In the latest of our 'introducing' series, we look internationally, to a creative who we have known for quite some time now. We got to know Albin Holmqvist in Barcelona, in fact he helped create our Barcelona Creative Space: The Palace. Since then Albin has gone on to do some amazing things, including being featured recently on Fast Company.
Albin is a true all-round designer and artist that has been plying his trade at one of Spain’s most famous design studios, Vasava. Just to give you a snapshot of a few of the clients he has worked with there - street wear label 55DSL, NIKE, MÖET, Jay-Z’s ROCAWEAR, fashion giants MANGO and plenty more that you can find on the Vasava website. We will never forget Albin coming over to The Palace and debuting Adam Tensta's Back Before You Know It video that he had worked on while still studying... we were all blown away!
You just can’t limit an artist to their 9-5 though, and thats why Albin has been keeping himself busy with photography, painting, typography and a couple of really great freelance projects. If you’re a reader of Fastcompany.com it is quite likely that you have seen the much loved EF Language commercials that Albin played an integral part in with his amazing typography.
Obviously you should watch them for yourself, but if you still need some further convincing about how brilliant they are, then take Fastcompany’s design and film writer John Pavlus’s word for it. This is what he said, and you just have to love it.
“Commissioned by language-teaching company EF, these magical promos use kinetic typography to capture the pure beauty of speaking mother tongues in Paris, London, Beijing, and Barcelona. Take the video for Paris, for example. Jean-Luc Godard famously said that all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun, but after watching this and literally tearing up at the end, I propose an amendment: all you need is a girl and a font.”
Read the full article here:
We asked Albin what he considered the most important conditions for creativity to flourish:
"To be able to be creative in todays environment you HAVE to have a Nespresso machine. To key element to this contraption is the purple capsule! Intensity 9. Arpeggio! I mean how is one able to think clearly on some crappy Intensity 3 capsule with almond flavor? Get outta here.
The second most important part is people. If you surround yourself with people who has something to say, then you're golden. It doesn't matter if they are typegeeks or make pottery. Good energy is key. I think that is the problem today, as many freelancing creatives shut themselves into their bedroom with their fancy laptops. Social media will never replace real human interaction."
Obviously the role of 'Art Director' is changing and elevolving in the current climate and we asked Albin what he thought was important in the role moving forward:
"As an Art Director today, having a network of talented people will definitely make your life easier. To meet with people and being able to level with them is very important. All the most interesting projects I've been working on comes from real life encounters! But don't get me wrong, the technological revolution is the key to moving forward, but it's important not to let that fact take over the creative process."
One of Albin's photographs taken in Copenhagen
Albin's work for Swedish brand: Happy People
We suggest you keep an eye out for what Albin might be up to next. There are already plans being made for more typography work, art direction and “everything” - which is how Albin himself likes to describe what he does for a living. We think Albin in heading for great things and as one of the originals from 'The Palace' we wish him every success in the world!