5 questions with adhemas

aka ademilson batista

Adhemas (aka Ademilson Batista) is a 25-year-old graphic designer and illustrator based in São Paulo, Brazil, where he lives with his wife and two children. He's been working in the digital market for ten years, and also carries extensive art direction experience from Brazilian agencies such as AgenciaClick and AlmapBBDO. His client roster includes Volkswagen, Effen, Pepsi, Fila, MSN, AMBEV, and others.

Adhemas' distinctive visual style — which relies heavily on mixing photography with illustrations and color washes — has earned him multiple advertising awards, including two LIAA Gold Statuettes, a gold medal in El Ojo de la Íbero-Americana, the One Show Festival's Award of Merit, and the Flash Forward Award for his website work for Havaianas.

adhemas

01. Describe the concept(s) behind your interpretation of Select Flavor.

AB: I interpreted Select Flavor as a moment in time — a moment in which your eyes are opened to your inner desires, and you enjoy yourself in the now. I tried to capture this feeling by tailoring my illustrations to portray Select's young audience, using a wide range of de-saturated colors to suggest a certain vibrancy, with an edge.

02. Give a brief sketch of the creative process you used to realize your Select artwork.

AB: As I usually do, I sifted through some magazines (WAD and Citizen K for instance) to get my thinking started about different portrayals of style and visual options. I chose some pieces of a few photos, and used them as a basis for rough sketches. Then, I made the girl with the bottle cap earrings, as well as the flower and tint-splash background patterns. But it still felt incomplete somehow, so I did some more digging, and came up with the yellow man. Once he came to me, the series began to come together and the inspiration for the woman dressed in all black came quickly. The final touch was to combine the colors, characters, and patterns to create the composition.

03. If you could set up a studio anywhere, what location would you choose, and why?

AB: Right now, it would be São Paulo, Brazil, which is where I live. I know the market, and I know the agencies and people, which makes things easier. But the USA is the land of opportunity as people say, and I agree. Who knows what the future holds?

04. Who or what inspires you to make art?

AB: To name specific people is difficult. I like and respect so many artists around the world that it's hard to call out one, or even a few, in particular. But I do consult design sources like Flavorpill, Newstoday, Lounge Seventy-Two, and others on a daily basis to see what other artists are doing. I see what they're making and it gives me the energy and inspiration to continue learning and exploring new skills. When I see something I really like, I try to figure out how to do it better — it's my way of challenging my own knowledge.

05. What other projects are you working on-or dreaming about working on-right now?

AB: I'm volunteering my time to create a poster for a public campaign about leukemia in France, and am seeking other projects to expand my portfolio.