Artist Feature:
Q and A With GFT Graphic Desinger Jeanalle Suico
Learn more about the person behind our season graphics, branding, and more!
Hi Jeanalle! Introduce yourself to our readers - how did you get into graphic design, and what’s your role here at GFT?
Nice to meet you! Jeanalle here, GFT’s graphic designer and digital content editor. My love for anything design stems from my love of beautiful things! From perfect lines and symmetry to imperfect harmonies with balance. I learned that I have an eye for design back in fifth grade when I represented our school in a poster making contest and won. I started with GFT right after college. I graduated Events and Media Production and used my accumulated visual media work from assignments to build my portfolio. Fun fact: Instead of submitting a regular resume, I presented Helen and Tyler an interactive resume which kinda forced them to go through my art samples while learning about me and my qualifications!
For those of us who don't know much at all about design creation, can you tell us a little about your process, or what kind of software you use?
Whenever I get tasked to create a design for GFT, I first determine what it is for. Is it for a poster? A postcard? A tutorial reel? That way I can get the dimensions right. And of course more importantly, the content, what message do we want to send our audience? Most of the time it is to spark curiosity and inform. But I’ve also made some designs and videos to inspire creativity and invite!
Another very important thing that I consider when creating GFT designs are the colours (especially in posters!). I wanted to let the audience get a glimpse of the general vibes of the play. You can easily determine if the play contains dark themes, mystery, or light-heartedness through its colour palettes.
I use Adobe in most of my work. Mostly because I can easily take my designs and bring them to another adobe software through the Adobe dynamic link. For example, if I have to animate a poster to make as an intro for an interview video, I can just open my Illustrator file in After Effects, and all layers will be brought thre as well. The company also loves to use Canva! I find it quite intuitive plus it has built-in graphic resources that you wouldn’t find in illustrator. Plus collaboration and sharing is quite easy on the site as well.
What's the most interesting thing about doing graphic design for theatre, specifically? Is it different than designing for other mediums?
Graphic designing for theatre is very similar to graphic designing for any live events. Most media that are published aims to inform, describe, and invite. What makes designing for theatre unique is the specificity of each design to the production that it is representing. Each show has a unique identity, targets a specific audience, and evokes a different feeling. Hence, each font colour palette and even subject arrangement varies from show to show. The challenge of course is to keep it cohesive with the entire season design. And most importantly, all of which must have the GFT signature style!
You design GFT's show posters, and core visuals that represent the various events of the season. Throughout your time at GFT, are there any particular designs or show posters that you're particularly proud of?
So far, last year’s Isle of Demons poster tops my list of favourite GFT posters. I particularly love the little easter egg that is incorporated in the design. It makes the island feel alive, dangerous and evil.
Can you spot the easter egg in the poster? Hint. “The clouds can see!”
What excites you most about GFT's upcoming season?
This year, I am most excited to see 39 steps! I’m looking forward to seeing the Greek Stage in a different light with spies, escapes, and a mix of mystery and comedy.
And finally, outside of GFT, theatre, and graphic design, is there anything else you're super excited about right now?
Besides graphic designing, I am immersing myself in the world of film as well. Recently, I acted in a 48-hour film challenge that won top 15 out of more than a hundred submissions. I am quite active in Filipino community events as well, and have arranged some of the stage graphics for Filipino celebrities such as JayR, Kris Lawrence, and Bryan Termulo. Sometimes, I find myself on stage too! I was one of the front acts for a few Filipino personalities such as Bugoy Drillon, Maui Taylor, and the girl group, BINI. One upcoming project if mine is a drama feature that will be screened this May!