JUAN CIOFFI
COMPOSITIONS
Juan Cioffi is a Graphic Designer and 3D artist from Argentina. Light and color play a big role in his compositions, creating timeless moments.
For this interview, Juan Cioffi will be talking about his work, inspirations and more.
Juan Cioffi, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What’s your background?
I am a graphic designer and self-taught 3D designer living in Córdoba, Argentina. I studied two years of architecture, when I left I went to graphic design. In the meantime I began to study photography on my own and understand concepts of composition, framing and color theory, which later deepened in the design career.
When and why did you start making 3D art?
Before entering the Architecture career, I took a basic 3ds max course focused on Architecture. A tool that in my two years of career I never used. In 2016, the 3d softwares caught my attention again thanks to Beeple, with their daily renders on facebook. I immediately started learning cinema 4d on my own and following tutorials on youtube. Unfortunately, I couldn't continue because the type of computer I had back then didn't help much with that. In the middle of 2019, I was able to acquire something better and I took up cinema with another render engine that facilitated the learning process and better final results.
What I love the most about your work is that you are always exploring new compositions and narratives. How do you get inspired to create your images?
Since my adolescence, I usually spend a lot of time on the internet jumping from page to page because I am a very curious person. I could say that within that time, I have acquired a certain visual culture that helps me in my creative process. Also, I usually visit the museums in my city to explore new visions and hopefully take something that can inspire me.
Can you talk a little bit about the element of gravity and time in your work?
In my graphic pieces, I try to have a touch of surrealism; but at the same time, leave the reality of the scene in doubt. On the other hand, I like to observe a lot of photographs and still life painting, where there are frequently elements arranged in positions where gravity individually affects each of the elements and at the same time the whole composition.
How do you use color in your images? There seems to be a dominant color in each scene, highlighting the various elements. How do you compose color? Do you decide the color palette before starting the image?
I never know what colors I am going to use before starting, I can have a preliminary idea of what materials I would like to implement, but I usually define the colors at the end in Photoshop. I usually use a complementary color palette as a first resource but it varies a lot depending on the number of elements in the composition. I generally use adobe color for this process, and surely unconsciously, I apply color theory.
Who or what influences you graphically?
There are many artists and designers that I admire, mainly Andres Reisinger, Six n Five Studio, Peter Tarka, among others. And what things? Well, almost everything, music, movies, art, design, nature. You can get something out of all things.
Could you show us / talk about the process to create one of your images? What is your workflow? What tools do you use for 3d modeling and for post-production?
When I open cinema 4d, I almost never know what I'm going to do, I start playing with primitive forms and boolean operations, until I achieve something that minimally catches my attention, so I add a concept to it. It’s there when I start a clear process about what I want to design. Anyway, it is a fairly linear process although sometimes at first I have to dig deep to achieve something that I like. I use Cinema 4D as the main 3d software, Octane as the render engine and Adobe Photoshop for the post edition.
What advice has influenced you the most?
There is no specific advice that has guided me here, but ever since I was a kid my parents have kept us curious, with toys, traveling, visiting museums, suggesting reading books (although I never read much). These things, little by little, make you see things differently and it's in yourself to know how you take advantage of them.
What advice would you give to young designers?
In these times where information is quickly and easily accessible, if you want to learn something for real, the desire you have will teach you. You don't need anyone to teach you things personally.
“If you want to learn something, the desire you have will teach you.”
Juan Cioffi, thank you for taking the time to interview with Arch-Vizz and talk about work.
You can find more about Juan Cioffi's work on his instagram @juancioffi.
Interview & Images Courtesy: Juan Cioffi
Interviewer: Stefani Fachini