José María Cruz Novillo Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids José María Cruz Novillo
Born	1936 Cuenca
Monuments	Escuela de Arte Cruz Novillo
Nationality	Spanish
Other names	Cruz Novillo
Occupation	Designer
Known for	logos

José María Cruz Novillo (born in Cuenca in 1936) is a famous Spanish artist. He is a sculptor, engraver, painter, and especially a designer. He is well-known for creating many important logos and symbols.

Cruz Novillo started painting in his hometown in 1950. Later, in 1958, he moved to Madrid to continue his artistic journey.

What is Cruz Novillo known for?
Cruz Novillo's Art and Sculpture
The PSOE Fist and Rose Logo
Awards and Recognition
Images for kids
- Logos and Symbols by Cruz Novillo
See also

What is Cruz Novillo known for?

Designing Famous Logos

Cruz Novillo has designed many well-known logos that you might have seen. He created the logo for the newspaper El Mundo. He also designed the version of the fist and rose symbol used by the PSOE, a major political party in Spain.

Other famous logos he designed include those for the radio station COPE, the Spanish post service Correos, and energy companies like Endesa and Repsol. He also designed logos for banks like Banco Pastor and organizations like Fundación ONCE.

He even designed logos for TV and radio channels like Antena 3 Radio and the first logo for Antena 3 TV. He worked on logos for railway company Renfe and the Spanish police, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía.

Creating Symbols for Madrid

Cruz Novillo helped create the official symbols for the Community of Madrid. He co-designed both the coat of arms and the flag of the region. His design studio also won a competition to create the new official look for the Government of Spain.

Designing Movie Posters

Besides logos, Cruz Novillo also designed many film posters. These are the artworks used to advertise movies. He created posters for films like Barrio, Los lunes al Sol, El Sur, and El Espíritu de la Colmena. Most of these were for movies produced by Elías Querejeta.

Sculpture for Plaza de Picasso, Madrid (1989).

Cruz Novillo's Art and Sculpture

Cruz Novillo is also a talented sculptor. His sculptures have been shown in big art events around the world. These include the São Paulo Art Biennial and the World Fair of New York. He has also shown his work at important art fairs like FIAC (art), Basel Art, and ARCO.

Since the early 1990s, Cruz Novillo has focused on an art idea called "Diafragma." In these artworks, he combines different elements. These can be single colors, sounds, photographs, or 3D objects.

For example, in 2008, he finished a large artwork called "Diafragma Decafónico de Dígitos" for a building in Madrid. This piece combines sound with visuals. It creates a special experience where you might "see" sounds or "hear" colors.

Façade of the main building of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Madrid, 2008)

In 2007, Cruz Novillo started a design studio called Cruz más Cruz. He runs this studio with his son, Pepe, who is also a designer and architect. In November 2006, Cruz Novillo became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. This is a very important art academy in Spain.

The PSOE Fist and Rose Logo

In 1977, Cruz Novillo redesigned the famous fist and rose logo for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). This symbol was originally created for the French Socialist Party in 1969. Many socialist parties around the world use similar versions of this emblem. Cruz Novillo's design was inspired by a version used by the Dutch Labour Party.

Awards and Recognition

Cruz Novillo has received many awards for his amazing work in design and art. Some of his notable awards include:

Premio Nacional de Diseño (National Design Prize) in 1997.
LAUS Prize in 1978.
FAD Medal in 2006.
Prize of the Society of News Design for his work on the newspaper El Economista (2006).
Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes in 2012.
Premio Gráffica in 2017.