Arròs covat and Freaklance are two innovative, biting and raucous animation series that portray the lives of Xavi Masdéu and Maximiliano Martin Panucci (Maxi), two characters who’ll you’ll be able to relate to if you work in the world of design. 

Xavi, a cosmopolitan graphic designer who lives in Barcelona, in the Gràcia neighborhood to be precise, one of the coolest in the city, feels that life is passing him by now that he’s already turned 30, thus the title Arròs covat.  The series looks at the conflict involved in getting older, but above all demonstrates the minimalist style and sarcastic humour of its creator, Juanjo Sáez, the particularities of many graphic designers who, like Xavi, can go months without being paid in spite of having received a Laüs award, travel to meetings with clients which come to nothing in the end, etc, etc. The references to pop culture, independent music, festivals like Primavera Sound and parodies of well-known artists, are a feature that only promotes our empathy with Xavi and guarantees laughter.
 
While Arròs covat is preparing its second season, Freaklance only has 4 chapters on line so far, though the response of internet users has been very positive. The rhythm is slower, but the resources their creators, July Grama and Alex Hillock, can count on have nothing to do with the support of Escándalo Films and TV3. The series is aimed at all freaklances, i.e. at all those who’ve been freelance workers at a company for years, have sold their photos to the best bidder, are independent video producers, work for themselves in advertising or, like Maxi, are freelance web designer. 

If you’re a designer or programmer, you’ll know that surfing the web for hours is "researching trends" and never wasting time; and perhaps you’ll have heard of Darío Díez Domínguez, 3D, the only person who reads the terms of the entire contract when he installs a license.  Or, because you’ll agree with Maxi when he sings "Without design, a project will deprive its owner of happiness ", perhaps it’s a good idea to check out the chapters of the two series now and visit the Facebook profiles of Xavi Masdéu (12,244 admirers) and Maxi (2,885).

If you know of other series on designers in other languages, please let us know. Because sharing our grief and adventures with a group and laughing at them is therapeutic.

http://www.arroscovat.com