Always try to be better… that is how José Rocha describes his work ethos.
 
The Portuguese student recently scooped first place in the Young Creative Chevrolet Visual Arts European final. His fiery design “Let the sparks come out” wowed the judges with its edgy and aggressive design.
 
We sat down with José recently to talk about his work and glean some information for students thinking of taking part in the Young Creative Chevrolet contest in the future. 
 
What interested you about the Young Creative Chevrolet contest and prompted you to enter?

It was a great challenge and the fact of having the chance to compete on a European level was very exciting - I felt a lot of enthusiasm for this contest.  It was fun to try something new and a great honor to represent my country and school in the contest.

Part of your prize was a trip to Brands Hatch, U.K., to see your winning design on the race track. What was it like seeing your work come to life?
 
It was a very good sensation, honor and privilege to be able to see my project being completed and showcased on the Chevrolet Spark. I love racing, the atmosphere and the excitement around the cars and drivers. I was so thrilled about going to Brands Hatch to see "my car" on the track for real and not just on paper. What a unique experience! I really enjoyed meeting the whole racing team who all made me feel very welcome and also showed great interest in my project. The hot laps were absolutely great, I had a blast.

My interest in art and design was ignited a few years ago when I saw the works of well-known American graphic designers, David Carson, Tibor Kalman and British art-director Peter Saville for the very first time.

Now, I often get inspired by people, nature, the sea and the city; these are always good sources of inspiration to me. I like to walk on the street; you always get good creative ideas by just looking at different people. 
 
Who or what are your inside tips design-wise?

I am very fond of the work by the Porto-based design studio R2 (http://www.r2design.pt/r2design/) because of the quality and creativity of their work, and the Viana-based design studio xis77 (http://www.xis77.com ).

 Do you have any interesting projects on the horizon? What would you like to work on in the future?

I enjoy working on projects that enable a link between design and art but I'd like to continue to work on a series of abstract-figurative paintings that focus on several themes, such as the passage of time and the presence and influence of the social rules in the relationships between people.

I’ve been studying design at ESTG -IPVC(Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do Instituto Poliécnico de Viana do Castelo- www.ipvc.pt) in  Viana do Castelo for 3 years now and I’m just coming to the end of my last year. In the future, I’d really like to work in graphic an environment design.  

Follow your instincts and always believe in yourselves.

José shared with us that during the summer holidays he intends to relax and gather inspiration whilst enjoying his days on the beach and indulging in some painting. We’re very pleased to showcase some of those paintings, created especially for Young Creative Chevrolet, that have yet to be seen in public.