Image–message–concept: a conversation with DEMOCRÀCIA®

In the case of Democràcia, it wasn’t a product that brought us together, but a concept — broad, colourful, and vibrant — the one that gives shape to our twenty-five years as a company. Siblings Marta and Javi Tortosa lead this strategic design and art direction studio. She shapes the message. He gives form to the image. Together, “with a dissident style and a distinctive graphic vision, they design images, messages, and experiences always guided by a strong concept.”

With their guidance, we ventured across the threshold, and along the way we took the opportunity to speak with them about the past, the present, the future and, above all, about design.

Let’s dive straight into the “remember”: what were you doing at 25?

Javi — My 25th year was all about traveling. Beginning to understand unknown things, cultures that helped shape part of my imagination.

Marta — I’d say my 25th year was my last year of “irresponsibility”: my last year without a partner, going out a lot, traveling with friends, driving my newly bought white Fiat 500, and still living with my parents without any real worries. The biggest responsibility of my life arrived a year later — discovering I was a carrier of a genetic mutation, something that would change my life forever.

Up to today, what milestones have shaped your journey as a creative studio?

Marta — These years have made us grow a lot, and I’d say mostly on a personal level. Professionally, we were more restrained. But when we finally put all that personal growth out into the world — and with pride — that’s when the rewards for so much effort began to arrive. Now, the projects we receive offer us much more creative freedom, and there’s a much more genuine connection with clients.

Javi — Every project feels like a well of knowledge to me. Right now, working with a renowned chef and exploring new ways of understanding the product keeps me awake at night.

From an immersive experience to the redesign of a print publication, from a Fallas poster to the graphics for a music video or the branding for a bakery — how do you “change your skin” to approach each project in the purest possible way?

Marta — We’re very experimental. What we enjoy most is facing new challenges, constantly stepping out of our comfort zone, and not pigeonholing ourselves into any specific sector. Sometimes it’s the client who proposes a type of project we’ve never done before, and it feels incredibly exciting. Other times, it’s us who want to enter new fields because we believe they have so much to offer — but not being able to show references can become a barrier to entry. Or maybe not, at least until a client arrives who sees it just as clearly as we do and trusts us 100%. Match!

What difference do you find between working on a concrete design and a more abstract concept?

Marta — For us, there’s actually very little difference. We always start from a concept, even if the project is small or the brief is very specific. At DEMOCRÀCIA®, we cannot conceive a design — no matter how concrete — without a conceptual foundation. We are very intentional in everything we do.

What is a challenge you haven’t yet faced, but would like to encounter in the future?

Marta — The world of film. We would really love to contribute to title design — that element that precedes and concludes a work, and that can create a universe preparing you on a sensory level for the film you’re about to watch.

How have you experienced —as a studio— the process of creating Viccarbe’s 25th anniversary identity?

Marta — It has been a very fluid process with a great deal of creative freedom. And that’s not something you can take for granted when you’re working with a client who already has their own Creative Director. Sometimes there can be a clash of trains. That’s why we always say that Rubén Mateos —our Creative Director & Head of Design—  is a great leader.

When working with you, we noticed that any detail explained can spark the idea — was there something in the briefing process that triggered that “click” for you?

Marta — Yes, there were two moments. The first was understanding that the 25th anniversary wasn’t meant to be just a summary of milestones, but rather a progressive evolution (which led us to the concept of the gradient). And then, when talking about the product, the notion of the “Viccarbe orange” came up (and at that point we immediately knew the colour). Sometimes everything is as simple as knowing how to listen to the client. Active listening is key. With time and maturity, we’ve learned to listen more and speak less.

We also experienced what it means to extend a concept far beyond what was expected. In Viccarbe’s case, a single colour (orange) and an insight (crossing the threshold) became, at Feria Hábitat, the very colour that flooded our exhibition space. Where do you draw the line when creating?

Marta —

We don’t have a creative limit (well… the budget is always a factor when it comes to producing ideas, haha). But in this case, the team made everything very easy. In one meeting, all the conditions aligned for “by25” to take shape in the Feria Hábitat stand: Rubén told us, “We have an exhibition area where we’re planning to display old materials used in furniture making, like an ethnographic museum, and we have orange ribbons to hang everything from the ceiling.” All that was missing was our finishing touch—dyeing everything orange.

A wonderful atmosphere was created there, a small Viccarbe micro-universe where we felt completely at ease.

Let’s finish by imagining in colour: which design object do you think would gain something by being completely dyed in orange?

Javi — I love Dieter Rams, and orange was always part of his palette. Objects themselves, when changed in colour, can completely transform a space. I can picture a Marquina oil cruet in that orange RAL, and I can almost see my kitchen in a different light.