magical gift, her very own x-ray machine, which allows her to see what others cannot. I'm more of an unorthodox academic who experiences regular epiphanies. Our process combines endless conversations, Anne's vision, and my insights from which books to objects are created. We are more interested in the process (phenomenon) than the result (object).

"Laia" is the word for a traditional Basque agricultural tool resembling a giant fork that was used in pairs to work the land without the aid of a plow. The studio's name recalls the poetic notion of collective work (traditionally done by rows of men and women using laias simultaneously) and conjures up visions of the harvest. We choose to interpret this gesture as a compromise between the traditional (still very important in the Basque Country) and globalized modernity.

ADC: You began working with Mugaritz since before the inception of the restaurant. What's it like to have such a close relationship with your client?

SB: When we met Andoni Luis Aduriz, the restaurant's chef, Mugaritz was still a small work village. Since then we've become friends with Andoni, having both fruitful and difficult times. Now he is highly regarded and considered one of the best cooks in the world - not surprisingly he acquired a new level of public notoriety. (Everyone wants to be his friend.)
Our professional relationship has worked because of the following ingredients: similar aspirations, hours and hours of conversations, hard work, commitment, and a deep trust in each other's work. Andoni demands no rebellion and that one must give oneself over to an hour and a half of his gastronomical prowess while at the restaurant. Over the years we requested that he do the same with Laia and the result has been good. However, collaboration of this type requires ground rules and common goals be established in advance.

ADC: The identity and design for Mugaritz were cohesively executed while simultaneously retaining the organic and natural essence within a relatively small budget. What was the most unexpected or difficult part of the journey?

SB: A restaurant often reflects daily life in society: the paradise of the dining area contrasted with the hell of the kitchen. Mugaritz's "engine room" takes you to unexpected places of pleasure and features many apprentices, often attached to great chefs. They are the small anonymous heroes, who through their quiet work make possible the drama, the comedy, the epic and, sometimes, the tragedy that happens while dining at restaurants.
The most difficult part of this trip has been the hidden part of the iceberg; the hours and hours, days, weeks, months and years that we have invested to progress projects, especially Mugaritz.
At Laia there are only two designers without apprentices. We're forced to control all the work. We have dedicated ourselves to the work and at this moment we are bit exhausted. I have to clarify; Mugaritz was a dangerous bet from the beginning. Restaurants are notoriously difficult to make profitable. From the outset we had to work with the constraints of a small budget. Surprisingly, the limitations caused us to be more creative, ultimately delivering concepts and objects that would not have morphed as they might with deeper pockets.

ADC: Mugaritz's chef, Andoni Luis Aduriz, 36, is quite young with the average on the staff being 28. As every element seems to have been considered works for this project, did the age of the staff figure in?

SB: It is true that Mugaritz's staff is young. Without a doubt, youth works in our favor. Young people are generally more malleable and have an easier time with new things. Nevertheless in Euskal Herria (Basque country), tradition is as heavy as a stone slab. Euskal Herria has always seemed like a great grandmother; always careful that no one escapes established rituals and scolding if one is late. But for us, this has been one of the greatest keys of success: our designs refer to these traditional roots, while being novel and innovative at the same time.
For example, we reintroduced "Basque Ball", a local traditional game for use in Mugaritz's merchandising. It is a beautiful object that relates to the region's past, presented in a simple cardboard box with a "trompe l'oeil" image that mimics an ancient façade.
A plate by Laia

ADC: Now that your studio has designed Mugaritz's name, logos, website, porcelain dishes, cookbooks, merchandise, centerpieces, literally everything. What's next?

SB: We are pausing and taking a deep breath to reflect. We are assembling new ideas and putting them into a tenth anniversary book about Mugaritz. Receiving the ADC Design Sphere has been very exciting, encouraging us to tell the story of the efforts that have been made for the restaurant, from graphic design, to objects, to interior design, and of course, the thought process. We are already working towards creating a new gastronomical establishment for Andoni in the Spanish city of Saragossa. The new restaurant will be named "Lanbroa," or "fog" in Euskera. This will be a completely different type of place, in which we will only approach the nominative and graphic brief.
The future for Laia is to be determined. There are pending exhibitions in Capri, Valencia and London. We have nearly fifty projects on our list. New collections of porcelain, books, newspapers, the design for a keyboard and mouse, a book in the "film noir style" for children too many things! Who knows? Perhaps it is time to drop everything and turn to gardening.

ADC: Laia also designed the image campaign of the Guggenheim Bilbao Restaurant. What was that like?

SB: In the case of the images and graphics for the Guggenheim Bilbao Restaurant, the process was adapted to the strong personality of the place. We were more limited creatively than with Mugaritz, but in exchange, we were able to work in a globally recognized location and an icon of 21st century architecture. We designed books, signage and, of course, the menus. The restaurant's promising young chef, Josean Martinez Alija, has forged new directions and has the talent to become one of Europe's foremost cooks. Everyone who travels to Bilbao should visit the Guggenheim Restaurant (Not to mention the space that great architect Frank Gehry designed for this "fast food" restaurant)

ADC: What's your favorite dish at Mugaritz?

