Giménez del Pueblo
Up until 1991, you could only watch two channels on TV, run by the state broadcasting corporation TVE. When it started having competitors, José Giménez del Pueblo (1961) refined the organization’s visual identity, including logos for both its TV channels and radio stations. You can imagine how much time I have spent staring at his work.
Illustration by Silvia Fernández Palomar
Rafael Marquina
His Marquina 1961 is the best oil cruet ever designed. I learnt about it when I was a teenager, and I fell in love with it.
Legend goes Rafael Marquina (1921- 2013) often introduced himself as “the father of Nani Marquina”. Nani designs beautiful rugs that she sells on nanimarquina.com, where you can also find his dad’s iconic artifact.
Illustration by Silvia Fernández Palomar
Alberto Corazón
The logo that Alberto Corazón (1942) designed for Anaya editorial was on the back of most my textbooks through high school. He is the author of several masterpieces, my favorite probably being his popular logo for Cercanías (Madrid short distance rail system).
His son Oyer Corazon is also a graphic and strategic designer and used to run a show on national radio.
Illustration by Silvia Fernández Palomar
Gabriel Lluelles
Twenty years ago, there were two kitchen appliances you could find in most Spanish homes: the Minipimer hand blender and the Citromatric juicer.
If you want to learn more about Gabriel Lluelles (1923–2012), and how he went to work with Dieter Rams when his company was acquired by Braun, Javier Cañada has a great article about him.
Illustration by Silvia Fernández Palomar
Cruz-Novillo
Sending a letter, watching the news, reading the paper, voting on the elections, catching a train, pit stopping, talking to the police… pretty much anything you do in Spain means that you are probably looking at work by José María Cruz Novillo (1936).
Counter-Print recently released a gorgeous book (that you should get) compiling some of his logos. His son Pepe is also a designer and a partner at the studio Cruz más Cruz.
Illustration by Silvia Fernández Palomar