The Spanish designer Cruz Novillo has passed away at the age of 89, as reported by Gráffica magazine. Born in Cuenca in 1936, his work marked the visual identity of public institutions, large companies, and media outlets in Spain for decades, to the point of becoming one of the key names in the country's contemporary design.
Author of some of the most recognizable images on the Spanish scene, his signature is behind identities such as Correos, Repsol, Policía Nacional, Renfe, Endesa or the Tesoro Público, in addition to the iconic symbol of the fist and rose of the PSOE. He also designed logos for publications such as El Mundo, COPE, Diario 16 or El Economista, as well as the Bank of Spain banknotes and the institutional symbols of the Community of Madrid.
A career linked to the transformation of Spain
Cruz Novillo began his career in 1958 as a draftsman at Publicidad Clarín. A year later, he began collaborating with the Society for the Study of Industrial Design (SEDI), at a time when design was beginning to consolidate as a discipline in Spain. In 1965, he made the definitive leap by opening his own studio, from which he developed much of his legacy.
His career developed in parallel to a key period of institutional and economic change in Spain. His works accompanied the creation of new public structures after the dictatorship and the modernization of both public and private companies, contributing to building a coherent visual image during the country's transition.
The style that defined an era
Cruz Novillo's visual language was characterized by formal synthesis, the use of clean geometries, and the balance between positive and negative spaces. His ability to condense complex ideas into simple and lasting symbols explains why many of his designs remain current decades later.
Beyond corporate design, he also left his mark on cinema, signing film posters such as The Spirit of the Beehive, South, The National Shotgun, Mondays in the Sun, Barrio, or Fast, Fast.
With his passing, a key figure in the construction of the visual identity of modern Spain disappears, whose legacy remains present in the daily lives of millions of citizens.