Miguel Espejo

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Miguel Espejo ("ME") 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?

ME : Everything began in 1992, when I was only eleven. My older brother was studying graphic design at a time when computers did not exist and everything was done by hand. Watching him develop ideas affected me deeply. I started to accompany him, and while he worked, I made my own drawings. Without knowing it, that experience marked the start of a vocation that would transform me forever. My first encounter with the structure of design came at school through technical drawing. I truly enjoyed understanding solids, breaking down their shapes, and using set squares, a compass, and pencils with precision. Each sheet was a demanding exercise where order, cleanliness, and rigor were decisive. Later I studied at La Universidad Los Libertadores (Colombia) and graduated as a Graphic Designer with an honors thesis on visual identity design. I had the chance to learn artistic drawing, materials, descriptive geometry, perspective, semiology, photography, typography, animation, programming, web development, and editorial design, among others. That was a truly expansive period that gave me technical tools and showed me that design was far more than a profession: it was a language of expression. My time at university was shaped by a key event. In my sixth semester I won the PAD Academic Design Award 2004 from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) with an industrial design product called D2. Being recognized in a branch of design not directly related to my studies filled me with confidence, and I decided to follow the call of my own ideas. I then spent more than a decade working as a freelance graphic designer, developing projects for companies seeking visual clarity and coherence. I strengthened my skills in advertising design, product photography, and print production, with a particular focus on the floriculture sector, where aesthetic sensitivity is essential. In 2017 I went through a professional crisis that led me to reinvent myself. I chose to step into new territory and opened a private tattoo studio called inktegral. There, design, drawing, and photography found new meaning in the intimacy of skin and emotion. It was a deeply personal and transformative chapter in my career. At the same time, I was quietly developing Fractal 9, a sculptural furniture project that would later receive the A’ Design Award in 2025. Looking back, I see a path shaped by constant experimentation and change. It has been a journey of learning, discovery, and openness to new directions.

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

ME : Designing allows me to understand the world. It’s a way to explore, question, and propose. I’m motivated by the possibility of transforming an idea into something tangible, of connecting the abstract with the real. I didn’t choose design as a conventional career. It was an inner calling. From a very young age, I was fascinated by forms, systems, and the logic behind what we see. When I discovered that design could serve as a bridge between reason and emotion, I knew it was my path.

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

ME : Becoming a designer was an answer to an inner call. It was a decision made in complete freedom, and I reaffirm it with every step I take. I wish to do something that makes me happy and lets me reflect the harmony I want to see in the world.

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

ME : I design connections between meaning and form that can take shape in different languages. I especially value logos because they are deeply powerful visual structures: small in size yet enormous in meaning. It amazes me how stories can be told through the simplicity of shapes. Even so, what attracts me most is stepping into new territories where there are no certainties or preset formulas. I want to design more projects that challenge me to learn, integrate knowledge, and find answers.

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

ME : First, learn to think long term, because good design needs time and maturity. Second, fall in love with the idea so you will not abandon it when doubts or setbacks appear. Remember that the stones along the path are the path itself. Finally, nurture your intuition, confidence, and discipline. Every design process can also be a space for personal growth. A legendary designer doesn’t follow shortcuts. Their path is built with consistency between their beliefs, their creations, and what they offer to the world.

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

ME : A good designer can solve a problem, a great designer can reveal it. A good designer looks for answers, a great designer formulates new questions. A good designer does what is expected, a great designer breaks the mold. A great designer can transform how people see, feel, or understand the world. Greatness lies not in style, but in the level of awareness and depth of thought behind the work.

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

ME : A truly good design is felt before it is understood. It has presence, coherence, and purpose. When you see it, something inside you recognizes it effortlessly. I assess design by three factors: form, reasoning, and intent. I first observe whether it is beautiful, then whether there is logic behind its choices, and finally whether it fulfils its purpose. A good design not only works and looks good, it also reaches something deeper because it has soul.

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

ME : Good design improves life. It makes things work better, be understood clearly, and be lived with greater well-being. Investing in good design is not a luxury; it is a strategic decision that separates objects that merely occupy space from those that truly add value. It is an invisible asset silently enhancing each of our experiences.

