ADAA Experience

The Adobe Design Achievement Awards team is always happy to hear from ADAA alumni.

We enjoy hearing about the evolving creativity and recent accomplishments that come from our global community of ADAA alumni. Cristian Zuzunaga was in San Francisco to speak at the @Arkitektura showroom during SF Design Week.

We first met Cristian in 2007, when he was attending the Royal College of Art in London. His group entry was chosen as an ADAA finalist selection for illustration. Cristian’s ADAA entry was a collection of men’s wear, using textiles inspired by pixelated coloration and modern graphics.

Cristian Zuzunaga shown with pixelated designs.

Cristian shared his insights for staying inspired. “I stay connected to my surroundings, to nature, and balance the stimuli of the city. My commute from the country allows for a quiet time to process and reflect on new designs or unexpected approaches.” Visit Cristian’s website.

We asked Cristian what advice he may have for recent graduates. Zuzanaga told of the times he was rejected for employment as a designer. “I went to many job interviews. I was rejected three or four times. By my fourth interview rejection, I told myself, ‘well if no-one else can see the potential that I see, then I must have something pretty different here.’ So I made a conscious choice to believe in myself and my work, and not get discouraged.”

Cristian Zuzunaga’s group collection, Royal College of Art, 2007.

Cristian Zuzunaga’s design house was founded in 2007, offering contemporary textile prints, rugs, furniture, and art pieces. Since then, Cristian has received numerous awards and worldwide recognition for his conceptual prints and product designs. Zuzunaga received the ICFF Award, for Best Textiles in New York, as well as the coveted Les Découvertes Award at Maison & Objet, in Paris. He also received the esteemed Elle Deco International Design Award for Best Fabric Design in 2011, in response to his Skyline curtain collection by Kvadrat.