SB: This is the most difficult question to answer. There are some dishes that should be reserved solely for the Gods. I remember a memorable dish of grilled scallop foie-gras with a seaweed broth over rice. From a purely gastronomical perspective it is three simple ingredients with scallops grilled to perfection elevated by unusual flavors - but the result is perfection!

ADC: And now, your three favorite...

Places you've been:

New York

The Old Loarre Castle

A shady corner in Uitzi Navarra (a little village of the Basque country)

Websites:

navarrorumtabula.com

mugaritz.com

toki-arkitekturak.blogspot.com/

Places you want to go:

To the lost places of my city

To the house Tristan Tzara lived in Paris

Budapest

Drinks

White wine "La Pena"

Single Malt "Lagavulin"

Sidra "Mendiola

EL "OSCAR" DE DISEÑO GRAFICO PARA LAIA

The Donostian studio Laia was awarded an "Oscar" of graphic design
The Art Directors Club of New York recognizes with one of its prestigious awards the conceptual and emotional consistency of the creations made in the past ten years by Santos Bregaña and Anne Ibañez Guridi for the Mugaritz restaurant (Andoni Luis Aduriz).
The Donostian studio Laia has been awarded one of the most important graphic design prizes worldwide, which is given every year by the prestigious Art Directors Club of New York, considered the equivalent of the Oscars in the world of graphic design. The work of Santos Bregaña and Anne Ibañez Guridi at the forefront of the studio has been recognized as one of the best in the world within the Sphere category. This prize recognizes the works made over the years for a single client, in this case the Mugaritz restaurant, owned by the chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, client of Laia since the opening of the establishment ten years ago.
The award distinguishes the conceptual quality and coherence of the many creations made by Laia for the restaurant, from the porcelain crockery to the logo, including the stationery, packaging and book design, continuously meeting the customers' needs year after year, and the emotional interchange between the objects and the source of inspiration. This is a really important recognition of the creative work of this small Donostian studio, which was selected among many big companies with huge budgets. Besides the physical award, a sculpture in the shape of a bucket, Santos Bregaña and Anne Ibáñez will also see their work included in a travelling exhibition and the ADC yearbook.
The Art Directors Club was funded in New York in 1920, in order to celebrate and inspire creative excellence, bring together visual communication professionals around the world, promote the highest quality and to explore new forms of expression within this field. The ADC awards are given every year for the best works at international level, in fields such as advertising, graphic design, packaging, publications design, photography or artwork. The award ceremony will be held the next May 1 in New York.

Donostiako Laia estudioari diseinu grafikoaren “Oscarra” eman diote saritzat.
Santos Bregañak eta Anne Ibañez Guridik azkeneko hamar urteetan Andoni Luis Adurizen Mugaritz jatetxearentzat egindako sorkuntza-lanen koherentzia kontzeptuala eta emozionala saritu nahi izan du New Yorkeko Art Directors Clubak, eta horretarako, bere saririk entzutetsuenetako bat eman dio.
Diseinu grafikoaren alorrean mundu osoko saririk garrantzitsuenetako bat eman diote Donostiako Laia estudioari, hain zuzen ere, New Yorkeko Art Directors Club elkarte ospetsuak urtero ematen duena eta diseinu grafikoaren munduan Oscarren parekotzat jotzen dena. Santos Bregañak eta Anne Ibañez Guridik estudio horren arduradun gisa egindako lana mundu osoan onenetako bat dela aitortu dute Sphere kategoriaren barruan, hots, bezero bakarrarentzat denbora luzean egindako lanak saritzen dituen horretan, kasu honetan Andoni Luis Aduriz chefaren Mugaritz jatetxearentzat, orain hamar urte ateak zabaldu zituenez geroztik berarentzat lanean ari baita Laia.
Sari honen bidez, Laiak Mugaritz jatetxearentzat egindako sorkuntza-lan desberdinen kalitatea eta koherentzia kontzeptuala nabarmendu nahi izan da, hala nola portzelanazko baxera edo logotipoa, baina baita paper-gaiak, packaginga eta liburuen diseinua ere, eta halaber, bezeroak urte hauetan guztietan izan dituen premiei erantzuten erakutsitako sendotasuna eta objektuen eta horien inspirazio-iturri izan den espirituaren arteko egokitasun emozionala. Donostiako estudio txiki honen sorkuntza-lana saritzen duen aipamen garrantzitsua da benetan, eta milioi askotako aurrekontuak darabiltzaten eta nazioartean oso ezagunak diren diseinu grafikoko enpresa handiei gailendu zaie bozketetan. Kubo formako eskulturaren bidez jasotako sari “fisiko” horrez gain, Santos Bregaña eta Anne Ibáñezen lana erakusketa ibiltari batean agertuko da, baita ADCren urtekarian ere.
Art Directors Club elkartea New Yorken sortu zen 1920. urtean, mundu osoko komunikazio bisualeko profesionalekin harremanetan jartzeko eta sorkuntza-lanen bikaintasuna bultzatzeko, eta halaber, alor honetan kalitaterik handiena sustatu eta adierazpide berriak ikertzeko. Ematen dituen sarien bitartez, ADC elkarteak goraipamen bat egiten die nazioarteko urteko lanik onenei, hainbat arlotan, hala nola publizitatea, diseinu grafikoa, packaginga, argitalpenen diseinua, argazkigintza edo ilustrazioa. Sariak banatzeko ekitaldia datorren maiatzaren 1ean egingo da New Yorken.

