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The Colombian editor and designer Benjamin Villegas In 2023, it celebrates half a century as one of the most important exponents of publishing in its country. His story is the story of someone full of creativity and dedication who has marked a milestone in the historiography of editorial design.
From his beginnings, Villegas showed exceptional skill. His curiosity led him to take on challenges from a very young age, always standing out for his commitment and ability.
At the age of 18, when he assumed the art direction of Lamp magazine, his career catapulted and he was able to demonstrate his skills as an innovator in the world of editorial design. This event led him to share his knowledge, becoming a teacher in the newly created graphic design program at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University.
When the first class graduated, the dean’s office awarded young Benjamín Villegas an honorary degree in graphic design. His learning was self-taught, driven solely by curiosity, completely distancing himself from the conventional academic environment. The Jorge Tadeo Lozano University recognized in him an innate authenticity, graduating Villegas, along with his students, as the best among apprentices and teachers.
This period of intense creativity allowed Villegas to deeply explore the world of graphic design. The revolutions, countercultural movements, the influence of rock, and the profusion of colors and shapes marked a dizzying stage in his formation.
Villegas ventured into various fields, from advertising to graphic and editorial design. His true vocation, however, was revealed in the creation of books, where he found fertile ground to express his creativity. Soon, he would found his own publishing house: Villegas Editors.
In its beginnings, it was a workspace dedicated to graphic design and the creation of publications. A creative environment focused on aesthetics and communication. In 1972, editorial design was incorporated into its objectives, which would mark a decisive turn in its career. Although the books produced by the label had a different destination than those in bookstores, Villegas began to reserve some copies to be able to share the fruit of his labor with the public. He has said on several occasions that one of the things that disturbs him most in life is knowing about the existence of a book and not being able to get it anywhere.
Over the years, this imprint has become a reference in the Colombian publishing industry, publishing a wide range of books of the highest aesthetic quality, large-format, luxury copies that have explored the richness of culture. and the Colombian territory, its landscapes and people, its works of art, its architecture and gastronomy.
The Villegas Editores catalog boasts finely illustrated titles with high-quality, full-color photographs. Its focus on highlighting the positive aspects of Colombia is appreciated, not only by readers in the interior of the country, but also by those who come looking for something to take home to their lands that allows them to evoke the magic and beauty of Colombia.
The imprint has been recognized internationally, obtaining more than 150 awards, including recognition at the prestigious International Latino Book Awards.
Villegas’ tenacity throughout this time is manifested in the permanence of his books, converted into lasting cultural elements. His vision of large-format book design, moving away from the vertical standard to explore new forms, has consolidated his position as a reference in graphic and editorial design of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in Colombia.
His legacy is a celebration of art, culture and Colombian identity, captured in every page of the books he has conceived and edited over five decades. I hope there are many more.
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