The conversation that turned into an interview - translated

• Oliver Sanz - Graphic designer (Rome, London, NY, Barcelona)
• I posted a series of questions and doubts in a Spanish forum of graphic designers called Domestika. I had concerns about the difference of salaries, work conditions and how designers see the industry in Spain nowadays. Oliver saw my post and decided to send me a private message, which led us to have a very informative chat.
• Hi Alex,

  I've seen your thread post and I didn't want to reply you there because this is a very personal answer.
  
  I don't know much about that university you mention (Leeds College of Art), I don't know if it's comparable to the european institute of design in Madrid or the ISABA in Barcelona, but my guess is that it won't open too many doors for you.
  
  About the salary over here... forget about earning more than 25k € a year, and to reach that it needs to be a big company, which they demand a high level of English from you.

  In my experience, I've been in Barcelona for 5 years after working another 5 between London and NY, and I would suggest you to work a lot over there making new clients, creating an interesting portfolio with your best work and start selling yourself. Have an active list of clients and start working with them... spend some more time as a self-employer with someone else over there (I suggest native people) and once you have all that then come back to Spain. I assure you there's nothing better than working in Spain with an European salary (with non-Spanish clients).
• When I left to NY I had an English client. I had to make a yearbook and a magazine every three months and that alone allowed me to afford living costs for a whole year. That's why it's so important to use your contacts to get clients over there. Maybe at this point in time the name of your institution really can help you.

  
  - How did you find that client? It happened working for a company? And how do you make companies notice you?
• I look for new clients constantly and I bill them as a self-employer. Being working for a company and a self-employer in Spain is shit, because taxes are really high, but it's the only way. In England is much cheaper.

  Don't expect companies to be interested in you, YOU have to be the one going after them.

  Anyway, I think you are young and you have time to understand how life and businesses work. I would also recommend that once you learn English you should move on to another language, since everyone takes for granted you speak it.
• - Do you think Catalan is necessary to work in Barcelona? 
• I've been living in Barcelona for 5 years and I can't even make a sentence. But I have to admit that it helps. Many companies, especially with the 2.0, ask for it. For written communication it's really important.
• - In your website it says you've lived in places like Rome, UK, NY. How did you end up in these places? Did you plan it?
• I initially went to England and Italy to learn English. I went over there at the age of 28. I had 6 years of experience as designer, steady job... I was feeling stuck, so I decided to leave everything and fly.
  I worked as a waiter, learning English... in Rome I worked as PR spending my whole day with Australians, English and Americans. I learned English and many other things. I met my girlfriend and we decided to move to her place in NY. I didn't have a job over there so I decided to look for new clients to work and have an income. It was great over there, getting the visa, visiting Canada... I didn't look for a job as a designer, since I had enough in Europe.
• - Being in NY as a designer must have been very inspirational right? And how did you find those clients? Through your work, using a platform or how?
• Well, back then there was a website called Creative Pool and from there I got a couple of yearbooks. I was also working advertising a couple of restaurants in London, which I got by talking and talking to the boss, making some free stuff. I also had clients in Spain. There's a lot of myth with NY, maybe I'm inspired by other places like Scandinavia or even Italy, but yeah, NY has very quick trends and what to say about the American dream... any European can make an empire from there without much problem, including a designer.
• 1.- How do you see the future of the creative industries in Barcelona /Spain? Do you think  the work conditions and salaries have improved or are we stuck like in other industries?

  2.- Who is your greatest inspiration and why?

  3.- Is there any saying or quote that represents you? Or do you have a personal one?

  ¡Gracias!
• 1. Look, I think that if we talk about the creative industries we would be speaking about the average designer, which is precisely what I want to be different from... I think there are possibilities for the good ones in Barcelona for sure. In Spain I don't know what to say, but I think it's probably the same. Companies know what they want, but it's sometimes difficult to get in their cores. But in short, who perseveres succeeds.

  2. I love and I am very happy of not having "a" inspiration. I like studying different referents depending on the approach I want to have. You really can learn loads from everyone. I can be inspired by César Manrique or Calatrava as architects. I normally get inspired by painting and photography, we have a good history of artists in Spain. I could name people that inspire like Manuel Estrada, but I would only look for inspiration if him if the approach I want to make is similar to his style. Travelling and taking notes is another great source of inspiration...

  3. Well, I have many mostly from photographers. But there is someone, a painter that said something that I have always in mind and drives my life. This is from Don Pablo (warmly referring to Pablo Picasso) "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working".