17 2018 The Roca Madrid Gallery unites five winners of the National Design Awards for the first time The speakers shared their experiences after receiving Spain’s highest recognition for design As part of the Madrid Design Festival, on 13th February the Roca Madrid Gallery organised “We Are Design”, an encounter which gathered together five winners of National Design Awards from recent years. The National Awards for Innovation and Design are Spain’s highest accolades for companies and professionals who stand out due to their excellent and exemplary work in the field of design. The round table delved deep into past and future visions of design, new currents and emerging trends in an interesting discussion led by these five top professionals: Nacho Lavernia, founder of the studio Lavernia, Cienfuegos y Asociados and winner of the 2012 National Design Award; Jaime Moreno, founder of Mormedi, an international design consultancy, award-winner in 2015; Mario Ruiz, the 2016 winner with a long international career and founder of Mario Ruiz Design; and Manuel Estrada, the CEO of Estrada Design, who received the award in 2017. Soledad Berbegal, Director of Comunicación Estratégica en Actiu and winner of themust work.” For his part, Jaime Moreno shared his visionmaintaining quality, were the ones who survived. It also 2017 National Design Award in the Business Category,that “Design is a discipline which must have creativity and acted as moderator. meant the incorporation of multidisciplinary profiles into the empathise with the consumer,” and Manuel Estradateams, which has now become the key to their national The speakers offered very revealing reflections upon theexplained that “Design as a creative element of talent isand international success. situation of design in society and transmitted the passionseeking the singularity in everyday objects.” All the former they share for design through their statements. Nachoaward-winners agreed that the financial crisis provokedThe audience actively participated in the talk, generating Lavernia, for instance, said, “Design is everything:many changes in their way of working and meant that thea useful and rich debate on the function and state of functionality, beauty and emotion,” while Mario Ruiz said,designers who learned to be more effective with fewerdesign, showing what great interest the public has in “Design is a way of life, a cocktail in which every ingredientresources, understanding the project from the outset andthis topic. The five winners of National Design Awards 19