Mr. Héctor Serrano, Spanish National Design Awardee for 2024, brought his 25-year legacy to DLS-CSB on Oct. 14, delivering “The Journey in Between,” a design talk that traced the creative threads connecting innovation, culture, and purpose.
Held at the 5/F Design and Arts (D+A) Campus, the event drew the Benildean community into Serrano’s world of design and his philosophy of design as a bridge between imagination and impact.
Graced by Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines Mr. Miguel Utray, the talk was part of Design Week Philippines and the Embassy of Spain’s broader cultural celebrations this month, which include art exhibitions, public lectures, and film screenings that honor the enduring ties between Spain and the Philippines.
The talk opened with remarks from Mr. Johann Mangussad, OIC Chairperson of the Industrial Design program, who welcomed Serrano’s presence as both an honor and an inspiration.
He noted the significance of the partnership, marking a collaboration between nations. “And it is through conversations like this, with our partners around the world—today, especially from Spain, a country with such a rich heritage—that we continue to deepen our own understanding of what good design truly means for us Filipinos,” Mr. Mangussad shared.
Form follows function
Organized into two main directions—from and towards-–the talk framed his 25-year journey around six foundational concepts: innovation, memory, intuition, emotion, creativity, and immersion. Each concept, he explained, represents both a source and a destination, and a way of understanding how ideas evolve across time and experience.
Through his framework, he illustrated how design grows from curiosity and reflection to connection and experience. Mr. Serrano emphasized that “curiosity is the origin of everything, it’s the foundation of design,” encouraging the audience to stay open-minded, to question materials, and to explore the relationship between people and objects.
Each concept came alive through stories and examples from his projects—lamps inspired by familiar shapes, toys designed to limit screen time, and installations that invite play and collaboration. To Mr. Serrano, materials are a language, and memory gives objects their emotional depth. His progression “towards emotion, creativity, and immersion” highlighted design’s power to engage the senses and strengthen the humanity connection.
The bigger picture
At the heart of the College, where creativity is both language and legacy, the talk became a conversation on purpose. For the Benildean community, known for pioneering art-centered education in the Philippines, “The Journey in Between” resonated as a mirror of their own values—design anchored in empathy, function guided by emotion, and innovation rooted in humanity.
For Leandra Menjola, an ID125 student from the Animation (AB-ANI) program, the afternoon was a reminder that inclusion must also exist in the digital and imaginative spaces artists build. ”What struck me most during the event was his ideas toward collaboration and inclusivity,” she shared. “Even as an animation student, I thought about how I could apply that in storytelling, how inclusivity can help audiences feel more seen and connected.”
Motivated by Mr. Serrano’s reflection on creative authenticity, the discussion sparked a renewed sense of purpose among ID124 students from the Architecture (BS-ARCHI) program Angel Villanueva and Janina Amanes. “It was eye-opening,” Villanueva described. “As an architecture student, you tend to rely on existing patterns or trends. But this talk taught us to value the process—to look beyond what’s already done and discover what makes our work personal and meaningful.”
Amanes agreed, recognizing how Mr. Serrano’s insights pushed her to find her own creative rhythm amid a field already bursting with ideas. “You see so many designs everywhere, and it’s hard to stand out,” she shared. “But hearing him talk about finding your process reminded me that you can start from what’s already there—your culture, your community—and still create something new.”
As the audience filed out of the venue, Mr. Serrano’s presence left something tangible behind—permission. Permission to wander through the uncertain middle ground of creation, to trust intuition over trend, and to root innovation in the familiar texture of cultures and memory.
For the Benildean community, long shaped by a commitment to design that serves both function and feeling, “The Journey in Between” served as a nudge that the most meaningful work emerges from staying curious about what is already there.
In a discipline often obsessed with outcomes, Mr. Serrano offered something rarer: the assurance that the journey itself—messy, reflective, and deeply human—is where design finds its soul.