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

ME : I would design a furniture line inspired by the geometric and symbolic principles I explored in Fractal 9. A set of modular pieces that give shape to the natural order through a quiet, meaningful language. I’d do it for those who see beauty as something deeper, and who want to feel connected to their space and to themselves.

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

ME : I dream of creating an immersive space around the concept of Fractal 9, where design, art, math, and consciousness come together. A place where each person can feel it, explore it, and remember the fractal order of life, not as theory but as something lived.

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

ME : The recipe blends attention to understand, interpretation to translate, and intent to turn the concept into a coherent, tangible experience. The secret ingredient is emotional connection, because design is not only about solving. It is about feeling in order to convey. If I had to add another ingredient, it would be emotional connection. When what I design moves me, it moves others too. It’s not just about solving, but about feeling and communicating.

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

ME : Nature is my deepest inspiration, the great master of design. No expression surpasses the efficiency and beauty of the forms, materials, textures, colors, patterns, and structures she reveals. Among people, I admire designers who have had the courage to follow their vision without concessions, those who devoted themselves to an honest search and delivered a truthful message. Leonardo da Vinci for his ability to combine disciplines, Dieter Rams for functional clarity, and Buckminster Fuller for his systemic view of design as a tool for transformation.

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

ME : I like designs that do not shout, those that reveal with simplicity the complexity within, that transcend the object and become unforgettable. Take the Arco lamp by Achille Castiglioni, able to transform a space with a gesture so clean and elegant, it is striking. Or the Zig-Zag chair by Gerrit Rietveld, a line that removes everything unnecessary and turns simplicity into a statement. And the first iPod from Apple, the first time I turned that wheel I felt I held a device from the future.

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

ME : Without a doubt, my most important design work is Fractal 9, a piece that began as a response to a personal need to use a space in my living room and is now internationally recognized thanks to the prestigious A' Design Award. First, its aesthetics. Inspired by the simplicity and complexity of nature’s fractal structures, it establishes a dialogue between the geometric and the organic, the rational and the spontaneous. Its sculptural presence sparks imagination and encourages a more conscious, creative, and emotional connection with the surroundings. Second, its modular assembly system, which lets it function as an Integral Unit or divide into two Essential Units to organize books, display objects, or act as a versatile surface adaptable to different contexts. Beyond form and function, this work is a vehicle of artistic expression that conveys a message of order, balance, and unity. It reminds us that we are part of a fractal nature in which every element has a purpose within a larger system, an invitation to look within and ask yourself: What is your purpose? Most important, though, is its power to affect people through its concept, a mathematical pattern that transcends the object because it is also present in natural order, influencing processes such as the cell-duplication sequence that shapes animals and plants. Fractal 9 changed my life, taught me that design is also discovery, and opened the door to a new understanding of what has always been there.

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

ME : Technique improves with practice, but sensitivity grows through attention and awareness. I listen more, observe more, and above all question more: the client, the context, the material, the mistake, because each always has something to say. Perhaps most important is to stop rushing, because good design is like a marvelous fruit that needs time to ripen.

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

ME : I would have been a farmer, an animal protector, and a surfer, something that connected me with nature, the essential rhythms of life, and the body. I have always felt a deep need to be near the sea, natural cycles, and beings that live without hurry or pretense.

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

ME : Design is a way to honor life itself as the result of a greater, conscious, intelligent design. It is the power to translate the abstract into tangible experience through structured thinking with sensitivity. It is not only about creating things but about establishing relationships and resolving tensions that help us live better and serve more.

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

ME : My greatest support has come from my family circle: my mother, father, sister, and two brothers. They have stood by me, trusting me even when things were unclear, and their emotional backing has been the foundation on which I have felt free to build. Equally important were the teachers who let me doubt, the friends who listened, the people who believed in me, and also those who did not along the way. To all of them, I offer my sincere gratitude.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

ME : More than talent, what helps me is the ability to sustain ideas over time: discipline, passion, and deep curiosity. I refuse to settle for the surface of design; I want to understand the why and the for-what. I believe that constant search is what makes me grow as a designer.

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

ME : The greatest obstacles were internal. Overcoming my own doubts and those others tried to plant, gave me the strength to persist. I had to learn to trust intuition and create without outside validation to reach this point and keep moving forward with greater clarity on the path design opened in me.

