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José Carsi, pictured, is art director for Delano Magazine. Photo: José Carsi/private collection 

As art director you’re one of the people responsible for making Delano look good. What’s the most-rewarding part of your job?

The most pleasing part of my job as an art director for Delano is the possibility to work with different profiles, journalists, photographers, illustrators and other graphic designers.

Communication is very important, and it’s the key for the best result. More precisely in Delano, the gratifying part is learning from really engaged journalists and discovering topics far away from my interest. The more you understand the theme, the better result you get.

 

How did you become interested in graphic design and art? Was there a person or watershed moment that influenced you?

My mum’s father had a printing press. I never meet him, but my mother kept the place he worked in, the machines, the typefaces etc. I didn’t know it, but my interest in print design began when I was very young.

At the same time, my mother studied archeology and restoration, and travel destinations were always focused on art history-related places. Our home library was always full of books about art and visual culture. 

The context in my region has also influenced my childhood. I’ve grown with the golden age of graphic design in Spain, and especially in Valencia, 1980s-2000s. For design lovers, I recommend visiting the exhibition “Do you Work or Design? New Visual Communication. 1980-2003” at the Museu del Disseny in Barcelona.

 

You are originally from Spain, which is known for its fiestas and traditions. What’s your favourite Luxembourg tradition and why?

Definitely, my favourite is Buergbrennen. I’m from Valencia, a city known for its huge fire festival the Fallas. When I came to Luxembourg, I discovered a similar ritual to celebrate the end of winter, also with fire. This made me investigate more about the festival, and now I never miss my yearly rendez-vous with Buergbrennen every February-March. I really recommend visiting the Niederanven one. They build the tallest Buergbrennen of the country. The Bertrange one is also good, with a nice path from the town center to the hill. I’m Mediterranean, so fire is a special concept for me.