La Jato del Gato

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer La Jato del Gato ("LJDG") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

LJDG : I studied architecture, but my learning didn’t stop there. I grew up around manual work —my dad made wooden toys— and I was always drawn to creating things with my hands. I was also surrounded by pre-Columbian art and craft traditions, which shaped how I see form, symbolism, and how objects carry meaning across generations. Later, magic taught me about attention to detail and experience. Most of my skills as a designer come from observing, playing, and solving real-world problems through experimentation.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

LJDG : Design, for me, is not just about creating objects —it’s about creating an experience. That’s why I also love creating magic effects: because I enjoy transmitting a feeling, a sensation, and seeing it reflected in someone else. Every design I make carries an emotion that I want the other person to feel and take with them. What moves me is knowing that even small changes in an object, space, or moment can transform how someone experiences their world.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

LJDG : I chose it —but more than that, I discovered it as part of my path. I actually discovered magic before I discovered architecture. When I performed magic, I realized I was already creating experiences and atmospheres, and I could bring that same mindset into architecture and design. Design became another branch of that path —another opportunity to create, to surprise, to connect. It’s my way of linking what I love about magic with something tangible and lasting.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

LJDG : I design spaces and objects that create a channel of communication —especially between humans and cats, through play and interaction. For me, design is about facilitating these moments where two beings connect and understand each other. Lately, I’ve been exploring the idea of designing magic props and utensils, because they also create experiences and emotions that stay with people. I’ve always enjoyed creating furniture and improvising abstract pieces from separate parts, letting the pieces find their place. In the future, I’d love to keep designing these spaces of communication —whether with yourself or with others— and focusing on those small details that often go unnoticed but give everything its meaning. A simple doorknob, for example, might seem trivial, but it can bring a whole design together.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

LJDG : First, you should focus on finding something that truly moves you —something you love deeply, not just “design.” It has to become part of you, something that makes your eyes light up when you talk about it. Then, when you sit down to design, bring that feeling into everything you create. When you manage to connect those two things —your passion and your craft— you’ll start to feel fulfilled. It’s not about making everyone like what you do, but if you design with the clear intention of transmitting something, people will feel it and appreciate it.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

LJDG : A good designer solves the problem. A great designer solves it and makes the solution invisible —natural, fluid, and meaningful. A great designer listens more than they talk, and never stops questioning.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

LJDG : For me, it’s hard to define absolutely —it depends a lot on the context and the situation. Personally, I find it more valuable to create a good design with very little than to create a good design with a big budget. It’s like cooking: anyone can make a great dish with premium ingredients, but making something that looks good, tastes good, and feels special on a tight budget —that’s true skill. That’s how I see design, too.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

LJDG : Good design saves time, improves wellbeing, and prevents future problems. It reduces waste, frustration, and disconnection. It’s not a luxury —it’s an investment in harmony. Especially in today’s world, design has the power to heal, not just function.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

LJDG : If I had the time and resources, I would design for myself, for Vane —my wife— and for my family. But beyond that, I’d want to design for people who share my vision: people who do what they do with purpose. People who see meaning in their craft and care about the impact it has.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

LJDG : I’d love to design games —objects or spaces that invite emotion, experience, and communication. Another dream of mine is to create my own personal space: a place where I can be myself, learning, practicing, and sharing what I know with others.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

LJDG : I believe it helps to know a mix of many things —even skills or knowledge that might not seem necessary at first, but that give you perspective and help you internalize and express ideas. To that, I add two habits I always practice: first, draw what you’re going to design —put it on paper. And second, be capable of visualizing it fully in your mind, thinking through every element and every detail, so you’re already 10 steps ahead when you build it. After that, it’s all about polishing.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

LJDG : I’m inspired by Bruno Munari for his playfulness and clarity, and by Peter Zumthor for how he designs atmospheres that you can feel with all your senses. I also admire Miguel Ángel Gea, a magician who conceptualizes magic effects in a way that’s deeply human. He focuses on transmitting feelings and crafting sensory experiences for his audience. To me, he’s also a designer —of moments, of emotions, of experiences.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

LJDG : When I look at design, what I enjoy the most is seeing how the materials have been worked —the textures, the colors, the finishes. I love the details, the quiet elements that show care and intention. Those are the things that make a design meaningful to me.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

LJDG : My greatest design is MoCats —our modular cat furniture. What I value most about it is its capacity for transformation: the possibility of creating more with the same system. I’m not just talking about the user’s experience, but also about mine as a designer. It gives me so much freedom that I can keep evolving it —the system stays consistent, but the form keeps adapting. As we used to say in architecture school: “there is no 20,” because there’s always something you can improve. I love being able to chase different versions of perfection in this product —that’s what makes it perfect to me.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

