Barbara Rego is a multi-faceted creative that specializes in videography, mixed media and graphic design. A part of the art collective, SLUG, Rego is well known for her collage designs on social media.
Photograph by Lawrence Murray
She recently partnered with Sprite and released ‘The Ginger Collection’, designing a jacket inspired by the invention of the light bulb. She described the experience as one of the most collaborative projects she’s ever been a part of. Inspired by Thomas Edison’s invention of the lightbulb, she wanted to stay within the theme of reinvention. The message behind her campaign is to keep pushing yourself – perfect your craft, continue educating yourself and make the world a better place through learning and innovation.
If you would’ve asked our artist if she ever thought that she would be working with a brand like Sprite when she first started her collages, she wouldn’t have believed you. She hopes her experience motivates others to keep going because you never know when those light bulb moments can/will happen for you. Her advice: follow your passion.
Rego recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA and continues to freelance, working with various brands and clientele. If you want to check out her work you can follow her @mindofbarbara
Photograph by Chris Vidal
How would you describe yourself and your craft?
No rules. That’s what you’ll see in my work. I like being different. And so, with my art, I try to edit in a unique style, I like to play around with effects until I find something interesting.
Most people know you on social for your collage designs. What drew you to that medium?
After working on video projects for years, I wanted another creative outlet. Something where I could stay inspired and experiment with ideas. In January 2017, I created a vision board for myself, and I enjoyed the process so I kept doing it. I received a positive response so I kept sharing more. One day, a duo asked me to create their single cover, and once I did that, I started to get more requests, and have been collaborating with dope people and brands since. I recently re-posted the vision board on my Instagram, and you can see the difference between where I started to now, and the style I’ve developed for myself.
Photograph by Matthew Warren
Apart from collage designs, what other mediums are you interested in?
A little bit of everything. Not sure if people know of my animation work, but I create content like lyric videos for artists. I love it because I'm able to do video and collages at the same time. It’s cool to see the collages come to life. I’m also into photography and I try to incorporate some of my photography work into my collage designs as well.
How does being a part of the art collective, SLUG, motivate you?
SLUG motivates me to push creative boundaries and think outside the box. We're also all supportive of each other, both personally and professionally. You know, sometimes you get into creative slumps, but we’ll share great advice and pick each other up. I feel like I can be my true self around the team and we work together seamlessly. You’ll see a hint of all of our styles in our projects that are so fun and exciting to do for our clients.
Photograph by Exquisite Eye
You recently partnered with Sprite and released The Ginger Collection, designing a jacket inspired by the invention of the light bulb. Can you talk a little bit about the experience? How did you get involved?
Sprite reached out to me and presented an opportunity to collaborate with them and 8 other designers on the Sprite Ginger campaign. I’ve always been a fan of the brand and I appreciate that they are highlighting up and coming artists for such a huge product. They gave us a platform to inspire people to dream big and hopefully encourage other brands to support artists like us. We were asked to create a piece for The Ginger Collection with the theme of “reinvention”. So I came up with the concept to do a play on Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb as a way to remind people to stay innovative. The message is to keep pushing yourself – perfect your craft, don’t be afraid to try new ideas and continue educating yourself. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and I am grateful for all of the friendships I made from this project.
Which artist(s) are you currently most inspired by?
Tayla Parx. She is a singer/songwriter/performer, just a jack of all trades. You may know Tayla for her work she did with Ariana Grande like ‘Thank U, Next’. She always wows me with her art direction. I did get the chance to meet her and film one of her shows in Atlanta so as you can imagine that was an exciting moment for me.
If you had to choose just one piece from your collection, which would be your favorite? And why?
My favorite would probably be my Outkast piece titled ‘A T L I E N S’, which I created in February 2019. It was the easiest and most fun piece to make. The following month, I showed it at my very first art show with FamilyHood ATL, and the response was overwhelmingly great. But really that piece always drives me home, especially after moving to LA. I make sure it’s included in every show I do.
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Interview by Rahel Tekle