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Lisandro Carrasco and Juan “Mono” Alvarado are two artists who are passionate about paper as a resource to conceptualise and realise creative ideas, in contrast to the use of computer tools. The former is Argentinian, the latter Ecuadorian, and after long careers separately as designers in studios and communication agencies, in 2017 they decided to bring their passion together in Don Nadie.
The studio, located in the historic city centre of Quito, specialises in the creation of paper designs for everything from editorial illustrations to avant-garde fashion, stage scenery and storefront windows. Each piece is visually unique and meticulously crafted, often combining different techniques, such as folded paper, paper cutting, and origami.
Creations for advertising
With QONDESA, for example, you can see how their mastery of these skills was applied to designing baroque-inspired wigs, with motifs ranging from flowers to an old cassette tape, as well as ruffs and a pleated dress.
Interestingly, the campaign was designed to promote a new 36-story tower block in Quito by real estate developer Uribe Schwarzkopf. The Ecuadorian brand DK Management also turned to Don Nadie for the central image for their promotional campaign for shopping centres, such as San Marino Shopping, Mall del Pacífico, San Luis Shopping, Quicentro Shopping and Granados Plaza. On this occasion, they moved away from white to an explosion of colours, appealing to fantasy and the ancestral values of the community.
Speaking of colour – orange in particular – there’s their campaign for Payphone, an Ecuadorian brand that provides financial services through a platform which allows users to make and receive payments using debit and credit cards through their phone. “Cities” is a series of scenes that represent the different locations in the world where the app can be used.
Fantastical shop windows
As for product set design, Don Nadie has worked with Victoria Paris, a Mexican brand of high-quality vegan leather bags, wallets and accessories raising awareness about the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Nopal, agave and rattlesnakes were the elements which inspired the minimalist setting for this handbag collection made from cacti.
As in all their commissions, when it comes to designing shop windows Lisandro Carrasco and Juan “Mono” Alvarado need to capture the essence of a brand. The Peruvian Jessica Butrich helms her own brand of shoes and accessories, which use retro and pop elements to evoke a feminine, bold woman who knows how to have fun when dressing up. The design studio was inspired by the sweetness and fantasy of her latest collection “Sweet Sunshine” to create a candy-hued display that even includes paper muffins.
This same versatility with clients is what made them principally use red, on the other hand, for Ecuadorian beauty salon Gabriella Rocha, to emulate passion.
The exuberance of cacao and the charm of Ecuador’s subtropical rainforests was the main source of inspiration behind the paper tree decorating the Paccari Casa de Experiencias, from the organic and vegan chocolate brand. Its leaves, flowers and fruits are made of paper using techniques such as cutting and folding.
Editorial projects
A tree from a tropical region was also the central figure of another of Don Nadie’s projects, this time editorial in nature. Ylang-ylang, or cananga odorata, is known for its beautiful yellow flowers, from which an essential oil is extracted that is used in aromatherapy. The initiative is part of a book artistically depicting the great diversity of indigenous flowers from the «La Prosperina» Protected Forest, an institutional program managed by the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral del Ecuador (ESPOL) to protect the flora and fauna of the area.
Buffet, meanwhile, is an image created for the International Poster Biennial in Mexico to condemn the state of pollution in the world’s oceans. This time, the design studio depicted the idea with a white paper fish, whose stomach is filled with trash such as a plastic cup and straw, a soda can and even a toothbrush, leaving a strong impression on the viewer.
“Axis ad universum” is a tribute to the diversity, cultural and natural richness and traditions of Ecuador with its position in the middle of the world. They created a colourful insect to promote the country, as part of the international competition and congress of Visual Communication of the Ecuador Poster Biennial.
Fashion Styling & Fine Art Photography
Don Nadie has also left its mark on the fashion world, for example, creating bridal headpieces for the first collection of Ecuadorian designer Fabrizio Célleri, representing a new era of bridal fashion through the use of a sustainable and versatile material like paper.
On the flip side of this pure whiteness is this series of pieces inspired by the erotic practice of bondage, featuring accessories such as black masks and whips. The “Masters & Slaves” concept was produced by photographer Juan Pablo Merchan for the Miami-based international fashion and beauty magazine Scorpio Jin.
Finally, “Tarot” is a visual exploration of some of the figures in tarot cards, deconstructing their archetypes and symbols and the ways in which their various meanings and depictions could be captured in the context of paper. The Wheel of Fortune, The Fool and The High Priestess are just some of the figures that Lisandro Carrasco and Juan “Mono” Alvarado have managed to elevate with their art.
Don Nadie proves that paper art is no less important in contemporary design, remaining one of the most innovative languages that brands have to experiment with and find their own artistic voice with which to captivate viewers.