RADAR Member Spotlight 03: Domingo
Creative representation, unconventional paths and community-owned symbols with @Domingo Beta
Welcome to the RADAR member spotlights series, highlighting some of the brilliant folks from inside our community. We’ll go deep on topics our members have been fascinated by, learning from their experiences and experiments as we dive down the rabbit hole.
As a community of strategists and researchers, we think a lot about meaning under the surface and how design choices convey ideas. That extends, of course, into RADAR’s visual identity and outputs. From our branding to reports and project visuals, there’s one RADAR member who plays a pivotal role in bringing those ideas into reality: Our resident design wizard, creator extraordinaire, and art director, Domingo Beta. Through his vision and magical set of hands, our voice and personality comes through with every new piece.
In celebration of the launch of his newest work for RADAR – our Patron NFTs, the Angel and Advocate – we spoke to Domingo about what drives him and inspires his one-in-a-million lens on art & design.
You’ve had quite an interesting path into design - could you share your story of how you got to where you are in the world?
I’ve always had influence from my family towards music and the arts, so deciding to study graphic design wasn’t too difficult. Later on, though, I realized that there were many aesthetic gaps – areas I wanted to explore – that this degree didn’t address. And I thought that these would be filled later on by working with clients or on projects – which did not happen. Those gaps were around the visuals, aesthetics, and other elements that were representative of different niches or groups that I belonged to: Gamers, skaters, music collectors, and streetwear.
The aesthetics of these scenes aren’t taught or studied in the academy, let alone offering opportunity to work with some of those referents. Where I live in Colombia it was not common to see this type of industry. During this time I met many friends and references who, distinct from their profession, had created other mediums by which they could express themselves freely. This got my attention, and I wanted to incorporate it into my work. Little by little, I realized that this was the formula to fill those gaps: experimenting with different tools, creating non-commercial design products and being a contributor to emerging local niches. Having tried this method in other spaces, at the end of 2019 I wanted to explore how blockchains and how cryptoart could be a new medium to experiment – and now here I am, deep in this rabbit hole.
That keen interest in pop culture and niche scenes certainly comes through in your creative expression. What is it about urban culture that makes it such a big trend in your designs?
Pop and urban culture are great thematic axes of what I do, influenced by generating emotions, bringing people together, and openly building possibilities of expansion in all senses – across habits, forms of communication, expressions, and even media. Seeing how hip-hop and gamer universes create so many different internal ecosystems made me realize that regardless of your tastes, each individual has a place to build, interact and chart their own path. With so many tools at hand from design, I was able to take all these references to new levels. Even to this day, it still excites me every time I create something and show it to another person. It generates that same feeling of surprise. As creators, beyond creating useful things, we should generate emotions and objects that reaffirm cultural identities. In the end, this is what makes something valuable.
Something we’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the products and events that often arise in tandem with these urban movements and scenes. In your view, does the product come before the “vibe” – or is it the other way around?
The need to gather around an idea is always accompanied by objects that give it identity, context, or even a little more history. Many of these things existed before the cultural movements. The point is that after the niches interact or legitimize their value beyond the commercial, they become milestones – unplanned by the company that created them. Look for example into the world of sneakers: how iconic the Chuck Taylor shoes from Converse are, the Af1 from Nike, or the Superstar from Adidas. None of these brands were going to wait for these designs to transcend time and have the meaning they carry for those communities. And in the end, the brands see that there’s business opportunity and exploit it. The funny thing, and what has always happened, is that when the brand decides to reinforce the milestone without the participation of the community it looks false and generates discomfort. It doesn’t have the symbols or the contextual load necessary to be part of the set of elements that enrich the culture to which it is addressed. It can feel a bit chicken-and-egg, but in the end, we know a community catalyst is needed before it becomes "vibes."
How can brands use these ideas to their advantage while avoiding being exploitative or try-hard when doing these types of collabs? Is there really such a thing as a non-cringe brand collab?
It should be an equitable relationship; all the parties in the projects need to give active presence and responsibility. But unfortunately, in most cases, brands take the path of being passive – not relating authentically to these niches, not building and taking time to mature ideas, and accelerating processes prematurely – and this ends up as insipid launches and the appropriation of symbols of a community. In web3, this equation has changed in favor of how we relate, propose, and build proposals for our communities. If someone outside wants to do something with us, they see more straightforward protocols at entry points, spaces for mutual collaboration and creation, and record of those actions that in the end benefit us all.
