Ricardo Rossello, as anonymous as he is present in our daily lives

Ricardo Rossello's name is certainly not known 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 hand are behind the most iconic logos, brands and images of popular visual culture, and his contribution has been crucial to the renewal of Spanish design and its international exposure. His life and work are now dealt with in Letters that sign a documentary directed by Àlex Guimerà is now available on CaixaForum+ and Filmin and will be broadcast on TV3 next year.

Ricardo Rosselló (Chaco, Argentina, 1936) worked during the 1960s in the leading advertising agencies in the United States (G.W. Thompson, Young & Rubicam or Compton Advertising) as a designer and art director. Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, Ed Benguiat, and Paula Scheer were his colleagues and friends.

Among his most notable works are brands such as Playboy, Tabacalera, Farias, Ducados, La Casera, El Corte Ingles, Borges, Casa Tarradellas and also La Vanguardia.

In 1975 he settled permanently with his family in Barcelona, ​​where he was attracted by the sea, the mountains, the printing press, typographical tradition and modernity. His arrival, as well as that of other Argentine professionals (Mario Eskenazi, Alberto Livor, Jorge Pinsi, Carlos Rolando, Norberto Chavez, America Sánchez) had a major impact on the history of graphic design and audiovisual communication. His most prominent works include brands such as Playboy, Tabacalera, Farias, Ducados, La Casera, El Corte Ingles, Smoking, Borges, Casa Tarradellas and also Vanguard.

“This documentary is the story of a person passionate about design and literature, who devoted his whole life to what he loved most, and was able to make a living from it,” says director Alex Guimera, who defines this project as: “A humble tribute to the character and legacy of Rosselló.”

“Its production capacity is huge,” Gumera continues. The production includes much of the material Rossello produced during his sixty-year career, including originals, drawings and also a large collection of photographs he maintains from Argentina, Chicago and Barcelona. In addition to Rosselló himself, prestigious names in Spanish design, advertising and audiovisual communication share their degrees, such as Alex Truchot, Ana Gia, Luis Passat, Oscar Tusquets, America Sánchez, Mario Eskenazi and Rosa Mondet, who was editor-in-chief of Design Vanguard .

“Rossillo is one of the best calligraphers in the world, a craftsman in a field that has very few representatives,” Mondet explains. “In 1981, on the occasion of the centenary of Vanguard, A commemorative stamp and redesign of the masthead were commissioned. In 2007, it updated the logo again to adapt it to new print formats. The result was a modern and powerful brand.