EYE ON DESIGN PROJECT FOCUS
Z
igor Samaniego started out studying IT at
university, but quickly realised that he much
preferred designing graphics on computers.
Making the decision to quit university after
discovering his passion, Samaniego completed a
short course on computer graphics and worked as a
video post-production assistant for free before being
hired by a virtual reality company where he spent four
years creating 3D designs for public real estate and
construction companies. “It wasn’t the most fun job in
the world,” he reveals, “but I learned just about
everything about 3D and lighting scenes.”
Samaniego’s persistence payed off. Today, he has
free rein to do creative work at a video games
company, as well as working for advertising agencies
around the world.
For his latest personal typography based project
Run Run Run!he was inspired by a time before all the
success, when as a child, his father travelled in an old,
polluting car.WHEN DID YOU FIRST START USING
PHOTOSHOP AS AN ARTIST?
I started using Photoshop just to add touches to
the renderings I did for the local real estate
companies and to resize images before I sent
them to clients. I soon realised everything I
could do with Photoshop and all of the features
and improvements I could add to 3D images and
now it is more important to me than the actual
rendering program I use.WHERE DID YOU GET INSPIRATION FROM
FORRUN RUN RUN!?
The work was inspired completely by an old car
that my dad had that we used to travel in when I
was a kid. I always remember that car as polluting
a lot and that’s why the letters are done in smoke.HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE CONCEPT?
I always start with a rough sketch in pencil
done on paper, and, since I don’t have a
scanner, I take a picture with my phone and put
it on a Cinema 4D background to geometrically
model the image.
The smoke in Run Run Run! is made using
an old CG technique that involves cloning small
planes that have a transparent texture so that it
looks more realistic. I also used a smoke
paintbrush on Photoshop to touch it up a bit.HOW DID YOU APPROACH USING BOTH
PHOTOSHOP AND CINEMA 4D?
I always consider that the image I get with
Cinema 4D is the raw ingredient that I have to
slowly cook with Photoshop to get the desired
final result. I do about 60 per cent of my work
with Photoshop and I can spend hours at the
end putting the final touches on a final render.WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL WORKFLOW?
The first thing is to have a story you want to tell
or an idea to transmit. When I know what I want
to do I start by making rough sketches in a
notebook, which helps me define the
composition and decide how many objects I
need to model.
After this, I start working directly in Cinema
4D while looking for references online to find the
correct proportions, [and] materials... When I
have everything modelled and textured, I start
with the lighting, which is one of the most
important things in 3D as poor lighting can ruinABOUT THE ARTIST
Afterabackgroundincomputer
graphics, 3D, and virtual reality, Zigor
Samaniegoiscurrentlyanartistat
games company Ludei. He also
regularlyworksforadvertising
agencies around the world such as
Ogilvy and DemensionZIGOR SAMANIEGO
zigorsamaniego.netRUN RUN RUN!
NAME OF PROJECT
3D ILLUSTRATOR AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER ZIGOR SAMANIEGO REVEALS HOW
HE CREATES DISTINCTIVE TYPOGRAPHY USING PHOTOSHOP AND CINEMA 4D
SMOKIN’ TYPOGRAPHY
Liquid typography App icon for the Fargo original seriesApp design for GeoFlightApp design for PixferaAll images© Zigor Samaniego