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Bonding through creativity – The award-winning illustrations of Jilipollo - #AnnualSpotlight

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We don't jest when we say that Javier Medellin Puyou (also known as Jilipollo) is one of the top illustrators on Creativepool and definitely one of our personal favourites here in the team. Javier's use of perspective, colour and texture is unbelievable, so we are not surprised that he was able to win three Bronzes last year with all his entries into Annual 2020.

Javier has entered The Annual since its inception in 2015, perhaps skipping a year here and there, but always taking part as one of the most active members in our community. He is currently our 2nd ranked illustrator – but we have no doubt that he will reach the top at some point this year.

For this Annual Spotlight, we had a chat with Jilipollo to learn more about his experience with the Annual and how he managed to get through a year like 2020.

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What feels unique about The Annual?

In addition to the prestige and wide variety of design options that are contemplated, as well as the exciting “emerging talent” award, what I find so special, unique and very useful for the winners in The Annual is the opportunity to receive comments on your work directly from the judges. That is truly appreciated!

How does it feel to have won the Creativepool Annual Awards?

It was absolutely motivating and rewarding. This recognition really kept me motivated on moving forward in my career and keep trusting in myself and in my work, despite the obstacles that may arise. 2020 was a difficult year for many of us, including myself, and not just referring to the pandemic, so this award is very special and means so much to me.

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Will you be entering again this year? If so, what are your hopes?

Of course! Hoping to get gold this time :)

Can you tell us more about your winning submissions and what you think impressed the judges?

In “Streaming Wars” illustration, I was asked to show the strong competition between the main Streaming entertainment companies: Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Disney. For each, both the Art Director and I chose some of the most successful series and some of their characters for each streaming company. I made another illustration of Zuckerman for the same article that talks about the monopoly that facebook is committing.

Regarding the Illustration I made for the label of “Kuxillo” mezcal, the concept refers to the prehispanic culture of Mexico, where “Ah- Puch”, God of the underworld from the Mayan mythology, is shown along with a knife made of stone. We can see many “Agaves” in the image as well, which are the plants where the mezcal is taken from. “Kuxillo” is an intentional wrong-spelled word for “Cuchillo”, which means “knife”. Having this in mind, I came up with the idea of ​​leaving a cut in the label paper, pretending that the knife is cutting it.

Probably this is something the judges liked…?

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What advice would you share with other agencies and individuals looking to grab a prize?

Don’t hesitate to participate if you think you have done a good job. It’s not only the recognition of what you may achieve, but it’s hope for your future, too.

How do you feel Covid has impacted the creative landscape in 2020?

As far as I know, most of the creatives -if not all of them- struggled and felt more stressed during the pandemic in 2020, especially freelancers, who have been possibly hit the hardest by the lockdown measures. The feelings of loneliness, the financial difficulties and being isolated in your house for too long of a period can be mentally draining, which could’ve been dangerous to the creative juices. Lockdown affected our client’s budgets as well, and some of us sadly had some projects pushed back, which seemed like a spiralling downward trajectory with no chance of return.

But even through these hard times, creatives are hard-wired to constantly face struggle, and are still finding the strength to react, adapt and become better versions of themselves. I think the pandemic drove us to fight this new problem together and united us by communicating with partners all over the world trying to find solutions, and, in my own experience, sites like Creativepool helped me massively to know the personal situation of other creatives in their countries by reading their experiences and the possible solutions and tips that they kindly shared with everybody. I believe the recognition of the winners gained through The Annual is absolutely fantastic and it’s like a shine filtered through a cloudy sky, especially in these times when hope and self-motivation could be flimsy for many creatives.

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What are your hopes for 2021 and beyond?

Overall, despite those difficult times we’ve been through, I hope we are able to find a learning from the pandemic experience, rich in challenges in every sense. I think we have learned to adapt and find a new way to work.

We should know by now what works for you and what doesn’t when living in self-isolation, so we have to look forward and plan away. 

I also hope that one of the projects that was not carried out last year, perhaps the largest that has arisen in my career, can come back afloat!

What is your most exciting project in the next year?

Well, I still don't know what exciting opportunities are coming my way! But one thing’s for sure: the award in The Annual will bring a subsequent recognition and goodwill from clients, but more than that, this is a huge positive and motivating feeling which gives me self-confidence and keep improving the quality of work I am producing.

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