Let’s discuss your incredible work in RADAR’s upcoming NFT drop. Walk us through the creative process for bringing it to life.
Oh, I love this – the process was a great combination between how we wanted to see a play-full future and what this meant for us in a larger context. We started with an idea around the objects, articles, or devices that would give more shape to the aesthetic universe of Radar, not staying exclusively in a visual perspective but also quite tangible. In the first iteration, I wanted to develop a modular device that could eventually be assembled and generate an even larger object, giving it a collectible character, but this didn't really fit the narrative we wanted from this first installment. We wanted to create a collectible that would embody fun, playfulness and something that would be memorable. Thus we arrived at Etch-A-Sketch or, rather, Etch-A-Future. For the second piece in the collection, we wanted to represent a portable object that has an identification load, such as an enamel pin. The hand spins and each of the segments says play – referring to the fact that every path leads to play :)
You really captured the DNA of RADAR. Run us through your process of identifying the shared messaging, habits and vibe in our community that you bring to life in the artwork.
Oh, thank you so much! I love knowing I achieve that with my designs. In RADAR, I find such a diversity of minds, ideas, and good vibes – making it easy to talk to each member and listen to their points of view. One of the principles I use in my work is that any idea, however simple or obvious, can be taken creatively to another level. So if someone proposes that it would be cool to have a smiley icon for something, I want to design the most avant-garde smiley you've ever seen. Being in this mindset keeps me motivated to study and learn new techniques to surprise everyone, including me. We are creating futures, right?
We know you’ve created work for a ton of other amazing web3 projects. Tell us a little more about some of your favorites, and what the process is like for creating a web3 driven project vs. something more traditional in web2.
I would start by making the comparison that in web2, you already have fixed expectations or at least a standard of what should happen. You create something under the direction of someone or your proposal because it will meet brand, marketing, or advertising objectives. The process tends to be predictable and linear. It does not mean that it is boring, but it is predictable. In web3, we play with novelty. Each brief or need becomes a document built by possibilities, and this makes it exciting because it forces you to be aware of the multiple channels or paths that each piece you design could take. An image can represent a community and, at the same time, be an NFT that opens a door where the reward is a VR experience. All of this is part of the possibilities that we have today. I have been fortunate to participate in many projects, but I would highlight pieces for TwoPlus Dao, JUMP's branding, Skyclub, and news platform, some visuals for Snaxshot's Snaxverse project, and of course, what I do for RADAR.
What other artists are you collecting these days? Tell us about a project you’re excited about that you haven’t worked on.
I like to collect pieces that open the conversation with artists and designers I admire. I recently bought a Goldcat thanks to UltraDao. Also, a 3D artist who calls herself Vica – I like her compositions and her way of composing from the monotonous with small color accents. Very inspiring. And since I am a fan of streetwear I collect NFTs that have physical versions of the products – especially jackets, sneakers, and bags.
Let’s end on a high note. We talked a little about what pulled you down the web3 rabbithole – what’s your favorite part about this weird, wild world?
I was drawn to web3 for the need to meet other creatives who are betting on creating different paths from the conventional ones from art and design. We are willing to test, play and evolve what we do in unexplored terrain, and the process and sharing it makes the reward more interesting than the final product. Every day there is something new to play with, try and apply :)
Artists and designers are often (and understandably) defined by their visual styles, but we love peeling back the layers to understand the thinking behind their work. The skill and intention with which Domingo weaves personal references, passions and experiences with community lore and symbology is a huge reason why his work is so popular – and we’re grateful to have him bring his unique approach to RADAR (we’re also just a little obsessed with the Patron collection). You can find Domingo – and keep up with his latest works and experiments – on Twitter at @glycemag.
Our Member Spotlight series is curated and written by @Kairon, contributor at RADAR.
Hi, I really enjoyed this article. I am currently in the process of writing a topic on "corporate cringe" or "getting the ick" when branded communities go wrong. The part in which you write "But unfortunately, in most cases, brands take the path of being passive – not relating authentically to these niches, not building and taking time to mature ideas, and accelerating processes prematurely – and this ends up as insipid launches and the appropriation of symbols of a community." is fascinating. Do you have examples of brands being passive or eliciting corporate cringe due to their failed attempt at community building?
Thanks