1. How do you define the Tijuana-San Diego region?
“Contrast” is the word that best defines this region. The love-hate relationship with more love than hate. Definitely an intense place to live but at least no one can say there’s any room for boring.
2. How do you define your own work?
I do not consider myself an artist, because that’s not me. I like to think of myself as an idea assembler and a feeling designer.
3.How is the geographical context of the Tijuana-San Diego region reflected in your work?
As visual solace and an interpretation of the emotions of living on the border, also a lot of nostalgia. Being from Tijuana and doing visual work creates a personal identity that is expressed in every font and every line.
Since 2008, I’ve been known as Das Falco, a pseudonym I took from two of my favorite characters: Falco Lombardi from Starfox on Super Nintendo and Falco, the late German singer of the song "Der Komissar." I do not have an academic degree in graphic design, and it was never my intention to get into branding, though ever since I was little, I’ve found it interesting.
In 1997, I went to work with my uncle who had an office where they made programs and systems. While there, I soaked in all the visual materials, like album covers, products, typography, design books, a pirated copy of Photoshop, and an e-book by Massimo Vignelli. Beyond that, I also spent hours re-designing albums in pixels like “Dark Side of the Moon.
In 2004, I was hired by a company from the Czech Republic with offices in Mexico as their head designer; I learned color separation, how to manage industrial printers and paper cutters, photographic restoration, and more. Later on, I designed music blogs and blogs for events promoters in the U.S. and Mexico. In 2010, I designed covers for Atlantic Records and for a promoter in Miami who put on electronic music concerts.
I’ve collaborated on and developed political campaigns (though I’m not entirely proud of some of them), clothing brands, music projects, event promotion, art galleries, and product design. Though what I am most passionate about is art focused on politics and social issues, especially as it pertains to my border, as is the case with migration in both directions. Currently, I continue to collaborate on many interesting projects underway in my city and in many others.
