A Valencia-Based
Studio Reinvents the Graphic Alphabet in a Tribute to Design Legend Cruz Novillo
Studio Reinvents the Graphic Alphabet in a Tribute to Design Legend Cruz Novillo
Can a design from sixty years ago still ignite
passions today? Luján Estudio has revived the geometric synthesis of Pepe Cruz Novillo, transforming the humble matchbox into a contemporary medium for Spanish design history. This visual journey bridges the gap between iconic architecture, signature design, and a profound historical legacy.
LE
Our gaze has always been set on cultural value, and that drive has led us to undertake a project born from an almost instinctive need to pay tribute to our visual roots. What we present today is an exercise in self-promotion that seeks more than just visibility; it is a declaration of love for our culture.
It is a new taxonomy of Spanish design that takes as its starting point one of the humblest and, at the same time, most powerful objects in our graphic memory.
Our proposal consists of an evolution of the legendary matchbox series toward a contemporary alphabet of architecture and signature design, joining the mastery of 1960s synthesis with the milestones that define current modernity.
This idea arose casually in our studio while contemplating an original vintage matchbox. We realized that design should not be something static, but a constant conversation. Therefore, we decided to create a list of "essentials" through a modern lens.
It is a selection where anonymous design coexists with signature pieces, and where iconic works from the 60s to the present day share space with the current vanguard. We have sought a balanced presence of studios from different parts of the peninsula, finally integrating the necessary female perspective. In our boxes, the geometry of Patricia Urquiola’s Burin table or the freshness of Inma Bermúdez’s Follow Me lamp dialogue with everlasting classics.
Detail of three boxes with armchair designs
Vectorization process of the Tuman Armchair
Selection of images of the armchair by Pep Bonet
The origin of this entire process is clear: the figure of Pepe Cruz Novillo. In the late 60s, he proved that concepts and objects could be synthesized on the surface of a matchbox. Those small pieces from the Fósforos del Pirineo company were not just everyday objects; they were capsules of democratic design.
Gallery of images of the project designs. 1 — Bofill’s Red Wall. 2 — Anonymous design juicer. 3 — Minimiper (National Design). 4 — Pair of Torres Blancas and Red Wall boxes.
Design milestones like Torres Blancas are viral phenomena today.
From our studio, we are fascinated to observe how that design is more alive today than ever. One only has to see how architectural landmarks such as Sáenz de Oiza’s Torres Blancas or Bofill’s Red Wall are viral phenomena on social media today, serving as settings for international music videos and fashion campaigns.
Simplification of the Torres Blancas building by Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza
That vitality is what we wanted to capture. To do so, we immersed ourselves in Novillo's creative process, navigating the archive that his son keeps active from the Cruz más Cruz studio. We feel there is a sort of legacy that preserves the past and keeps it relevant. It is a labor of custody that we celebrate, especially when we see how society organizes to save icons, as happened with the mermaid logo in Almería designed by Cruz.
Our intention with this alphabet is to act as a media megaphone so that new generations rediscover the masters who built our visual identity.
We want to position talent in the media using this collaboration as a bridge.
We want to position talent in the media using this collaboration as a bridge.
Vectorized design table by Patricia Urquiola
We believe that pieces like the 1935 El Casco Stapler, the 2016 Block Sofa by Mut Design, or the 1960 Tropical Armchair by the Vidal Brothers deserve to be reclaimed under this aesthetic.
Each box is a tool that transfers the monumentality of concrete and the sophistication of industrial design to the most tactile and humble format in existence. Not everyone who should be there is included; it is just a small selection of the immensity of Spanish product design, from the 1969 Tuman armchair to the 2025 Folded stool by Nani Marquina, the most recent piece.
Each box is a tool that transfers the monumentality of concrete and the sophistication of industrial design to the most tactile and humble format in existence. Not everyone who should be there is included; it is just a small selection of the immensity of Spanish product design, from the 1969 Tuman armchair to the 2025 Folded stool by Nani Marquina, the most recent piece.
At the end of this research journey, we stumbled upon a detail that magically closed the circle. While reviewing old sketches by Cruz Novillo, we discovered an amazing coincidence. In one of those working drawings, traced with his gestural stroke, appeared the El Casco stapler.
Was it an epiphany? Seeing that piece—which we had already selected independently—drawn by the master's hand decades ago, gave us the final validation. It confirmed to us that the invisible thread connecting our gaze with Novillo’s is real; a connection that was always there, waiting to be ignited once again.
Was it an epiphany? Seeing that piece—which we had already selected independently—drawn by the master's hand decades ago, gave us the final validation. It confirmed to us that the invisible thread connecting our gaze with Novillo’s is real; a connection that was always there, waiting to be ignited once again.
Image gallery of the project designs. 1 — Full collection. 2 — Pair of some of the most contemporary pieces. 3 — Detail of the Cesta design by Miguel Milá. 4 — Selection of several boxes.
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Fósforos del Pirineo:
La pequeña gran revolución visual de
Cruz Novillo
Press Release Article — Valencia, April 28, 2026 Hacia 1968, Cruz
Novillo transformó un objeto humilde — las cajas de cerillas de Fósforos
del Pirineo—. En una España gris, introdujo un desenfado y un sentido del humor radicales que hoy son piezas de culto.
