Data Studio
- Client: Erik Lopez
- Role: Brand designer
- Contributions: Brand design · Naming · Logo design
Art direction · Website consultancy · Animation - Mexico City
- 2025
Data Studio is a photo documentary studio and exhibition project founded by Erik López, emerging from his extensive experience in the museographic field. The studio aims to redefine how art installations are documented, both visually and conceptually, by applying Erik’s curatorial vision.
The studio not only captures exhibitions but interprets them, treating documentation as an extension of the artwork itself. With an emphasis on contemporary methods and digital platforms, Data Studio explores new visual languages that represent ephemeral art experiences in both permanent and dynamic ways.
Brief
Erik approached me with the desire to transition from a personal practice into a more defined studio structure. The goal was to shape a professional identity that could confidently work with galleries and museums while continuing to reflect his unique perspective.
The challenge was to incorporate subtle references to his former identity, such as the digital blue tone he was already using, while giving the new brand enough freedom to evolve and represent a collaborative studio vision. It needed to position the studio within the contemporary art field, with enough clarity and restraint to adapt across various artistic contexts.
Approach
I set out to design an identity that was present but never overpowering—something capable of holding and highlighting the work of others. I approached the brand as a dynamic container: sometimes expressive, sometimes minimal, depending on the context. This concept, where the container becomes part of the content’s meaning, became central to the design.
I also considered the digital and flexible nature of today’s exhibitions, where documentation moves fluidly across platforms. The identity retains the digital blue (RGB 0, 0, 255) as a nod to Erik’s earlier visual language. Framing motifs were used to reflect both the structure of documentation and the photographic process. A flexible system was developed to adapt to various levels of visual presence, from subtle watermarks to bolder brand applications.
Outcome
The final logotype reflects a balance of structure and fluidity. It suggests a dynamic frame, subtly referencing the square form of digital pixels while incorporating soft, rounded shapes that recall how light is captured through a lens. This blend creates a visual link between digital and analog photography.
The graphic system adapts to its environment, functioning as a watermark, data stamp, or brand signature without overwhelming the content. The overall identity expresses a museographic tone—one rooted in modernist aesthetics and exhibition practices, refined and flexible, and aligned with the visual language often found in gallery and curatorial contexts.
