Form as a way of thinking, geometry as a language of meaning

You transitioned from product design to graphic design and illustration. What challenges and opportunities did that shift present, and how has your background in product design influenced your current work?

I was lucky that the transition happened very naturally. When I was looking for internships I had an industrial design portfolio, but it already had a strong graphic component. In the end I got a position as a graphic designer at a design studio. I think at the beginning they had to be a bit patient with me because, although I had a good eye, it was not as trained as one of a graphic design student. I was also lucky that my boss was very cool and was kind of my accomplice when I told my university professors I was doing industrial design assignments while I was actually doing graphic design work. That was my first real experience. After that I sent my portfolio to half the world, a few clients appeared, and I slowly gained more experience. I would say industrial design has influenced my illustration more than my graphic design work. When I need to represent something figuratively, I almost always turn to objects and artifacts. I feel that material culture is one of the best ways to represent our reality and our ideals, both as a society and at an individual level. Also, when I illustrate objects I usually avoid the typical archetypes. I try to propose new forms that might not be functionally viable, but formally they work very well. That is the advantage of leaving things on paper, or on screen. And even though my friends make fun of me, I still use industrial design software when I illustrate. For certain things it works much better.

You describe yourself as a “Shape Designer.” What does this mean to you, and why do you feel the need to use this label? Do you ever worry that it might decontextualise you from being recognized as a graphic designer?

I decided that one day when I tried to take LinkedIn a bit more seriously. I did not know what to write in my bio because I studied industrial design but I do not really practice it, I do graphic design but I do not have formal academic training as a graphic designer, and my illustrations are so syntactic and schematic that I am not always sure they qualify as illustration. In the end I realized that, regardless of the discipline, I always explain the world through form. It is what I do best and how my brain works. What I enjoy the most is creating shapes that communicate and provoke. If one day the role of shape designer officially exists, I will happily use that title. For now, in my office job I am a graphic designer.

Your work demonstrates a strong interplay between geometry, form, and meaning. How do you translate complex ideas into visual forms, and what guides your choices during this process?

I usually start from a complex idea and reduce it to its most basic form so it becomes legible and universal. I guide my thinking process using mind maps, analogies and comparisons. This allows the forms to remain abstract while still being understandable and evocative. Then I go through multiple formal transformations until the piece feels harmonious. I also always think about the modularity of the system, whether it can work across different formats, media or contexts.

How did you become the “shape designer” you are today? Was there something in your childhood or early experiences that shaped your way of making things clear visually? Looking ahead, how do you see your practice evolving in the future?

I think I have always been strong in mathematical intelligence, which is not only about numbers but also about abstraction, finding patterns and understanding the logic behind things. In school and university I used to synthesize everything into diagrams, keywords and connections. Over time I started translating that way of thinking into shapes, and I have not stopped since. About the future, it is a question I have asked myself many times. The truth is I do not know exactly how my practice will evolve. The "how" changes depending on my circumstances, my interests, explorations and the context I work in. But I think the "why" remains constant. It is about encouraging questioning and reflection about how we live and how to be present.

AI often works based on systems, coding, or catalogued information to generate outputs. Have you ever experimented with integrating AI into your design systems? If yes, how did it work, and did the outcome align with your vision? If not, is there a reason you haven’t explored it yet, and do you foresee doing so in the future?

Yes, I do use AI in my work, especially for things that I would not be able to do on my own. About a year ago I wanted to train a model that could imitate my synesthesia, but I had no idea how to do it, so I left the idea in the parking lot. Recently I thought I could probably use AI to make it happen, and that is what I did. It is a highly functional model that translates words into the colors I see in my head. I have also used AI to retouch images or generate catalogs with consistent photographs. These are tasks I normally do not do, do not know how to do very well, and honestly do not feel very excited to learn. So I prefer to delegate them to AI. When it comes to graphics and illustration, I tried it once out of curiosity, just to see how good the results could be. I did not like them. To me they lack value. More than producing a nice image, what really interests me is the process, the reasoning behind the form and the design judgment. I have a vocation for what I do, and I do not want to delegate the part of the process that I enjoy the most.

How do you perceive the current state of design education?

Recently I have not been very connected to academia, so I do not know exactly how design is currently being taught with all these emerging technologies. But I have seen that institutions are making an effort to update themselves in response to these changes. I believe that instead of focusing only on teaching new tools, design education should focus on developing critical thinking, analytical skills and visual judgment. Tools change constantly, but the ability to think, question and construct meaning through design is what really sustains a long-term practice.

In your opinion, what is the role of emerging graphic designers?

Going back to my previous point, now more than ever designers need to build strong critical thinking. At a moment when tools allow us to produce almost unlimited images, the value of a designer is not only in generating visuals, but in having judgment. Deciding what is worth communicating, how to do it and why. I think the role of emerging designers is precisely to develop their own perspective and position in the world.

What advice would you offer to a young graphic designer entering the professional world today?

I think one of the things that makes a good designer is having deep interests outside of design. Philosophy, music, mathematics, psychology,... This enriches our practice a lot because it creates organic connections between different areas of knowledge and leads to richer and more complex ideas and solutions.