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

ME : With honesty and respect for the process. Presenting a project well is not about dressing it up. A designer should show the concept, the logic behind each decision, and the final result, but also the journey: references, sketches, mistakes. All of that speaks to their maturity and thinking.

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

ME : I plan to write and design a second digital book titled 9... The Forbidden Fruit, a continuation of The Number of God? In this new volume I will delve deeper into the findings on the number 9 pattern and its relationship to the structure of nature and life itself. “Nature is a poem written with numbers.”

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

ME : I do not want to design things alone; I want to design meanings, questions, and experiences. My goal is to contribute a vision that reveals order where only chaos was perceived, leaving a mark capable of sparking inner changes that expand consciousness.

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

ME : Authenticity! People expect me to listen attentively and foster constructive dialogue that enriches the process with depth and clarity. They also look for clear judgment and fresh vision when needed. Plus, my kindness, honesty, and, above all, my joy, because being professional is also being human.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

ME : Design can organize, communicate, facilitate, heal, inspire. It can make the invisible visible and build bridges where walls once stood. When created with awareness, its impact is silent yet profound. A well-placed sign can prevent an accident. A clear poster can avert frustration. A harmonious object can generate well-being. Good design is a way of caring for others.

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

ME : Taking Fractal 9 into its industrial phase excites me most right now. I picture people enjoying its beauty, interacting with its form, and grasping the concept that gives life to this sculptural furniture. At the same time, I am promoting The Number of God? a digital book that introduces the exploration of the number 9 pattern and the connections I have uncovered. Piece and message move forward together, because design, to me, is an experience to feel, understand, and share.

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

ME : Fractal 9, because of the A’ Design Award recognition, but above all for the journey. It was not born with a commercial goal; it began as a personal need. It was a quiet creation, unrushed, that ended up revealing its own language and showing me a new way to see design.

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

ME : I would like design to move away from consumerism and immediacy, leave the ego behind, and draw closer to the common good. Design has been used to create many problems, so it must also be the tool to solve them. We have the responsibility to restore order, balance, and unity.

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

ME : I believe design is becoming more transversal, philosophical, and sensitive. It no longer just supports products; it helps shape thoughts, cultures, and systems. The future of design lies in its ability to integrate art, science, technology, spirituality, and social commitment. The designer of tomorrow will not be the one who best represents styles or trends, but the one who best connects knowledge and purpose in service of life.

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

ME : There is no fixed timeframe. Each project has its own rhythm, because design is not a mechanical process; it is organic. Some ideas flow in hours, others need longer to mature. I prioritize clarity, coherence, and depth over speed. I prefer to wait until the design truly feels ready rather than force a premature delivery.

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

ME : I start by listening. I need to understand the real need beyond the formal request. I listen to the client, the context, the references, and my intuition. Then I look for the concept, the central idea that can support everything. When that core is clear, the rest is visual translation. Without a solid concept, design may be decorative but it will never be meaningful.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

ME : “Form responds to meaning.” For me, design does not begin with an image but with an intention. Form is the sensitive consequence of what carries meaning and purpose. When design has significance, it becomes unforgettable.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

ME : I think design and trends share a two-way relationship. Sometimes design prompts new ways of seeing the world; at other times trends reflect social concerns worth addressing. Trends can enrich design when they arise from real needs such as sustainability or collective well-being. Good design can converse with its time, but it should not depend on it.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

ME : Technology is a tool, not an end. It lets me materialize ideas, explore possibilities, and take design to levels that were once impossible. I am now beginning to explore artificial intelligence, integrating it consciously into the creative process to broaden perspective, deepen analysis, and enrich thinking.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

ME : I work with the essentials: pencil, paper, Illustrator, and Photoshop. These tools let me move from idea to form with agility and precision. I also rely on certain books that inspire my process and on the internet as an endless source of visual and conceptual references. Yet beyond software or external resources, the most important tool is attention. It observes, interprets, connects, and shapes ideas. No equipment can replace the judgment, intuition, and clarity that only a present, trained mind brings to the process.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

