Fran Méndez started painting graffiti at 13, long before design school gave him a name for what he was doing: obsessing over letterforms, rhythm and space. That instinct carried him through Fine Arts, an MA in Graphic Design, and an unpaid internship in Spain that he refused to repeat. Rather than wait for the industry to offer him a fair shot, he built his own — tracking down a studio in Amsterdam through a design annual, then travelling 800km to argue his case in person for a professional exchange grant. He's now co-founder of HONDO, working across London's multicultural creative scene and, more recently, from a quieter life closer to nature.
At HONDO, Méndez and business partner María build their practice on innovation, community and education — not as buzzwords, but as daily discipline. He resists the idea of a signature style, arguing that repeating a formula is "lazy thinking" dressed up as identity; the better test is whether the concept, not the aesthetic, is doing the work. As AI accelerates a flattening of visual culture, he's convinced that conceptual thinking — knowing why something looks the way it does — is the one thing that won't be automated.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
The beginning was hard. When I studied Fine Arts I had graphic design and calligraphy lessons, and I also started painting graffiti at 13, so letters, composition, colour and community were always close to me. After finishing university I did an MA in Graphic Design.
My first steps included a mandatory three-month unpaid internship in Spain. We were 3 interns and a part-time graphic designer supervising us 2 days a week doing the work of a full publishing house. When it ended I refused to accept more unpaid work, which was the norm at the time. It didn't feel fair, so I started looking for other options. I thought if everyone took the same stance, unpaid internships would disappear.
I discovered the Leonardo Grant, which is like Erasmus but for professionals. To get it, recent graduates and businesses both need to register on a platform and find a match. The problem was that nobody was looking for a graphic designer or an artist. So instead of waiting, I decided to create my own opportunity.
I bought a book called Los Logos v2, looked up studios in the Netherlands in the index, and contacted them directly. I got three responses and decided to go with Floor Wesseling in Amsterdam, I simply asked him to register on the platform.
The grant worked on a first-come, first-served basis, so I went in person to the university (which is 800km from where I used to live) where the grants were administered, found the person in charge, and explained the situation: "This morning a studio from Amsterdam will be registering because I contacted them, please don't give the grant to whoever arrives first, because I'm the one who made that happen."
So, always be searching for opportunities. Don't wait for them, create them.
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
I don't think I have a specific design style. My approach is typographic, probably because I painted graffiti from a very young age, which meant I was obsessively drawing letters long before I ever studied design formally. That early obsession gave me an intuitive understanding of form, rhythm, and space that I still draw on today. During my MA, my teachers were focused on design systems and taught me that visual identities were not a simple logo you copy and paste everywhere.
The other thing that has shaped me most is working conceptually. I'm less interested in how something looks and more interested in why it looks that way. The visual decisions should always follow an idea.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
At HONDO, our practice is guided by three things: innovation, community and education.
Innovation for us doesn't mean chasing trends, it means staying curious and being willing to experiment across both analog and digital mediums. We're always looking for solutions that feel relevant and forward-thinking, but rooted in a strong concept.
Community is central to how we work. Design is never a solitary act. We collaborate closely with clients, fellow designers and educators because we genuinely believe the best work comes from dialogue and trust.
Education is perhaps the most personal value. María, my business partner and I both teach, and we see that not as separate from our studio practice but as an extension of it. Sharing knowledge, mentoring emerging designers and engaging with universities keeps us connected to the next generation and honestly keeps our own thinking sharp.
Ultimately, what guides everything is the belief that design should be purposeful. Every visual decision should have a reason behind it, not just aesthetic, but conceptual.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
Several things need to change. First, creatives need to be more open about sharing knowledge, not just creatively, but professionally. How to have conversations with clients, how much to charge and why, how to write an estimate. These are things not many people teaches you formally but they define whether you can sustain a career. If those who are already established shared that knowledge more openly, the playing field would be far more level.
Second, the cost of education needs to be addressed. University fees in countries like the UK are completely unaffordable. Students finish their degrees already carrying massive debt, and what's worse is that it has become so normalised that many don't even question it. That needs to change, because it is a structural barrier that disproportionately affects those who are already under-represented.
Third, we need more spaces like The Design Kids, platforms that democratise access, give voice to people who wouldn't otherwise be heard, and build community across experience levels and backgrounds. That model should be the norm, not the exception.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
It varies by discipline. At HONDO, we work with commercial clients most of the time, so having a singular recognisable style isn't really the goal, and honestly, it would be limiting. If every project looks the same, you're not solving the brief, you're just applying a formula. That said, I understand why many artists pursue exactly that, finding a distinctive voice and repeating it is a legitimate and powerful strategy. It builds recognition and identity over time.
