Meet Ana Michel | Graphic Designer, Type Designer & Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ana Michel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ana, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
Back in 2013 I decided to move to a smaller city and quit a well paid job at an Add agency. I had some family issues then and the best solution was to make all those changes in my life.
I started as a freelance graphic designer in a new and smaller city, it was not easy to seek for new clients and to have a stable monthly income. But on the other hand, I had more freedom to organize my time and enjoyed having my children around.

That period of time also made me think what else could I do with my skills and knowledge, and Teaching seemed to be an interesting field to jump into. I started a Higher Education Course at a local university and at the same time I started learning more about Type Design in a self-taught way.

Success is still a concept hard to define for me, but when I look back I realize that those decisions took me where I am now, and I am proud of the results so far.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, I am a graphic designer and I teach at UPB in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I am on my way to specialize in Type Design, hopefully after finishing the program Type West online, I would able to work 100% in type, that is one of my short-term goals.

I keep learning and I enjoy doing it, I think that is a skill that sets me apart from others in some way. The concept of Graphic Design has changed enormously since I graduated from university. This field as many others demand constantly training and keeping ourselves updated in order to keep up with the pace of technology and the communication demands. I try to do so; teaching is the best way to keep learning.

When I studied graphic design, I hardly had any training on type design, we didn’t really studied it as a separate, complex and deep field. I started drawing letters many years later, basically by accident when I made my first hand lettering work at a pool’s cafeteria. Since that moment on, I
started my journey as a self-taught type designer. I felt I needed to explore more about the shapes of the letters, so I dedicated many hours to learn about lettering with daily practice, many Youtube tutorials and a lot of experimentation.

At that time there were no accessible specialization courses in type design, but there were many free tutorials and accessible online courses and I took them all!
Calligraphy tutorials, vector drawing for letters, and of course diving into the social media ocean to follow and learn form the greatest sharks of letter construction.

After uncountable work on lettering blackboards, the practice had paid off, because I was able to build a portfolio good enough to be accepted in Type Design courses, like Type Paris 2019, Display Type Design Class 2020 at Type@Cooper, and currently in Type West Online program at Letterform Archive. Those three courses were definitely life changing experiences in so many ways.

I believe one of the most valuable lessons I have learned along the way, is that it is never too late to learn and if you have internet and the eager to know more, there is nothing that cannot be learned.

Learning communities are the greatest gift of pandemic times. I am lucky to be part of some of them and to learn a lot from those human sharing spaces. I try apply the same concepts and ideas in my immediate environment, therefore I run @ letras.bo and @tipograbo, in order to gather local designers interested in Type, lettering, calligraphy . etc to promote learning and improving activities that contribute to the community of Bolivian designers

I want the world to know that there are type designers in Bolivia.
While in class, my students are encouraged to be inspired by Bolivians culture and to apply it on their projects, seeking a type design rich in national identity along the way.

We start with a mood board of national references, whether its architecture, biodiversity, cultural aspects and of course, vernacular signs. We want to revalue the expressive charge existing in Bolivian letters. Crafted work is essential in my country, so it shouldn’t be diminished in our designs.

The ultimate goal I would like to accomplish with my future colleagues, is that they feel they are growing where they were planted. We are a not a country well known for being design experts, we don’t have much heritage in design history, but what we are a country that keeps some sense of authenticity and that can give a fresh view of type design in the world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Cochabamba is known as the “Gastronomic Capital of Bolivia”, so prepare to go back home with some extra weight 🙂 The local markets are famous for the food, and the fresh and cheap fruits you can find. All local markets have their own food court of course.

The city is a warm flat valley, so it is really nice to take long walks watching all the colorful trees and gardens around the city, with food stops of course.

We would start the day with the best breakfast ever, “Api con pastel” it is warm beverage based on purple corn and pastel is a fried pastry filled in with melted cheese.

Around 10:30 a.m. it is Salteña time, which is a baked empanada filled with beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce containing olives, raisins, eggs and potatoes.

Lunch time deserves a juicy Lapping, This dish consists of roasted breast of cow, accompanied by mote de habas, corn, chopped tomatoes, onions and boiled potato with the skin, abundant salad and ground chili (uchu llajwa) or raw sauce.

Around tea time, 16:30 we would go to La Recoleta for some cuñapés and mocochinchi. We can watch the sunset from EL Cristo, where you can get a panoramic view of the city.

And to close the day, we will have dinner at “Las islas” a food truck place with a huge variety of the best street food in Cochabamba.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since I began to walk the typography route, I have found wonderful people along this path, people who in a very humble way share with me their knowledge and their unconditional support. I could mention names but surely I would forget someone.

Thanks to the pandemic, I was able to be part of the great Latin American typography community, where I found colleagues and friends with the same interest, passion, and concerns. Despite being at higher levels of experience and knowledge, they have always given me help, feedback, and advice with great patience.

Website: https://behance.net/ana_michel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anamicheldesign/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-michel-9ba297ab/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnaMich85101660

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