Bala
Founded in 2013, Bala is a Mexican graphic design and brand consulting studio dedicated to enhancing the emotional and strategic value of brands through thoughtful design. With more than two decades of collective experience, Bala’s philosophy centers on the idea that the best way to build a brand is by finding common ground—creating meaningful connections that foster understanding and shared growth. The studio was co-founded by Enrique Bedolla and Rodrigo F. de la Reguera, both seasoned creatives with extensive backgrounds in some of Mexico’s most renowned advertising agencies. Enrique previously served as Designer and Creative Coordinator at Leo Burnett Mexico and spent nine years as Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Mexico. He holds a master’s degree in Creativity and Design from EDINBA and has taught Brand Experience in the Master’s in Brand Strategy and Innovation program at La Salle University in Mexico City. Rodrigo began his career as a designer at Leo Burnett Mexico, De León Profesionales, and Ogilvy & Mather Mexico, and in 2006 was awarded a scholarship for the Universal Design course by AOTS in Tokyo.
Bala is one of the 46 design studios from 23 countries showcased in the book FVS Atlas, published by Viction:ary and authored and designed by TwoPoints.Net. The book serves as evidence of a shift in how designers worldwide approach brand identity design. While in the last century, the identity design revolved around logos, representing a message, this century is about systems functioning as flexible visual languages. In this series of interviews, the trailblazing designers give insight into their systemic approaches.
Focusing on Flexible Identity Systems as a global phenomenon, I would like to know which places influenced your understanding of systems.
Our understanding of identity systems is fundamentally rooted in the living, breathing chaos of Mexico City. More than any textbook or academic study, our day-to-day experience here has been the most significant influence.
Living in this city is a constant masterclass in dynamic, flexible systems. A prime example is the iconic Mexico City Metro System, designed by Lance Wyman in the late 60’s. It’s a perfect case study: a robust system of symbols and colors that, from its inception, was designed to be universal and flexible enough to guide millions of users across different languages and literacy levels. It’s a system that adapts and expands organically, and supports a complex network.
But the real magic happens at street level. Our greatest influence comes from ‘gráfica popular mexicana’. The raw, functional beauty of hand-painted signs, announcements on food stalls and markets, and the facades of small businesses is a testament to an identity system built on necessity and human expression. This graphic language is not static; it’s a living entity that adapts to the space, the context, and the personality of the rotulista (sign painter). It’s an incredibly rich, unofficial system of typography, color, and iconography that serves its purpose flawlessly, all while evolving with the city itself.
For us, these flexible identity systems prove that a successful identity is not about rigid rules, but about creating a visual framework that is adaptable, responsive, and deeply connected to its environment.
Which of the Identity Systems you designed is your favorite and why?
Our favorite identity system is the one we developed for Foro Allende 5 (FA5), an immersive events venue located within a historic 19th-century mansion in Mexico City’s Downtown.
The core premise of the project was its profound sensoriality: the venue utilizes 40 distributed projectors for video mapping, a massive sound system that floods the space, and scent emitters to craft a truly immersive experience. This technical foundation was the clear starting point for the design: we built the entire graphic identity around the five senses.
To execute this, we conceived an abstract interpretation of the senses using the FA5 initials. This logic allowed us to create a set of signs and symbols that visually represent the various sensory experiences guests encounter at the Forum. By combining these, we achieved a flexible graphic identity system with multiple variants that easily adapt to identify this venue.
Crucially, the system incorporates parametric animation and integrates directly with the physical space, the identity can be projected and transformed onto the venue’s walls. This turns the brand into another immersive element. This project is our favorite because it proves the effectiveness of strategic design that doesn’t just represent the space, but actively becomes an integral part of the overall experience.
Can you describe your system with less than ten rules, like if it were a cooking recipe?
1. Listen: Fully attend to client’s challenges and design expectations. Take notes on every insight, paying close attention to their goals, audience, and the nuances that make their brand unique.
2. Immerse: Analyze the industry and context of Mexico City venues to understand where Foro Allende 5 stands. Study competitors, local trends, and cultural touchpoints to leverage the brand’s singularity and define a clear competitive advantage.
3. Strategize: Develop a practical plan based on three conceptual pillars that give meaning and direction to FA5’s identity. These pillars should guide all design decisions and create a coherent visual and verbal language.
4. Inspire: Draw creative fuel from your surroundings. In the FA5 project, we explored Mexico City’s architecture, street culture, explored the graphic interpretation of the five senses to gather elements that could feed the visual narrative. Everything you see can become inspiration for the identity.
5. Create: Sketch ideas by hand before moving to digital tools. For FA5, initial sketches helped explore concepts freely, ensuring software limitations did not constrain creativity. Capture the essence first, then refine digitally.
6. Critique: Conduct a series of internal critiques. Review FA5’s concepts multiple times, challenge assumptions, and refine details. This step ensures the identity is conceptually strong and visually compelling before final production.
7. Refine: Bring in specialized talent—illustrators, typographers, animators—where needed to elevate the design. For FA5, we collaborated with an incredible illustrator and programmer to elevate the Identity.
8. Launch: Guide your client through the production phase. Oversee applications in print, digital, and environmental graphics to ensure the final output faithfully represents the original vision.