Mariscal: Drawing Life

Javier Mariscal’s designs and artwork encompass a wide range of media, he is celebrated for his comics, graphic design, furniture designs, animation, interior design, illustration and work with brands and logos, amongst others. Across these disciplines, Mariscal’s bold and inquisitive imagination, his sense of humour and his over-arching love of drawing contribute to a unique and characteristic style.

Mariscal’s first published works followed his move from his hometown of Valencia to Barcelona to study Graphic Design. These included the radical underground comic El Rrollo Enmascarado, produced with a group of friends in 1973. The comic had such an impact that it was banned almost immediately by Franco’s government. In 1979 Mariscal created his famed ‘BAR CEL ONA’ logo. Combining illustration and typography into a welcoming symbol that encapsulated the confidence of the city as it emerged from the constraints of Franco’s rule, the logo also established Mariscal as an internationally recognised designer. Appreciating his prodigious talent, Ettore Sottsass invited Mariscal to take part in the celebrated Memphis collective of 1981. Mariscal contributed two furniture designs to the group. In 1987 he created ‘Cobi’, who would go on to be chosen as the mascot for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and cement Mariscal’s reputation for inspired branding. In 1990, the multi-disciplinary Estudio Mariscal was established, allowing Mariscal to take on almost any design brief. The studio has tackled such diverse projects as the re-branding of a political party, the creation of multi-media theme-park attractions, film and TV animations, and the interior design of hotels, shops, restaurants and bars.

Drawing Life is a celebration of the work of Mariscal. Designed, written and illustrated entirely by Javier Mariscal, it a very personal reflection on his career. Mariscal has looked at a wide selection of his major projects, from both the past and the future, and added his individual comments to each in the medium he has always enjoyed the most, drawing.