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11.17.08

Angela Navarra

Designer

www.signorinanavar ...

Duration: I started in late 2003, but have been working solo since April 2007. Prior to that I was working primarily on-site for various companies in New York and New Jersey.

Staff: Currently, it’s just me.

Education: BFA from The School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Cultural Influences: I grew up immersed in Italian culture and have a deep fascination for the eccentric and bizarre. Kitsch design (probably because I spent most summers as a kid in Wildwood, New Jersey), vintage typography, children's storybooks, Bialetti espresso makers, carnivals and old amusement parks, Russian Constructivism, the ninja culture, the desert, learning about local customs and traditions firsthand everywhere I go, '80s music, anything pertaining to alien life, flea markets, Art Deco architecture, vintage toasters, old newspapers, religious beliefs and sculptures, etc.

Environment: I work out of my apartment, also occupied by my frisky cat Lola, in North Jersey. The walls are covered with random cutouts, old postcards and odd signage pieces. I have a few tin toys along with a massive stack of design and illustration books to keep me inspired—and a creepy little E.T. doll sits on my desk with a glowing finger and says "E.T. phone home" and a couple of other phrases I can't quite decipher.

Philosophy: Absorb as much as you can and be grateful for every experience. Each will give you a new lens to look through, shedding a little light on something you might have overlooked before. Everything affects you on an unconscious and conscious level and it shows in your work and daily attitude.