Human on a decade of design work that no machine could ever make

Alejandro Flores trained in business and finance, making a unique path into design that has shaped everything about Human since its beginning. Founded in Mexico City in 2016, the studio applies the same analytical approach used to read financial markets to the behaviour of brands and consumers, settling on strategy before any visuals are created. A decade of work for Formula 1, the NBA, Marriott and Pernod Ricard has been built on a consistent conviction: design has to mean something before it can look like anything. We spoke to Flores about naming the studio Human long before human-made design became a cultural touchpoint, why he hires people more talented than himself, what premium spirits and luxury hospitality demand that other categories don’t, and why the human moment with a client only grows more valuable as AI does more of the work. TBI: Hey Alejandro! Human turns 10 this year – when you started out in 2016, what kind of studio did you set out to build? AF: To answer properly, I need to give some context. I didn’t start in design. My first degree was in business and finance. Coming from a family of financiers, that was the expected path, and for a while, I followed it.