Colección de fósforos diseñados pot Cruz Novillo para Navidad.
Se marcha con un privilegio casi poético: era el único español, junto a la reina Sofía, que no pagaba un euro por sus envíos postales. Este título de Cartero Honorario fue el reconocimiento al creador de la cornamusa de Correos y de tantos otros símbolos que permitieron a un país reconocerse tras décadas de sombra.
Bocetos de los diseños de las ilustraciónes elaborados por Pepe Cruz Novillo
Cajas de Fósforos en el estudio de Cruz Más Cruz
Aquellas cerillas no solo encendían fuego; encendieron la curiosidad estética de una nación. Series como el "ABC Animal" elevaron un producto de estanco a la categoría de vanguardia, logrando incluso el reconocimiento de la prestigiosa revista suiza Graphis en 1969.
Su mano dio forma a la bandera de la Comunidad de Madrid, a los logotipos de Renfe, Repsol y Endesa, e incluso a los últimos billetes de pesetas. Como solía decir su hijo y socio, Pepe Cruz, su padre creó marcas con una modernidad que parece haber sido dibujada esta misma mañana.
Foto de Pepe Cruz con su hijo Pepe Cruz Junior, actual cabeza de estudio.
Se va el artista que nos enseñó que "menos es más solo si más es demasiado". Hoy España está un poco más huérfana de color, pero eternamente agradecida por el mapa visual que él nos regaló.
Press Release Article — Valencia, April 28, 2026
Pyrenean Fire: The Rise and Fall of the Sabiñánigo Industry
From the ashes of the post-war era, an industry emerged in the Pyrenees that defied destiny. What began as timber and chemistry in Sabiñánigo ended up igniting the imagination of all of Spain. This is the chronicle of Fósforos del Pirineo: the giant that democratized fire and conquered every Spanish pocket.
Graphic documents showing the women workers of the factory.
In the heart of Sabiñánigo, matches had the face
of a woman. Amidst mountains and chemicals, they manufactured
the fire that ignited the modernity of an entire nation.
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To understand the origin of this factory, it is necessary to go back to the post-war period. The Spanish Civil War had dismantled the industrial fabric of match-making, destroying strategic factories in Oviedo, Irún, Alcoy, and Carabanchel. Faced with this production vacuum and the need to control a basic necessity subject to state monopoly, Alto Aragón presented itself as the ideal stage.
In April 1948, the company Celulosas del Pirineo was incorporated in Sabiñánigo. Although its initial goal was to transform wood into paper pulp, the economic reality and the availability of chemical resources in the area—especially the potassium chlorate produced by the neighboring Energía e Industrias Aragonesas—forced a strategic shift toward match production.
Factory operator working with color.
Detail of one of the women selecting matchboxes.
In 1951, the plant began operating under a structure that challenged the norms of the time. While the heavy industry of the area, such as aluminum or chemicals, employed almost exclusively men, Fósforos del Pirineo became the "women’s factory." The production of matches and the assembly of cardboard booklets required manual dexterity and patience that made the female workforce the fundamental pillar of the company. For many families in Sabiñánigo, the factory represented the first opportunity for economic independence for women, creating a unique social fabric in the Pyrenees.
The 1960s and 70s marked the factory's heyday. Integrated into the holding of the Fierro family—one of Spain’s most powerful economic empires—the company not only met domestic demand but also perfected its manufacturing processes to compete in an increasingly demanding market.
Wooden matches coexisted with cardboard booklets, a format that began traveling to every corner of the country, from tobacconists to hotels and restaurants. During this period, the factory reached its maximum production capacity, consolidating itself as a benchmark of industrial efficiency in the state-monopolized goods sector.
Details of patent designs from Fósforos del Pirineo.
However, the factory's fate was sealed by technological evolution and changes in consumer habits. The mass appearance of the disposable lighter posed an existential threat to traditional matches. Despite the parent company's attempts to diversify and adapt to the new times, the match market began an irreversible contraction.
The final blow came with the opening of markets after Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community and the restructuring of former state monopolies.
The company was absorbed by the Swedish multinational Swedish Match.
The company was absorbed by the Swedish multinational Swedish Match.
In 1984, after more than three decades of activity, the Sabiñánigo factory closed its doors for good.
Shortly thereafter, the company’s structure was absorbed by the Swedish multinational Swedish Match, which centralized production and dismantled local plants in favor of a global strategy.
With the silencing of the machines in Sabiñánigo, not only did an industry disappear, but also a way of life and a labor identity that had defined generations. Today, the memory of Fósforos del Pirineo remains as a testimony to an era where fire was manufactured among mountains, and a town's prosperity depended on the friction of a small match head against a cardboard striker.
With the silencing of the machines in Sabiñánigo, not only did an industry disappear, but also a way of life and a labor identity that had defined generations. Today, the memory of Fósforos del Pirineo remains as a testimony to an era where fire was manufactured among mountains, and a town's prosperity depended on the friction of a small match head against a cardboard striker.