From Sketch to Story: The Creative Journey of Adolfo Arranz

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The Consulate-General of Spain in Hong Kong – in collaboration with the Spanish Programme of The University of Hong Kong and the South China Morning Post– is delighted to present “From Sketch to Story: The Creative Journey of Adolfo Arranz”, the very first solo exhibition covering the professional and the personal works of this renowned artist. The exhibition explores the intersection of artistic expression and journalistic storytelling in Arranz’s visually captivating creations.
Adolfo Arranz is a Spanish artist based in Hong Kong, currently working with Reuters to develop innovative visual presentations of news stories. With a passion for handcrafted illustrations, Arranz creates visual displays that are both informative and appealing.
Throughout his career as a journalist, which led him to work for media outlets such as El Mundo in Spain, Mediacorp in Singapore, and South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where he rose to various positions during the two periods in which he worked for them (2011-2014 and 2016-2022), he has received over 150 awards for his contributions to visual communication. Among those awards are four gold medals at the Malofiej Awards, a gold in the Society for News Design; on two occasions the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists of the USA -an award shared with the SCMP graphics team-, a PRINT Award, the Pencil Wood Award, three golds in Wan-Ifra, and he is a four-times winner in the best design category of the Hong Kong News Awards. Back in May of this year, Adolfo was chosen World’s Best Designer by the Society of News Design https://snd.org/adolfo-arranz-named-worlds-best-designer-in-the-digital-creative-competition/.
Members of the jury praised Arranz’s work in the following terms:


“Revealing the unseen is a task that only a few can execute masterfully, and this example is undoubtedly one of them.”
“His illustrations are beautiful and versatile. He is able to cover many different topics and bring the whole piece together and give it a coherent style.”
“His work blurs the line between art and visual journalism, creating beautiful and intriguing stories that take the reader on an exciting journey.”
“The brand identity he has created is followed by many artists and communicators around the globe. It takes a self-taught artist of undoubted prodigious talent to depict information in various narrative moods.”


Arranz has also collaborated with such prestigious publications as Science magazine, National Geographic and Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine.
This exhibition showcases a selection of Arranz’s infographics, which skillfully balance clarity and visual impact. At the same time, visitors can delve into Arranz’s creative process through his sketches and materials, which trace the development of his ideas from initial concept to finished infographic.
“From Sketch to Story” also highlights the personal side of Arranz’s art, featuring an array of amusing illustrations from his social media, as well as watercolour paintings created for his own pleasure and self-expression. These works reflect the versatility of his artistic talents and his dedication to art beyond journalism.