Locals- makebardo Queenstown

If you haven’t heard of makebardo (“the word ‘bardo’ has a contradictory meaning. For the buddhists, the word means ‘in-between state’, while in the dialect Lunfardo in Argentina means ‘chaos’. The contradiction is what defines our work and allows us to be flexible working on any extreme.Adding the word ‘make’ creates an action that can generate balancer a chaos depending on what we want to communicate” you will have seen their glorious designs around the place. Out at Queenstown Airport, Cargo Brewery, Pollard Photography and Empanada Kitchen. Sweet sweet designs with so much passion and flare it oozes from the page. I want them to design all my stuff, and my house and my garden and my life. (If I write it down, they might see it and agree to it all).

Locals originally from Argentina, we’re so glad Bren and Luis made their home here.

Locals- makebardo Queenstown Locals- makebardo Queenstown

1. Who are you, what’s your story?

We are Bren Imboden and Luis Viale, a creative duo behind the design studio makebardo based here in Queenstown, New Zealand. Bren is a Graphic Designer and graduate of the University of Buenos Aires. She is also an illustrator & director of scenography. Luis is an Architect from Argentina as well, with a line of work based on experimentation and research in the field of Graphic and Industrial Design.

The studio practices contemporary visual communication specialising in packaging design, brand strategy and signage systems for national and international clients.

2. Your work. What drives you, what makes it unique to you.

After living and working in Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Melbourne, the varied cultures force us to be flexible and reflective. While we have primarily Latin and European influences, we mix experimentation and cross-disciplines in order to create unique aesthetics for small start-ups or established companies (local to global in size). This flexibility allow us to innovate and evolve not only as professionals but also as human beings. For us the best ideas have a clear message supported by a strong concept and a clean visual execution. During the creative process we research, analyse, discuss and experiment. Every detail is critical in order to achieve what we are looking for in each project. We do what we love to do because this allows us to be who we are.

Locals- makebardo Queenstown

3. Tell us more about the Queenstown community you live in, why you’re there, what keeps you there and what you love about it.

After living in so many places we believe that Queenstown has a perfect balance between life/work/environment. We come from big cities, so Queenstown is a new challenge for us and we are enjoying it very much. The people here is really kind, approachable and they are always keen to help and do things.

4. Favourite spot that feels like ‘yours’ and why you go there.

There are so many that is impossible for us to pick one. We love the ‘Shotover bridge’ and the Greenstone/Caples’ track too. Our hidden favourite spot is ‘Lake Alta at the Remarks in Summer because is perfect for a picnic and to see something totally different from what is out there. At night we love places like ‘The World Bar in town, ‘Bespoke to grab a breakfast, ‘Sherwood’ were we like to see live bands, etc. Queenstown has everything to enjoy during the day/night summer/winter with a perfect scale.

5. What do you hope the future looks like for you and Queenstown? How are you investing in your community?

We feel proud because we brought a ‘Best Design Award’ to Queenstown with the packaging design for Cargo Brewery, a local company that is growing fast.  Every time we participate in a competition or present a masterclass and are published in books and magazines, we always try to promote Queenstown through design. We seek to champion the work of local producers and highlight our community and region, positioning them not only nationally but also internationally.

Locals- makebardo Queenstown

Web: www.makebardo.com
Instagram: @makebardo
Facebook: @wemakebardo
Twitter: @wemakebardo


If you’d like to be part of my locals page get in touch!