The name of Ricardo Rousselot is surely unknown to most people but his work is very present in our daily lives. He is one of the key people in the design and calligraphy scene. His mind and his hand are behind the most iconic logos, brands and images of popular visual culture and his contribution has been decisive for the renewal of Spanish design and its international projection. His life and work is now addressed in Letras que Marcan, a documentary directed by Àlex Guimerà now available at CaixaForum and Filmin and which will be broadcast next year on TV3.
Ricardo Rousselot (Chaco, Argentina, 1936) worked during the sixties in leading advertising agencies in the United States (JW Thompson, Young
In 1975 he settled permanently with his family in Barcelona, attracted by the sea, the mountains, the printing press, typographic tradition and modernism. His arrival, added to that of other Argentine professionals (Mario Eskenazi, Alberto Lievore, Jorge Pensi, Carlos Rolando, Norberto Chaves and América Sánchez) produced a great impact on the history of graphic design and audiovisual communication. Among his most notable works are brands such as Playboy, Tabacalera, Farias, Ducados, La Casera, El Corte Ingles, Smoking, Borges, Casa Tarradellas and also La Vanguardia.
“This documentary is the story of a person passionate about design and literature, who has dedicated his entire life to what he likes most, and who has been able to make a living from it,” says director Àlex Guimerà, who defines this project as “a humble tribute to the figure and legacy of Rousselot.”
“Its productive capacity is overwhelming,” Guimerà continues. The production includes numerous material produced by Rousselot during sixty years of profession, including originals, sketches and also a large photographic collection that he preserves from Argentina, Chicago and Barcelona. In addition to Rousselot himself, prestigious names in Spanish design, advertising and audiovisual communication participate with their testimony, such as, among others, Alex Trochut, Ana Gea, Lluís Bassat, Óscar Tusquets, América Sánchez, Mario Eskenazi and Rosa Mundet, who was chief design editor of La Vanguardia.
“Rousselot is one of the best calligraphers in the world, an artist-craftsman of a discipline with very few representatives,” explains Mundet. “In 1981, on the occasion of the centenary of La Vanguardia, a commemorative stamp and the redesign of the masthead were commissioned. And in 2007 he modernized the logo again to adapt it to new printing formats. The result has been a modern and resounding brand,” he details.
