(ee-bahn goy-ah-chay peek-ah-bay-ah)
Those are both Iban’s last names, no hyphen necessary. He hails from the Basque Country of Northern Spain where last names consist of the father’s followed by the mother’s. In full form it could be endlessly long recalling all of the generations before.
Iban’s mother, Marisa, a retired linguist, has a trick to pronouncing her son’s first last name: think of Spanish romantic painter Francisco Goya, then Cuban revolutionary Che Gueverra. Goya Che… Goiatxe!
Born in Donostia (San Sebastian) and raised in Iruñea (Pamplona), Iban began his professional journey as a graphic designer in Barcelona for 5 years before hearing the call to his third port city, San Francisco, in 2007. It was here that both his knowledge of English and microbrew beer grew.
Like the Catalan singer, Juan Manuel Serrat, sings in Mediterráneo, “Me gusta el juego Y el vino, Tengo alma de marinero.” “I like the game and the wine. I have the soul of a sailor.” Iban was called to use the nautical flags in his personal branding. As a designer of communication, their enigmatic alphabet is a fascinating visual tool that has been in existence for centuries and goes underused. Iban is bringing it back.
Iban provides creative solutions, visual design, art direction, motion graphics and content consultation for companies and individuals who see their projects as bold and worthy contributions for a better society.
“If you think you are too old for rock 'n roll then you are.” In honor of Lemmy Kilmister, Iban is growing his hair long for the last time in his life.
Testimonial
I brought Iban into Bonfire Labs as an intern after meeting him at a user group. With a strong foundation in traditional graphic design, his desire to learn more about motion design and animation was very evident. This passion combined with his warm personality made him a clear candidate to keep on as a full time staff member. Over the next five years I supervised Iban on numerous motion design projects until my departure from Bonfire. I always enjoyed my time working with him. He is incredibly hard working, has a great eye for design, and a terrific team player. I'm happy to see him spread his wings as a freelancer now, and looking forward to collaborating again here at Swordfish.
Matt Silverman
Executive Creative Director, Swordfish