LJDG : It starts with feeling what surrounds you. Really feeling and listening to the world around you —touching, seeing, even listening to materials. Observing everything in maximum detail. And not just in this physical world, but also in others —inside video games, virtual spaces, board games, movies, books, plays. All of these spaces are also designed, and you can find valuable information and inspiration there if you take the time to observe and truly experience them.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

LJDG : I would still be creating —probably as a full-time magician or chef. Both let me experiment, express myself, and connect with others through crafted experiences, which is what I love most about design too.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

LJDG : For me, design is communication —it’s how we speak to others through spaces, objects, sensations. A good design tells a story or creates an atmosphere that stays with the person who experiences it. It’s invisible yet unforgettable.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

LJDG : Vane, my wife and partner. She’s been with me through everything —both in life and in work— helping me see what I sometimes can’t. My family also gave me the foundation of craft and care for detail that shaped me, and they were the ones who introduced me to the richness of pre-Columbian design, which influenced how I see form and meaning. And I’ll always be grateful to two of my professors in architecture school, Pablo Díaz and Martín Frabbri, who taught me to look deeper and think critically about what I create.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

LJDG : Being curious, and never stopping learning. Keeping a playful spirit and always being honest about what I want to transmit with my work. And above all, observation —watching how people and animals behave teaches me more than any book.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

LJDG : Mostly myself —my own doubts, fear of showing what I felt or being misunderstood. But also the lack of skills in the beginning: I didn’t know how to analyze, how to conceptualize, how to truly design. I had to teach myself to see beyond what’s obvious, to develop my perception and critical thinking. Overcoming those limitations took time and experience, but it made me more certain of the kind of designer I want to be and what I want to contribute.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

LJDG : By sharing the motivation, the story, the inspiration —the behind-the-scenes— together with their creation. People connect more deeply when they understand what moved you to create something, what problem you wanted to solve, and how you imagined it coming to life. Don’t just show the result —show the journey alongside the object itself.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

LJDG : My next project will still be connected to La Jato del Gato, but I want to translate its experience into a board game —bringing the philosophy and interaction of La Jato del Gato into a playful, shared activity on the table. It’s a way of expanding the brand’s essence into another kind of experience.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

LJDG : That someday even just one person comes to me and says they want to learn from me —not to learn the tools, but to understand how to transform a feeling and carry it into what they want to create. That would mean I’ve truly communicated what design means to me.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

LJDG : People usually expect you to solve their problem because they think they know what they want —but often, they don’t. That’s why they come to a designer: to help them figure out what they really need. Our job is to guide them with options and ideas until they can see it clearly.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

LJDG : I think design helps people feel freer —to feel more liberated in their daily lives. That sense of freedom reduces stress, lightens the negative weight we carry, and helps people connect better with others and maintain a sense of peace and calm. It even helps people be more emotional and open with each other.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

LJDG : Right now, I’m working on rethinking MoCats modules to make them even more versatile, and testing new textures and materials that enhance the sensory experience for both cats and humans.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

LJDG : MoCats, without a doubt. Because it’s a living system —it continues to evolve. And every time I see a cat using it in a way I didn’t expect, or a human saying “this made life better,” it reminds me why I do this.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

LJDG : I’d like to see less focus on trends and speed, and more on durability, emotional connection, and sustainability. I’d also love to see the end of planned obsolescence —the idea of designing things to fail quickly. I feel most things today are made to have a very short life, just to keep selling more. In the past, there was competition to make the best, most durable things —now the race is to make them fast. I’d like us to go back to valuing things that last. If you want to keep customers coming back, create accessories or elements that enhance and complement your product, instead of making things that are destined to break. That way, you keep adding value without wasting resources.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

LJDG : I think it’s moving toward more open, collaborative, and digital manufacturing —where people can have access to good design locally or even make it themselves. That’s exciting to me.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

LJDG : That depends —but honestly, I don’t think a design is ever truly finalized. There’s always a way to improve it. MoCats took years to develop and it still evolves. For me, the right moment to pause is when the user can already benefit from it, even if I know I’ll keep refining it later. But speaking more generally, I feel a design is truly “finished” when someone gets excited to use it —when the user wants to tell the story of that design, to share it and pass it on.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

LJDG : I start by observing —the user, the space, the problem. Then I try to understand the emotional side of the client —what they want to express, what they want others to feel— and help them bring that out. I try to get excited with them, put myself in their place, and feel that what they’ve envisioned also becomes a part of me. After that, I write down or sketch the first sensations and ideas, even if they’re abstract. Then I build the concept and start testing small pieces until the bigger picture becomes clear.