We speak to 2022 NXT-GEN winners Martí Garcés Muntalt, Lesley Melissa Batista Víquez, and Trinidad Mosso Tupper from ELISAVA, Spain to find out more about their award-winning work and plans for the future.

Tell us a bit about you

Marti: I’m Martí Garcés, an Industrial Design Engineer specializing in Packaging Design.

Trinidad: I am Trinidad Mosso, a Graphic Designer by profession, passionate and specializing in Packaging Design.

Lesley: I am Lesley Batista, a graphic designer with experience in R&D for spirits and beverages, enthusiastic about the design process behind the packaging.

What is it like to be the 2022 NXT-GEN winner?

It’s the first time our university won this award so it feels special and we can’t be more honored. The Package Design Book has always been a reference to us for creativity, quality, and ideas execution in our sector. Achieving this award is a result of teamwork so we are still shocked with happiness and for the opportunities that it brings to our careers.

What’s the inspiration behind your winning design?

Rather than inspiration, it was more like a motivation to design something different. We thought about those products that eliminate water by selling just the concentrate formula and then you add the water at home, reducing the volume and emissions. We wanted our proposal to be ethical, and sustainable and bring a unique experience for future users.

Can you share some insights into how you developed the project?

It was a project based on investigation, and brainstorming into our habits as humans and consumers. We felt this freedom allowed us to push the industry into sustainability, promote reuse, optimize resources and improve the pack life cycle.

When we decided to turn the package into a product and found a material that fits our concept, even if we could not find a reference in our market things started to move on. It was crazy but in some way, we grew the idea from madness.

What have you been up to lately? Have you been working on any interesting projects?

Marti: I’ve been working hard with Seriesnemo and very interesting projects have come out, some of them awarded prizes in this edition of Pentawards as well.

Trinidad: I have participated in some freelance projects, but more than anything I have focused on creating my own identity. And I would love to be part of a packaging studio soon.

Lesley: I have been learning 3D modeling, definitely enjoying the process and the constant improvement of learning something new. I´ve been working on a freelance project for ocean-friendly baby products, I am also a freediver so ocean-related projects keep me motivated.

As a student, how do you learn about design, and where do you find inspiration?

Marti: Everywhere. Museums, strolling through new cities, talking to new people, and always investigating with a curious look.

Trinidad: I’m a very curious person, an observer of the world. The origin of my inspiration is born in the details, in the little things, especially through the touch and every gesticulation that we exert when manipulating things.

Lesley: People around inspire me, every time I visit, work or experience a new place, culture, or situation the human behavior and my peculiar mind in that particular moment arise my senses, and then make me approach people and ask questions.

What advice would you give to fellow design students?

Believe in your ideas and go for them, think outside the box might sound repetitive, but it’s a way to create beyond limits, as students we have this freedom to design without budget limitations and add a fresh but critical view to the sector, we could change things from the core, we should be aware of environmental, political, economic and cultural contexts in order in order to design ideas that serve society.

What do you want to do in the next 3 years/after your studies?
Marti: Grow professionally in this industry and do my bit to contribute to a more ecological and sustainable world.

Trinidad: Consolidate me professionally. Designing and modeling for bringing my ideas to tangible objects.

Lesley: Develop and integrate my style and voice as a creative person to my R&D experience, and find a mentor and team where I could bring bold and sustainable ideas to the market.

Follow Martí Garcés Muntalt on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Behance.

Follow Melissa Batista Víquez on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Behance.

Follow Trinidad Mosso Tupper on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Behance.