London-based artist and graphic designer Matteo Pelo talks to Zoot Magazine about his current projects.
Text by Anna Battista
Hong Kong-born but London-based Matteo Pelo studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins. Last Autumn he was part of the New Era XC90 Anniversary Exhibition and he is currently working on the branding for a new gallery, Kingsland Road Studio, and on the invitations for the first exhibition that will open in June. The event, focused on the Presence/Absence theme will look at technology, communication, memory and perception and Pelo is developing works along these lines while also putting the final touches to the graphics for the Photo Stories exhibition that opened at the end of May at The Saatchi Gallery.
Zoot Magazine: What fascinates you about graphic design?
Matteo Pelo: The exact moment when you get things right. There’s a level of satisfaction in graphic design that I haven’t found in many other disciplines. Besides I really enjoy working with other people: you get the chance of doing your own thing, but it’s when you get ideas together with people from different backgrounds that things get really interesting.
Zoot Magazine: What inspires you?
Matteo Pelo: Design is everywhere, there’s no way you can ignore it even if you’re not interested in it. But for someone who is into design it really keeps the mind moving all the time. At any moment something you see gives you an idea or serves as inspiration for a project.
Zoot Magazine: What is your dream job?
Matteo Pelo: To work in studio with people I admire and respect. Ideally a space where people can come down, work together and keep bouncing ideas off each other. I already do that now to some extent, but I’m at the very beginning so everything seems to be a bit harder to achieve.
Zoot Magazine: Would you like to collaborate with a fashion designer one day?
Matteo Pelo: That would be amazing! Fashion design, like any other design discipline, is something I consider and follow on a daily basis. What’s exciting is the different approaches the designers would take in order to get to the final product. In a way I’ve done that before, by being part of the New Era XC90 Anniversary Exhibition last Autumn. New Era gave me a blank cap and carte blanche. At first it was a bit daunting, but in the end it was so much fun, and it was something I hadn’t done until then.
Zoot Magazine: Who is your favourite graphic designer and why?
Matteo Pelo: Paul Rand. Aside from the fact that he was the man behind some of the most easily recognisable logos of all time, I just loved the simplicity of his work. I found a blog the other day that features letterheads of celebrities. When I found his letterhead I stopped and looked at it for ten minutes. It had his name and address in black in a small point size and it was pushed all the way to the edge of the paper, at the very top. It was so simple but so well balanced that it made me wish I were his friend!
