ROOTS MVP OF THE MONTH
Everywhere you look at Roots, you see the visual influence of Ilich Mejia
September 2005

The Art Department at Roots is not for the faint of heart. To work there, you have to thrive on frenetic activity, be able to keep several projects on the fly at the same time and meet multiple deadlines, often on short notice. You need to be fast on your feet, highly creative, attentive to detail, resilient, forward thinking but mindful of the past, and open to input from others.

For a dynamic, evolving company like Roots operating in an increasingly image-driven society, visual communication is vital. It makes for busy days for those in the Art Department where all of Roots advertising, promotional material and other printed matter are designed and executed. There’s always something – usually many things – on the go, invariably under the pressure of deadlines. Looming, unforgiving, fast-approaching deadlines imposed by newspapers, magazines and billboard companies that require artwork to fill the space Roots has reserved for advertising.  

As the head of the Art Department’s marketing side, Ilich Mejia knows a thing or two about deadlines. He deals with them all day long, in connection with assignments from virtually every department at Roots.

It often seems that everyone wants Ilich’s time and talent – The Visual Department requires in-store banners finished this morning; Marketing needs a series of ads (in English and French) for leather bags for several newspapers and magazines today by 5 pm, to say nothing of panels for the sides of buses and streetcars for tomorrow; Communication needs the MVP of the Month poster prepared; the Office Manager needs some signs mocked up; Human Resources needs new forms designed in addition to the pamphlet for stores ordered by Resource Protection; and, not to be forgotten, are the new shopping bags to be designed, along with visuals for the website, material for magazines who need visuals to illustrate an article on Roots and layouts of the “Roots Visits The Caves in Jamaica” brochure. All this and more while also attending to panic-stricken printers clamouring for promised artwork for other assignments. It never stops.

Ilich seems to take it all in his stride, never losing his cool despite the pressure and incessant demands for his attention and creativity. Along with his small, dedicated team of graphic artists, Ilich somehow keeps everything moving, ensuring that all of Roots’ visual statements – from billboards to hangtags – look good.

No challenge is too daunting for Ilich. No matter what anyone presents him, he comes up with a visual solution. His creativity can be seen everywhere you look in Roots stores from the visual displays to “cappers”, posters, POP material, pamphlets on the counter, hangtags and signs. Other than the products themselves, if something has the Roots logo on it, there’s a good chance Ilich designed it.

Ilich joined Roots in 2002, beginning as a graphic designer in the Visual Dept. With his sharp eye and creative flair, it didn’t take long before he became a leader in the Art Department. Previously, he worked at Sunrise Records and Jean Machine as a graphic artist following his studies at George Brown College where he completed a three-year course in Graphic Design.

“Roots is a great environment to work in,” says Ilich, 29. “The biggest challenge is to be creative but to respect deadlines. It’s one thing to have a few weeks to work on a project. It’s very different when you have only a few days, or in some cases only a few hours.”

For Ilich and his team, there is the constant challenge of being fresh and inventive but still getting the right message across. “Whenever possible, I do as much research as I can,” says Ilich. “I look at different media to see what’s happening out there, especially when it comes to graphic design and visual communication.”

Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green, who since the inception of the company in 1973, have always been involved in the visual communication of Roots, work closely with Ilich. “We really love working with Ilich,” says Michael. “He brings a great combination of creative talent and positive attitude to every assignment he tackles. He always rises to the occasion with incredible results.”

Ilich is as personable, modest and even-keeled as they come and easy to work with. Not for him the temperamental artiste impervious to input from others. “I don’t know if it’s from playing sports but I’ve learned to always keep calm,” says Ilich, a passionate soccer player who was born in Guatemala and moved to Canada with his family when he was 10. “In high school, my soccer coach taught me to never get too excited and always to think things through so as not to panic. That approach helps me at work. Sometimes the deadlines can seem overwhelming but my experience shows that you always get through. I try to be a positive role model for the rest of the team. I can’t be freaking out or else it will have a snowball effect on them. It’s important to keep things moving.”

In recent months, Ilich has branched out, extending his influence on the visual side of Roots. Unknown to many people in the company, Ilich is also a highly gifted photographer. All the images in the current Roots ad campaign were taken by Ilich. In May, he did his first photo shoot for Roots featuring Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Adam van Koeverden and actress/singer Danielle Harris, which produced many striking pictures.

This summer, Ilich was behind the camera for a photo shoot in Algonquin Park where he took hundreds of remarkable shots at the Roots Bonita Lodge featuring Adam van Koeverden, his kayaking team, and recent college graduate Rachel Hale. The pictures figure prominently in the Roots fall marketing campaign and, along with his ongoing graphic design work, reflect perfectly the important creative touch that Ilich brings to Roots.    – R.S.

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