Customer Appreciation – Fernando Sanzzi

Getting married is a very personal event, yet so many engaged couples page through generic invitations and other wedding stationery that’s been designed by strangers for mass consumption. Isn’t it great when you know a graphic designer or – better yet – are marrying one? Fernando Sanzzi designed the save-the-dates, RSVP cards and more for his recent nuptials. We here at PsPrint loved the save-the-date postcard we printed so much that we awarded it a prize in our Customer Artwork Contest!  

    While Sanzzi has been drawing since he was very young, he says he didn’t start illustrating “with a purpose” until high school and, even more so, in college. But his artistic talents extend to animation, as well. “I went to college with the idea of, eventually, becoming a comic book artist,” Sanzzi told me. “But once there, I was exposed to things like animation, motion graphics and digital imaging, and my whole horizon opened from just drawing to actually telling stories. Animation was the medium I chose because I felt it offered more possibilities.” These days Sanzzi says he is considering returning to his roots and creating graphic novels, “since that allows for one person to be in control.” At the same time, Sanzzi thinks the best projects, “at least for what I want to do, which is telling stories,” are collaborations.

“In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.” ― Tina Fey, "Bossypants."

Sanzzi says he agrees with that quote, and those are his ideal types of projects. “I don't care if it's a postcard, a menu, a poster, a portrait – when someone hires you, they do so because, in theory, they think you have talent, you are a professional, and you know what you are talking about,” he says. “They are giving you their money, so they must trust you, and you should not let them down. I think the projects I've enjoyed the most are exactly those, where no one is micromanaging every little aspect of creativity.” Sanzzi says he finds inspiration in artists’ sketchbooks – in particular, books that compile the art of Pixar movies. “What really drives me to create and complete projects is storytelling and the people I care about, whether it is a life event – like my own engagement – or a family member's portrait or a birthday card for someone I love,” Sanzzi says. All those projects leave Sanzzi with little free time, which is fine with him, since he says he finds it difficult to unwind. “I genuinely enjoy staying busy, so unless you take me away from a tutorial or my computer, I'll probably find something to keep me occupied,” he says. So if Sanzzi does manage to get away from work, he enjoys traveling – “putting new landscapes through my eyes” – or going for walks and “watching silly shows that don't require much thinking.”