Creative Director

Francisco Pinero, Grammy award winning creative director from Venezuela, has quickly become a reference in his field, with his extreme focus on finding the essence of artists and conveying that truth to the consumer, his work is a breath of fresh air to a music industry trapped in a race for mass production and immediate profit.  In his early beginnings as a Graphic designer he learned to transform abstract concepts into clear, attractive, and functional representations he explains: “Graphic design not only taught me to value aesthetics but also to deeply reflect on the message I want to convey.” Through his years of experience in Graphic design he learned that lasting success is only achieved when you can align the commercial endeavor with the pure essence of artistic creation.

Music as a product

Francisco has been interested in music from a very early age, always captivated by the graphics around it he is now really living the dream. With that in mind Francisco does not align with the current landscape of the industry. He says: “Over time, music has evolved, transforming into a mass-consumed product, but I believe artists should never lose sight of its essence. The satisfaction an artist feels for their work is what defines them as an artist.” He sees music as a truly human form of communication and self-expression and his goal as an artist is to allow the music to resonate, he understands the deep connection between visual and sonic art and believes they work together to tell the complete story. After working designing album covers for Venezuelan artists such as Guaco, Ronald Borjas, and Simón Díaz he saw how he could combine visual arts with music in a unique way. Though Francsico does not like to simply label music as product he sees achieving commercial effect as part of the art itself, as is a byproduct of a story well told.

Working with different Artists

Pinero has work with a wide range of artists, from reggaeton stars to jazz legends, but says that nothing changes in terms of his approach: “Although we may have personal preferences for certain genres, such as pop or jazz, what’s truly essential is the connection between the music and the visual identity.” He believes that to work with such different artists he must understand not only their musical style but also what they represent, their roots, their audience, and their vision. Francisco ads: “What really excites me about working with such diverse artists is that, while the visual aesthetic changes, there is always one constant: the need to capture the unique essence of the artist.” Playing an important role in the current boom of Latin Music, his focus on capturing this true essence not only promotes the music but Latin Culture in general, Francisco believes that this rich fusion of cultural traditions, vibrant rhythms, are partly responsible for this recent growth in popularity.

What’s Next for Latin Music

With the rise of Bad Bunny reggaeton has risen to prominence in the pop music charts, though it is very successful at generating commercial success Fracisco explains that the genre only represents a small fraction of all the richness of Latin Music and Culture and has mixed feeling about its current position: “Reggaeton has undoubtedly been a phenomenon that opened the doors of Latin music to the world, much like salsa did decades ago with its catchy rhythm, earning the attention of countries that knew nothing about Latin American culture. However, I believe that the fame and success of reggaeton has also created a sort of saturation in the current music industry, with many artists and producers leaning toward this genre due to its immediate profitability and widespread acceptance. This phenomenon has left a significant and underexplored gap in other Latin genres like salsa, merengue, pop, cumbia, samba, bolero…”  The cultural richness of Latin America is represented by a variety of rhythms and sounds that reflect its history and cultural influences, Francisco is looking forward to new artists to arise and shine a light into the full scope of what Latin American culture has to offer.

What’s Next for Francisco

With a Grammy in the bag and no desire to slow down, Francisco is looking forward to his next big project which he claims it will combine all of his expertise: “After years of continuous growth and evolution in the world of graphic design, acquiring new techniques and transitioning to creative direction, now, with my foray into cinema, I feel it’s time to take a bold step towards a project that combines all these disciplines and acquired knowledge. I have always been passionate about research work and documentary filmmaking, that drive to discover what is hidden beneath the surface. Now, the opportunity to direct a monumental project for someone influential in the music industry has come my way,” Unfortunately he is unable to share any more at the current time of our interview; however, with his background and tenacity we can expect it to be as big as it gets.

Francisco’s passion for self-improvement and dedication to displaying the true essence of art are truly inspiring and his results speak for themselves. His work brings new perspective to the music industry, it seems to come from a pure place, defying the money mentality that has been dictating the way the artform develops. While others are desperate to find a way to sell and collect streams, Francisco keeps on pushing for authentic self-expression and authenticity; through his work he is showing people what music represents deep in its core.