Tools of Mass Creation
The most boring question I usually get is about the gear I use in my work.
I get where it comes from. I really do. For some people the gear is important, like an indirect source of inspiration. But still, I cannot avoid yawn every time I get asked this.
So, in order to leave a definitive answer out there, I’ll write down here my tools of mass creation and I’ll update it every time a major change or improvement occurs.
Before we start, I want to share my philosophy behind it.
I love technology but I don’t worship technology. I treat my computer like a carpenter treats his hammer. With respect and determination, but also with force and not in a delicate way. It’s a tool and it should behave like one.
Let’s begin.
From 2009 and 2017 I worked mainly on a 27" iMac. Before 2009, technology wasn’t as hype as it is today, so I don’t recall any other specific detail.
Without a doubt, that computer was the main tool of most of my most popular/awarded works.
Around 2010/11 I add to my inventory a Wacom tablet (Intuos 4). This is probably the MOST important tech tool I have.
Forget mouses. I don’t like them very much. But the graphic tablet is a must. As matter of fact, I refuse to work without one.
I still use the same tablet today and it works as smooth as the first day.
If you’re a designer (even though Illustration isn’t one of your skills) I strongly recommend to use one. The reason that comes to mind is that the digital pen is a direct metaphor of a pencil and, like a teacher once told me, the pencil is the starter key to our creative thought process. Own a pencil and if you work with digital, own a graphic tablet.
On another note, it has aged gracefully, which I really like. Kudos Wacom.
In present day, I’m in the process of lighting up a bit my tech gear. I moved out from the enormous iMac and I have the intention to work the next years on a laptop. My current and main computer is a 13" MacBook Pro, which runs beautifully.
As a poster designer, I still miss the big screen of the iMac… but I cannot deny the lightness and facility of movement that a MacBook provides.
Let’s talk about smartphones for a second. I wonder If anyone still uses as a “calling machine”. For me, it’s just a camera. I know there’re proper profesional cameras out there, but this one is always on me, ready for action.
My smartphone is the best practical example of my approach on technology:
Brands or tech specs are not important. The best tools are the ones that let you forget about them so you can focus only in what you’re doing.
Pablo Zarate is a Designer and an Independent Art Director from Buenos Aires, Argentina. You can buy his posters and get in touch with him on Twitter & Facebook.
