We all have different notions of winter: those in the world’s northern latitudes might think of skiing and snowmen, while those closer to the equator might envision rain, wind, or eternal summer sun. Hedviga Gutierrez, the illustrator of the Winter edition of 2024, comes from Slovakia and thus remembers winters covered in snow, with rosy cheeks and breathing in the crisp, cold winter air. Dive deeper into her design; how many quirky details hidden within the illustration of the new special edition can you find?
What was your path to becoming a designer?
I was very lucky to be born into a creative family, as my mum is a jeweller. I wanted to be an illustrator since childhood, having been influenced by the illustrations in children’s books, which always brought a completely new level of dimension to the stories. At that time, I was dreaming that I would be the one creating a new world for someone behind the mirror – just like in Alice in Wonderland.
What projects do you usually work on?
I love working on illustrated stories in picture books, since I have a passion for textures and storytelling. However, I enjoy working on any type of project really, especially if they can teach me something new. For example, I’m currently working on a project for the Slovak National Theatre, which is a challenging combination of performance art and drawings.
What inspires you?
The nuances of an ordinary day – events, everyday meetings, all the little things that happen randomly. I am trying to be percipient and observant, as inspiration is literally everywhere around us.
What are your daily rituals that you can’t imagine your day without?
Slow mornings. I sit down with my coffee and a diary and plan and write about my day. My expectations, highlights, even feelings. Then I turn on some inspiring podcast or audiobook and get to work.
What’s the idea behind your special edition of toothbrushes?
In the Winter edition, I wanted to reflect joyful memories of white winters, which many of us remember from our childhoods. Snow is a joyful playground for children’s imaginations, and games in the snow are a magical tradition – a beautiful memory for many people in Slovakia. The winter season evokes feelings of rosy cheeks and breathing in crisp, cold air. But even here, we all have different memories of winter. Some like to throw snowballs, others ice skate, ski or sledge, some build snowmen, and the braver ones ice bath.
How would you like people to think about your toothbrush?
I hope this design will brighten up everyone’s winter day, and help everyone dream of carefree playing in the snow, whether as a child or as an adult. I would be happy if the adults would, at least for a little while, escape into their childhood memories and remember the joy of these little things.
How did you choose the colours?
I was inspired by daydreaming and the aurora borealis, which shines on a neutral background with unexpected colours and contrasts. At the same time, the design is influenced by a kind of dreamy palette of colours, which brings nostalgic memories of winter games.
What was the biggest challenge of this design?
The biggest challenge was to incorporate all the joys of different winter games so that everyone can find their favourite activity or memory. Also, to hide little jokes and details in the illustrations, or in other words – create a magical fairytale.
How did your collaboration with Curaprox start?
I have worked with Curaprox Slovakia before, as a graphic designer in charge of editing illustrations of one limited edition, so I was thrilled when the creative team contacted me again and said they were interested in my work. Also, the idea that it would be my design that people could fall in love with was very exciting. I can already say that this is one of my favourite collaborations of the year.
Which Curaprox products are your favourite?
I have been using Curaprox products everyday for years and have always looked forward to the new editions and new colour combinations. I’ve been travelling a lot this past year, so I fell in love with the travel set. I also love trying new toothpaste flavours, they strongly evoke summer for me.
Hedviga Gutierrez is a children’s illustrator based in Bratislava, Slovakia. She studied book illustration at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava and started freelancing as soon as she finished her studies.
She focuses on the creation of picture books along with editorial and product illustrations for both children and adults, for local and international publishers.
Hedviga has received multiple awards for her book illustrations and her work has been exhibited in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and England, and was a part of joint exhibitions in the Illustration Biennale in Japan.
Follow her work at hedvigagutierrez.sk or at @hedviga_gutierrez_illustrator.
