In 1985 I graduated in Graphic Design from Elisava in Barcelona at a time when computers still hadn’t arrived in Barcelona and they used to ask you ‘Do you study or are you a designer?’ I was lucky because I learned a skill that was new to me. I learned how to work with images and understand graphics independently from drawing. Winning the Apel·les Mestres Prize in 1992, in the middle of Olympic Barcelona and the design boom, made me think that I could work with books.
After lots of different jobs I decided to change my name. Imma Pla became Imapla. I was tired of correcting people. 2 ‘m’s, ‘pla’ with an accent, a grave accent...I have to admit that I don’t really know what my plan was. Alphabetically used to being a ‘P’, for Pla, I discovered that I was now an ‘I’ for Imapla.
Personally, changing my identity made me realise that I was going to dedicate my professional life to books and everything that goes with them. I took the plunge and approached books as both author and illustrator. It was quite an adventure. In 2007 I won the SM Foundation International Illustration Prize for Birds learn languages. Narrating with images. In 2008 I started to consider books of knowledge but using the resources of works of fiction. With Montse Ganges, writer, we created, La Plaga.
Now all that’s left is for me to do is turn into an impala!
Imapla
Passeig del Born, 27
08003 Barcelona
T +34 932683346
imapla@trianglebcn.cat
www.imapla.net
Interesting links
Do,do,dooo...
Maná Maná
1990
Runner up
Lazarillo Prize
Un dedo al año (A finger a year)
1992
Apel·les Metres Prize
Commended
Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Zip y el dragón fanfarrón (Zip and the bigmouth dragon)
1994
Ministry of Culture National Illustration Prize
2nd place
Serra d’Or Prize
Un cuento sin pies ni cabeza (a tale without a top or a bottom)
2006
Participant in Illustrious artists exhibition at the Blogna Book Fair
Jury Member for the National Illustration Prize
2007
International Illustration Prize
Santa Maria Foundation
Los pajaros aprenden idiomas (Birds learn languages)
2009
Runner up
Junceda Prize
Y tu, ¿qué has hecho? (And what have you done?)
2011
El Rey del Mar
Banco del Libro de Venezuela. The best
Participant Biennal Bratislava
