MANILA, MARCH 11, 2013 – AIGA medal for design awardee Lucille Tenazas is best known in the design world for her t in translating postmodern ideas into critical design practice. Her work is described in AIGA’s website as, “Her exploration of the relationship between type, photography and language; and the development and leadership of highly-respected design education programs – always with exquisite execution.”
Her talent was first recognized by her primary school teacher in Manila when she was tasked to draw trees as an aid for a lesson in arithmetic. She drew these figures in such exquisite detail that her talent was recognized in its early stage.
Brought by a kindly aunt to the US, she attended Cranbrook Academy of Arts where her usually colorful palette was challenged by the style prevalent in the place – Swiss-influenced, black-and-white type-and-stripe aesthetics. But she didn’t follow status quo and soon found herself well ahead of everyone else in the design trend as soon enough, almost all her classmates would turn to her and ask for her take on their work.
Tenazas has always approached design on a personal level, defining inspiration as “anything or anyone that propels me towards an epiphany. It is the recognition that the person is the work has the capacity to effect and affect deeper consciousness in myself or my work.”
These inspirations would take on many various forms from poetry books to photographs, inspiration is literally everywhere. “I am mostly inspired by great writing, mostly contemporary writers and essayists who have a great command of the craft of language. No particular favorites although I have used the poems of Pablo Neruda from his book ‘Ode to Things’, [which is] a starting point for a series of student projects.”
As for visual work, Tenazas prefers photography that has an ”unresolved quality which begs to be looked at longer, works of art that make her viscerally aware of materiality and surface quality, inventive use of textile and tactile surfaces wherever it is found in something man-made or manufactured.”
“It is this quality that makes me want to replicate it in 2-D,” Tenazas added.
Now a designer and an educator, her works can mostly be seen on several identity systems and projects for small creative businesses like design and architectural studios that include museums and non-profit organizations.
When asked if she has worked with brands, Tenazas said, “I prefer working in this context for two reasons that seem at odds with each other. These clients deal with visual culture and are therefore already attuned to a different manifestation of visual work, i.e. communication design. They are receptive clients on the one hand but can also prove to be an example of clients who know too much and therefore, can be demanding and are armed for client/designer jousting.”
Some of her work can be viewed at the Henry Art Gallery, Hecksher Museum of Art, University of California at Berkeley, Active Voice (www.activevoice.net) and envelope a+d (www.envelopead.com).