El estudio donostiarra Laia, premiado con un “Oscar” del diseño gráfico
El Art Directors Club de Nueva York distingue con uno de sus prestigiosos galardones la coherencia conceptual y emocional de las creaciones realizadas en los últimos diez años por Santos Bregaña y Anne Ibañez Guridi para el restaurante Mugaritz de Andoni Luis Aduriz.
El estudio donostiarra Laia ha sido galardonado con uno de los más importantes premios de diseño gráfico a nivel mundial, el que concede anualmente el prestigioso Art Directors Club de Nueva York, considerado el equivalente al Oscar dentro del mundo del diseño gráfico. El trabajo de Santos Bregaña e Anne Ibañez Guridi al frente del estudio ha sido reconocido como uno de los mejores del mundo dentro de la categoría Sphere, que premia aquellas obras realizadas a lo largo del tiempo para un solo cliente, en este caso el restaurante Mugaritz, del chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, con el que Laia viene trabajando desde que el establecimiento abrió sus puertas, hace diez años.
El galardón distingue la calidad y la coherencia conceptual de las diversas creaciones llevadas a cabo por Laia para el restaurante, que van desde la vajilla de porcelana hasta el logotipo, pasando por la papelería, el packaging y el diseño de libros, así como la consistencia en la cobertura de las necesidades del cliente a lo largo de los años y la correspondencia emocional de los objetos con el espíritu que los inspiró. Se trata de un importantísimo reconocimiento a la labor creativa de este pequeño estudio donostiarra, que se ha impuesto en las votaciones a grandes empresas de diseño gráfico de talla internacional que manejan presupuestos multimillonarios. Además del premio “físico”, una escultura en forma de cubo, Santos Bregaña e Anne Ibáñez verán incluido su trabajo en una exposición itinerante y en el anuario del ADC.
El Art Directors Club se fundó en Nueva York en 1920 con el objeto de celebrar e inspirar la excelencia creativa y poner en contacto a profesionales de la comunicación visual de todo el mundo, así como para promover la máxima calidad y explorar nuevas formas de expresión dentro de este campo. A través de sus galardones el ADC distingue los mejores trabajos del año a nivel internacional en campos como la publicidad, el diseño gráfico, el packaging, el diseño de publicaciones, la fotografía o la ilustración. La ceremonia de entrega de premios se celebrará el próximo día 1 de mayo en Nueva York.
Le studio Laia, de Donostia-Saint-Sébastien, récompensé par un “Oscar” de l’infographie
L’Art Directors Club de New York distingue avec l’une de ses prestigieuses récompenses la cohérence conceptuelle et émotionnelle des créations réalisées ces dernières années par Santos Bregaña et Anne Ibañez Guridi pour le restaurant Mugaritz d’Andoni Luis Aduriz.
Le studio donostiarra Laia a été récompensé par l’un des plus grands prix d’infographie au niveau mondial, celui qu’accorde chaque année le prestigieux Art Directors Club de New York, considéré comme étant l’équivalent de l’Oscar dans le milieu de l’infographie. Le travail de Santos Bregaña et d’Anne Ibañez Guridi à la tête du studio a été reconnu comme l’un des meilleurs du monde entier dans la catégorie Sphère, qui récompense les actions menées sur une longue période pour un même client, dans le cas présent pour le restaurant Mugaritz, du chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, avec lequel Laia travaille depuis l’ouverture de l’établissement, il y a dix ans.
La récompense prime la qualité et la cohérence conceptuelle des diverses créations imaginées par Laia pour le restaurant, depuis la vaisselle en porcelaine jusqu’au logo, en passant par les supports papier, le packaging et la conception de livres, ainsi que la cohésion dans la réponse aux attentes du client au fil des ans et la concordance émotionnelle des objets avec l’esprit qui les a inspirés. Il s’agit d’une importante reconnaissance du labeur créatif de ce studio donostiarra de taille modeste, qui s’est imposé lors des votes devant de grandes entreprises d’infographie de carrure internationale qui manient des budgets multimillionnaires. En plus du prix « physique », une sculpture en forme de cube, le travail de Santos Bregaña et Anne Ibáñez figurera dans une exposition itinérante et dans l’annuaire d’ADC.
L’Art Directors Club fut fondé à New York en 1920 dans le but d’honorer et d’inspirer l’excellence créative et de mettre en contact des professionnels de la communication visuelle du monde entier, mais aussi de promouvoir la plus haute qualité et d’explorer de nouvelles formes d’expression dans ce domaine. Par le biais de ses récompenses, l’ADC distingue les meilleures réalisations de l’année au niveau international dans des domaines aussi divers que la publicité, l’infographie, le packaging, la conception de publications, la photographie ou l’illustration.. La cérémonie de remise des prix se déroulera le 1er mai prochain à New York.