HIRUKI’s Julen Saenz on why small teams can deliver global brand work

After 15 years at Apple, Google Creative Lab, COLLINS and R/GA, Julen Saenz has launched HIRUKI Design House – a collective built around the conviction that small teams of talented makers can deliver global-scale work when they approach brand design with the care of artists. The studio’s name comes from the Basque word for triangle, representing the minimum collaborative unit needed to generate meaningful impact. Operating from a belief that “feelings are the ultimate truth,” Saenz assembles bespoke teams for each project, drawing from collaborators he built relationships with across his career. In our conversation, he discusses why brand design sits at the intersection of art and commerce, and what it means to create work that gives people goosebumps. TBI: Hi Julen! How are you? JS: Hi, I’m pretty good, thank you. Feeling rested after the Christmas break. Last year was so intense, equally exciting and challenging with the launch of HIRUKI. I feel that every 10 years, I face a new big challenge in my life. Ten years ago, I moved to London with no idea how to speak English (that was mad), and here I am now, 10 years later, launching my own design studio. Definitely another big adventure. I feel every big challenge is a truly humbling experience that makes me learn, and also leaves a lot of beliefs behind. It’s a high dose of hardcore learning, haha.