ME : Color, materials, and ambience communicate. They express emotion, reflect identity, and convey meaning; they are the sensory language of design. A color can trigger memory, guide attention, or shift mood. A natural finish suggests warmth, while an industrial one conveys precision. The ambience is the container, the space that contextualizes everything and gives design life. More than decoration, these elements carry the message and, when chosen well, make the design both visible and felt.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

ME : I would like people to ask “Why?” Beyond aesthetics or functionality, I am moved when someone is interested in the concept that gives meaning to the design. When a person wants to know what inspired it, what it seeks to communicate, or why that form and not another, something beautiful happens: the design stops being just an object and becomes a conversation.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

ME : My first reaction to a great design is emotional: feelings of wonder and admiration that lead to joy. Then the rational side arrives and I want to understand why it was created, what the concept was, which problem it solved, and whether a solid idea or a bold intuition lies behind it. A great design is a stimulus that expands thought.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

ME : Co-design has immense power because it mirrors the fractal process of thought; through dialogue and interaction, ideas can grow beyond what one person could imagine. It is a multiplying force. My ideal design partner is someone who listens, questions without ego, proposes, and values both the idea and the process. Can we progress as humanity without working as a team?

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

ME : The people who most influenced my design were those who dared to question what I was doing, because they made me doubt. Sometimes they were right; other times their words helped me reaffirm what I thought. I deeply value those sincere conversations that offered a perspective I had not considered. They were small seeds, sown without pretension, that ended up having great impact over time.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

ME : Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. Although it is not a design book, it helped me grow as a person and positively shaped how I approach my work. It taught me to live in the present, value the journey more than the goal, and cultivate love, humility, resilience, and determination. I also highlight La semiología by Pierre Guiraud, which I read at the start of university and that was key to understanding how meaning is built beyond words. Still, more than a reader of books, I feel I am a reader of my surroundings. I design from attentive observation, intuition, and a constant dialogue with the forms, symbols, and patterns around me.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

ME : By feeding curiosity, observing more closely, and questioning what is taken for granted. Instead of seeking technical perfection, I keep training my intuition, my ability to synthesize, and my commitment to every detail. Each project is an opportunity to learn especially when things do not turn out as expected. I grow by doing, undoing, and starting again.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

ME : I would like to meet the multidisciplinary Leonardo da Vinci to talk about our creative nature and how he managed to express it so widely, integrating design, art, architecture, engineering, science, botany, writing, music, philosophy, and spirituality. It would be truly inspiring to share with him; he is clear proof of our potential to care for life and shape the world we inhabit. At this point I cannot help asking myself: What is happening to us?

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

ME : Being famous is not difficult for me, because I am not famous. Rather than fame, I feel gratitude for the visibility the award has given me to share a vision of natural order that had long been silent, waiting for its moment. I do not see recognition as a goal but as confirmation that it is worthwhile to sustain an idea over time and work on it with honesty. If this has the power to inspire someone else to do the same, then it makes sense.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

ME : Color: Black, for its purity, depth, and ability to contain everything. Place: The sea, which connects me and makes me feel part of a larger system. Food: Fresh fruit in the morning, simple, alive, perfect. Season: Spring, a time of renewal and hope. Thing: The pencil, fundamental, direct, essential. Brand: Fractal 9, for its simplicity and profound meaning.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

ME : Once someone wrote to request a tattoo quote. I asked for the approximate size in centimeters, and the reply was: “I want it small… but not that small.” Sometimes we do not know whether we design, guess, or simply decipher riddles.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

ME : Nothing motivates me more than facing a new idea that sparks curiosity to explore it, motivation to understand it, and the challenge to develop it. If I have the chance to express myself and contribute through what I love doing, then it has been a great day as a designer.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

ME : As a child I loved drawing and taking things apart to put them back together. Curiosity led me to understand and structure my thinking. I did not dream of being a great designer; I only wanted to do something that made me happy, and, honestly, I still think the same today.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

ME : I want to believe humanity is moving toward a deep reconnection with what is essential, with life itself. I hope the future is not dominated by technology, but by the purpose with which we use it. I hope we come to understand that true progress is not in producing more, but in designing with soul. I hope we awaken.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

ME : If I could leave just one idea, it would be this: “Chaos is an illusion implanted to conceal the order of creation.”