Vanesa Zafra

“I have learned by looking and searching. Many people are scared of anything new, and there are few ready to innovate in the world of andalusian design. Right now, the atmosphere is a little stagnant”. This young illustrator brings a breath of fresh air to the table with her psychedelic drawings and lack of preconceptions. From her base in Granada, she creates the image of pop bands such as Lori Meyers, Los Elementos and Pleasent Dreams, as well as important music festivals such as South Pop in Seville. Zafra is a self-taught outsider whose website and reputation have helped her to get several commissions. Influenced by music, she creates a dreamy vibe using colour, inspired typography and all the tones you could possibly imagine.

“I get ideas from all kinds of genres. I love mixing the dirty aesthetic of the nineties with the handmade look of the sixties. The free American style visible in comics and posters has been my main influence”, explains Zafra. The distribution channels of her work are often alternative. “Everybody is in myspace. It´s a good platform and sometimes you even get jobs through the web”, she explains.

Zafra has worked on the design and image of the fashion label Phineas, that has already opened more than twenty shops around Spain. She designs everything from labels to the corporate illustrations and clothes, all of which have a young and easy going look. She studied in Escuela de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts School) and when she graduated she was innundated with requests to create one design after the other. “You can learn by yourself if you dedicate enough time and passion”. She does however stress the importance of collaborating with other artists. “I´m used to working alone, but there are more and more forums for creating links between artists. Its incredible the amount of people doing interesting things out there!”.

She is currently being seduced by the aesthetics of skater art and graffiti, visible in the magazine Staff from Málaga. “I only discovered their work recently, even though they are so close by. Their distribution is not the best in the world…”, she complains. On her site, Zafra reveals her shy nature. You´ll find her hiding within one of her evocative drawings.

Contact

vanesazafra(a)gmail.com