Personally, I would get bored doing the same thing repeatedly. What excites me is finding the right voice and visual solution for each brief, one that belongs to the client and the context, not to us. That is, in itself, a kind of discipline and identity, even if it's less visible from the outside.
The risk with commercial work is that if you're not careful, everything can start to look the same anyway, not because of a strong voice, but because of lazy thinking. That's what we try to avoid.
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
Definitely the way people think and approach work conceptually. There is so much being produced with AI right now that the risk is a homogenisation of visual culture, everything starts to look competent but somehow the same. In that context, the only real differentiator is how you think, not just what you can make. Keeping your conceptual thinking sharp is more important than ever.
But there are other factors too. The economic reality for creative professionals is shifting, the way we charge, the way we find clients, the way we structure our practices is all changing. Creatives who understand the business side of what they do will have a significant advantage over those who don't.
And finally, community. The creatives who will thrive are those who share knowledge, collaborate openly and invest in the people around them. The old model of guarding your processes and contacts is becoming increasingly irrelevant.
How much does your city influence your work?
More than the city itself, what has always influenced me most is the neighbourhood and the community around you. When I lived in London, it wasn't the scale of the city that shaped my work, it was the energy of the specific area I was in, the people I was around, the culture happening at street level.
Now I live more remotely, close to nature, and that has shifted something. It gives me space to connect with myself and my family in a way that a big city rarely allows. There's less noise, and I mean that both literally and creatively.
At the same time, I'm connected to the world online for at least eight hours a day, working, researching, and collaborating globally. So in a sense, place has become less defining than it once was. My work exists somewhere between a quiet landscape and a constant global conversation, and I think that balance works well.
How much does your culture influence your work?
I am Spanish, but for the last 20 years I have lived and worked in different cities outside my home country, so my culture has grown and adapted with me. It's not a fixed thing.
Many of the cities I've lived in are deeply multicultural, and that exposure has made me more empathetic and open-minded. You inevitably learn from the people around you, and that shapes how you see the world and how you approach a brief.
My first job in London was at Samsung Design Europe, where there were around 30 different nationalities in the office. That experience was amazing, it showed me early on that the best creative environments are diverse ones.
I love working with international clients, researching different cultural contexts and finding visual solutions that feel right for that specific culture rather than imposing a single aesthetic. That curiosity about other cultures is, I think, one of the things that drives my work most.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
Before I left London, I shared space at Beulah Studio in Walthamstow, and it was genuinely inspiring to work alongside creatives from different backgrounds and disciplines. It led to great conversations and an amazing collaboration with one of the artists in residence, Astrid Chesney. We designed a book about her work. Facing Forward with complete creative freedom, something that rarely happens commercially. The result was one of those projects that reminds you why you do this.
My favourite creative people are my friends. The conversations that inspire me most aren't always directly about design, we talk about gardening, coffee, photography, life. That kind of exchange, away from screens and briefs, is where a lot of my best thinking happens.
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
Gain experience, both creatively and operationally .Before starting your own studio, make sure you understand how studios actually work, not just from a design perspective, but from the business and operational side too. Many people assume running a studio means more time designing, but the reality is often the opposite.
At the beginning, you'll need to wear many hats: project manager, accountant, client handler, strategist, and more.
Grow your network beyond your friends Stay connected, but don't limit yourself to your immediate circle. Friends may become future collaborators or clients, but expanding your network, especially beyond the design industry, will open unexpected doors.
Be proactive: attend events, reach out, share your work, and stay curious. Talk to people in other fields.Define your values and direction early on Take the time to understand what kind of design you want to do and who you want to work with. What's missing in your portfolio to attract those clients? What does your studio stand for? This isn't about being overly ambitious, it's about having clarity, even if you start small. Design is a long-term game, and defining your direction early can shape the opportunities that come your way.Curate your presence, both online and offline In today's competitive landscape, visibility matters. Treat your online presence, website, social platforms, directories, with care, and don't neglect in-person visibility either. Talk about your work, show up, and share your perspective. That is how you build trust, relationships, and real opportunities.
Go for it . Don't overthink it, just do it. You'll never regret having tried. The amount you learn in the process is invaluable and impossible to replicate anywhere else. There's no perfect moment to start, so take the leap and learn as you go.