Alfalfa Studio

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"Poster to promote membership at AIGA. The 'obsessive' hand-drawn detail pays homage to individual personality and craftsmanship, and celebrates the connective power of imagination." Nikhil Mitter, graphic artist; Gregory Gross, writer; Rafael Esquer, creative director; Christina Clugston/Rafael Esquer, designers; Tim Wilder, digital imaging.

"To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Amphibian staged five of the most memorable plays in its history; we reinterpreted the original posters with the new brand." Rafael Esquer, creative director; Rafael Esquer/Minal Nairi, designers; Amphibian Productions, client.

"A 48-page exhibition book was designed to showcase Luis Cruz Azaceta's work as the evolving main character of a story." Rafael Esquer, creative director; Rafael Esquer/Haynes Riley, designers.

"We selected evocative stills from a music video, digitally enhanced them and added customized typography—an intriguing example of Björk's image as an avant-garde artist." Eiko Ishioka, creative director; Rafael Esquer, designer; Tim Wilder, digital imaging; Eiko Ishioka Inc & alfalfa studio, design firms.

"We directed the spots, designed the characters, created original collage illustrations, produced dozens of original hand-painted backgrounds and supervised all production and post-production." Kay Wilson Stallings, executive producer; Fernando Rivas, composer; Ruy Garcia, sound designer; Betty Garcia, agency producer; Rafael Esquer, video director/lead designer/illustration; Nelson Diaz/Andrew Roberts/Kory Valz, animators; Arianna Arroyo, contributing artist; Alejandra Anton/Miranda Jong/Sho Momma/Elena Penny, graphic artists; Clark Stubbs, writer; Nigel Sielegar, designer; Elly Kramer, client.

"YoYo-Open International's main identity is a graphic representation of the shifting, dizzying trajectory of yo-yo, inspired by some of the most classic yo-yo tricks." Alejandra Anton/Miranda Jong, graphic artists; Rafael Esquer, creative director; Rafael Esquer/Sho Momma, designers; Pat Cuartero/yoyonation.com, clients.

"Rafael incorporated the students' words prominently into his mural of a child's universe. Superimposed on silhouettes arranged in thematic groups on a seven-foot-high, multi-panel mural." Jessica Covi/Daeil Kim/Wes Kull/Nikhil Mitter/Minal Nairi, graphic artists; Rafael Esquer, art director/designer; Michael Bierut/Pentagram, creative directors; The Robin Hood Foundation, client.

"A new brand of quality graphic T-shirts, created to support design diversity, alfalfa-seeds.com is the lovechild of NYC street fashion and Mexican graphic design." Lisa Schenone-Ekinci, executive producer; Rafael Esquer, illustrator/creative director; Daniel Gebhart, photographer; Gregory Gross, writer; Rafael Esquer/Haynes Riley, designers; alfalfa-seeds.com, client.

04.26.10

Design firm

www.alfalfastudio.com

Duration: Established in 2004.

Staff: Two. Both are multi-tasking graphic designers. The studio could not get along without the creative energy of our interns who come from across the country and around the world.

Education: Rafael Esquer received his BFA in graphic design from Art Center College of Design. He has studied painting, sculpture and photography. Nigel Sielegar earned his BFA in graphic design from The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago and masters degree from the School of Visual Arts.

Cultural Influences: Our creative canvas is always stretched by our personal journeys through many worlds: language, love, literature, film, fine art, pop culture, music, science, politics, travel and dreams. We embrace diverse visual styles, points of view, techniques, cultures and influences. What keeps us excited about design is the challenge of solving complex problems for our clients through simplicity, surprise and beauty.

Environment: Our studio is located in a beautiful old-style loft in Soho, the heart of New York City. The inside is an eclectic mix of stainless steel industrial tables, found furniture, books, photography lighting and walls plastered with images of current projects. We are lucky to have this vibrant city all around us. Most days we feel like our life is inside a movie set. This is an amazing place to be!

Philosophy: Make the idea clear and simple, but the design surprising and beautiful.

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