delostantoswtf?
WHO I AM
Hi. I'm Martín, a visual communication designer. Born and raised in Uruguay. The "de los tantos" part is just one of my many attempts to downplay myself, and it was easy given my last name, De los Santos. I was born in a city called San Carlos, and almost 10 years ago I moved to Montevideo, a city I love despite the spring fluff from the plane trees in the city center.
Since little I've been interested in the relationship between an object and its image, and the concepts it can evoke. I can make that statement today, but, although I've always felt an urgent desire to express things, I never fully learned to draw, and writing always felt slow and lengthy. That's how I learned that a message can be distilled into a simple idea or image, and that this can make it look different, irreverent or elegant, critical or functional, authentic or mass-produced, and that the infinite whirlwind of meaning can be translated with more strength, pain, joy, or fear. That's what design means to me.
WHAT I DO
I studied/study in the Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communication Design at FADU - UDELAR in Uruguay. I started studying almost 9 years ago and began working 8 years ago.
I'm interested in design not only as a discipline to make the world a more beautiful, accessible, and equitable place but also as a tool for reflecting on how and why to do it, how to organize oneself, and how to organize as a collective.
Throughout my career, I became primarily interested in typography as an object of study and experimentation, as well as poster design and identity design. I got involved in outreach projects, projects in the community with a focus on building community through visual communication. I also served as a collaborative teacher in the Typography Workshop for two years. I participated in many workshops, and some we organized with friends and colleagues.
I worked for over 4 years at a design studio in Montevideo specializing in graphic identity and packaging design until I decided to become independent.
I specialize in brand identity design, typography design, calligraphy and illustration, with a strong interest in poster design, graphic activism, and street art, as well as animation, editorial and cover design, and information and infographic design.
That's where I'm at.
WHAT I'VE DONE
2022 - Today
Collaboration as an independent designer on brand and visual identity projects, icon design, editorial design, illustration, and animation.
2018 - 2022
Uruguayan design studio specializing in graphic identity and packaging graphic identity.
2014 - Today
Collaborations with startups and projects, brands, publishers, advertising agencies, and independent film production companies.
- Salvadora Editora
- Reject Films
- Asociación Filosófica del Uruguay
- Cerveza Artesanal Faraónica
- Cerveza Artesanal Mitológica
- Tribu Resto Bar
- Cósmica Cultura Contemporánea
- Forma Editorial
- Red de Ollas al Sur
- Usina de Innovación Colectiva
- El Monitor Plástico
- Reserva Kykyó
- Agencia Rambla
2018 - 2019
Collaborative instructor at the Typography Workshop of the Bachelor's Degree in Visual Communication Design.
2020 - 2022
Participant and coordinator in university extension experiences, particularly in Research and Graphic Production Residencies. CasaMario 2020 (participation), CasaMario 2022 (coordination, organization).
2021
Organizer of a workshop for intervention at the public opening of the New Mercado Modelo: "Pasacalles Futuros." Alongside Fernanda Piñeirúa and Daniela Beracochea.
2022
Guest artist for an intervention at the Festival de Usos Inesperados, during the final stage of work at Usina in the Mercado Modelo. Alongside Camila Narducci and Isabel Cabezudo.