Rob Alba
Multidisciplinary Designer / Lettering and Type Designer
Born in Buenos Aires Argentina working worldwide. I'm a digital nomad.
www.robalbastudiolettering.com
instagram @rob.alba.lettering
behance
dribbble
Q What do you do?
“I’m an old-school lettering artist.”
This means having Herb Lubalin prints/books all over my place; a type designer and a multidisciplinary designer.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I have a master's in Graphic Design, done at least two workshops per year since I got my title in 2009, I love taking online learning courses now and then, and I also have many books to keep my creative mind fed.
I worked as a Graphic Designer and an Environmental Designer for Levis, Adidas, and Sony. After ten years in the industry, I decided to leave my job in the art department at WeWork to focus on my freelance career full-time working on lettering/typography-related projects, my true passion.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I like to combine classic type design methods with a contemporary look. Clients love working with me because of my range of styles, commitment, professionalism, and kindness. I’m proud of having an ongoing professional relationship with the startups that helped grow my freelance career.
Q What are you working on right now?
I recently ended up designing a collection of graphic tees for one of my usual clients. When I’m between projects, I like to take some days to develop side projects like creating fonts or content for my social media.
Q What’s your style?
I like creating stylish and refined lettering pieces with many swashes and ligatures. If someone sees my work and believes it’s from the 60’ I will feel fulfilled.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I would take on editorial projects more often, combining my design skills along with my lettering pieces. But also it would be a dream come true to land on a project related to the music or movie industries.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Finding new clients/business/agencies to work with, it's hard to work on your skills every day, put your heart into it and feel social media shuts you down and keep you a secret.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I will ask him or her to take any of my projects and make a cool presentation with them for my portfolio.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would return to 2011 and say, “Buy those bitcoins you were thinking about, and stop buying shoes all the time!" haha.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would talk with Tony Dispigna and ask him about the creative process in his time at Herb Lubalin & Co.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I will welcome any typography, lettering, advertising, or editorial project. Logos, graphic tees, letterheads, movie titles… basically anything that has typography as the main ingredient. I’m used to small-size projects that can take 2 to 3 weeks but I’m open to joining a team that requires locking my agenda for 2 to 6 months.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I’m very pleased with my clients; for the last 4 years, I worked with many women-owned companies that empower women all over the world; being a feminist myself, this is a dream come true.
Q: What is your rate?
I'm used to working on a project to project budget/scope. On the other hand, my general rates are $85/hour/$600/day, and I have a flat rate between $1500-$3500 per lettering piece depending on usage. Startups and non-profits are my jam, so if you have a lower budget don’t hesitate to contact me. We will find a way to work together anyway with a considerable discount rate.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
You can contact me at hello@robalbastudiolettering.com. I would love to know about you, your business, and your projects. If you have a budget and scope, that's great but if you only want to chat to see if we are a good fit that’s cool too.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Probably the 800 people I follow on Instagram; some of my high considerations are Marte, Vincent Conti, Jeremiah Britton, Heroinax, Efdot, Tereza Wozniak, Dan Foster, and Thomas Cantoni, Davi Hero, and many others.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Changing my work environment every time I can.
This member profile was originally published in April 2022.