We got the chance to chat with one of our all time favorite designers, Pedro Costa! Check it out below.

1. How did you get started doing graphic design?

I’ve been a graphic designer for 12 years and with a lot of love for any visual art. I have a personal account in IG and started to see people using iPhones to do artwork; I got super intrigued of how they do that! I searched a lot for what kind of apps people were using to make mobile art, and then I started @Campovisual.

2. What are some favorite apps you like to use on a regular basis?

One app I use 99% of the time that is no longer available on the App Store is PhotoForge2; this app is awesome compared to PS Touch or ArtStudio, because you can have as many layers as you want in the file size you want, so I don’t have limitations in work size. I also love iDesign because you can make the vector art and export it as a png with transparent background. The other app I use to start working is Snapseed; it’s great to put white backgrounds or deal with color and light details in a photo, but normally I finish my edit blending different formulas of Mextures in Photoforge 2 to archive the color and light that I desired. Some other apps I love: Union, Matter, Fragment, LensLight, LensFlare, Sparkmode, Phonto, Decim8, Fuzel, Circular, TinyPlanets, Glitché, Flood, iColorama, Stilla, and Tangent.

3. Are there any highlights in your experience as a mobile designer, moments or accomplishments that you’re proud of?

There are two moments. The first one was when I made a double exposure selfie called “Human Nature”; this was one of the first double exposure edits I made that I’m super happy with, and it was featured in @instagramhub. The second moment was when I made two edits with the Mandelbulb app, “Shapeshifting” and “Liquid Metal”. These were double exposure edits inspired by the Terminator T1000; using Mandelbulb, that took me so long to do it and the process was so crazy I can’t describe, but the final result was exactly what I desired.

4. How would you describe your experience as a designer on Instagram, from starting out until now?

I used this mobile platform as an experimental base to express myself without any concern about commercial or conceptualizing matters. In daily work many times I can’t express myself as I want to because of many aspects, so I started using Instagram as a way to put all my thoughts and emotions. It’s been a great experience and I think this has affected me like a drug, because I’m completely addicted to it! All the little times I have (in the elevator, in a small line to make a payment) I start to edit! Also I feel that from the beginning until now I’ve had a huge evolution in terms of what I can do with mobile editing; basically I can do whatever I want, but what I like more is the ideas I’m putting outside!

5. What do you hope to accomplish in your adventures as Campovisual? Are there any goals you have in mind this year?

I have 2 goals for this year connected to mobile editing. One is to make prints and an exhibition; I want to see how people react to my work in big sizes and how the art can be organized in different styles that I developed. The other point is that I’ve been working with another artist, @rodzgrid, for over a year or so, but both of us are so busy with work and life that we can’t make it happen! I hope you can hear from us soon and I think everyone will appreciate a lot of our ideas; sorry I can’t reveal right now, because it’s so embryonic! I have another thing to release this year, that is my #cv_shapes, a collection of vector based overlays that I use in my edits; but I need to make a selection and put them ready for people to use!

6. Who are a few Instagram users that inspire and encourage you?

Wow, that’s a hard question. There are so many artists that I can name, basically everyone that’s inspired me one way or another; sometimes even a simple shot from someone can inspire you! I got super inspired by two guys, @ echoflloat and @samwoodsiv, that I started following in the beginning that moved me to give it a try; @erratum, @oskadesign, @hiki_komori, @tetra_sky, @lifewithart, @matthewcustar, @dutty_rock_dub, @nevillelongbottom_doyle, @deararaujo, @zeezoes…. the list goes on and on!

7. Do you have any advice for beginning editors?

First of all, don’t be afraid to express yourself. You don’t have to follow rules or guidelines. Just because you like something, you don’t need to copy exactly that; Make your own version, be inspired! Experiment with apps, don’t be happy just because you can put a triangle on top of an image; I do probably 30 different images to create one final edit. It’s a process, you will see if you try to explore more and more you will have better results. Remember that less is more; many times (90% of times) I go through previous stages of my edits and start again because something is not as it should be or to clean the mess. Do the correct credits for images/overlays used! Everyone appreciates that and you also will when you start receiving credits as well! Don’t steal other images and post them as your own!! Don’t be afraid to share the apps you use, you will help a lot of other people. I do that all the time because when I started it was a huge battle for me to understand what I can use; and be creative!