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  • Pablo BernasconiArgentina ★ Illustrator
  • Erin Peters

“As illustrators, as authors, we invent things that we believe deserve to exist. And if they are truly genuine, we work hard to do them well.”

Pablo Bernasconi

The graphic designer, Pablo Bernasconi, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1973. Graduating from Buenos Aires University, Bernasconi became a Professor of Design and Head of Practical Jobs there for five years. In 1998 he began illustrating covers for the newspaper Clarín. Since then, Bernasconi has illustrated 32 books, 12 of which he also wrote, in which Argentine identity is an important aspect. Bernasconi’s illustrations are for children and adults, and he continues to provide images for periodicals across the globe, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Evening Post, The Telegraph, and The Times.

Pablo Bernasconi’s work is distinctive in that it is largely conceptual rather than literal. Although the images he creates are complex and detailed, he always begins to develop his ideas by working with paper and pencil, using these simple tools as a medium to express his perceptions of the world. His illustrations try to express the character of a subject rather than their physical appearance, using visual metaphors as the most direct and effective way to communicate an idea or a character. He shares with children what he terms “the freedom to construct metaphors and assimilate them that sometimes the adult does not have.” Bernasoni creates collages which forge meaningful connections between many different elements, elements that may appear meaningless on their own. For Bernasconi, the designer’s ability to draw or paint is not important per se, such skills are merely tools that can be used to convey an idea. Overall, for Bernasconi, illustrating children’s books is a way to encourage children to activate their imagination.

Selected Publications

El brujo, el Horrible y el libro rojo de los hechizos [The Wizard, the Ugly and the Book of Shame]. New York; Mexico City: Random House; Sudamericana, 2004. Print.
El diario del Capitán Arsenio [Captain Arsenio’s Diary]. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.
El Zoo de Joaquin [Joaquin’s Zoo]. Mexico City: Kalandraka, 2006. Print.
Excesos y Exageraciones [Excess and Exaggeration]. Mexico City; New York: Sudamericana; Random House, 2008. Print.
Retratos [Portraits] Buenos Aires: Edhasa, 2008. Print. [End Page 7]
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