Studio Föhn’s Diego Fernández de la Torre builds tools, not templates

The Brand Identity: At 22, Diego Fernández de la Torre has already identified a gap between where he is and where leading studios operate – and he’s building his way across it. The Galicia-based designer launched Studio Föhn as a direct response to his need for creative autonomy, and his first major product, The Kosmos, reflects a philosophy that runs counter to conventional motion templates. Built on After Effects expressions rather than static keyframes, the system allows users to adjust parameters like roundness, scale and movement style to generate unlimited variations from a single framework.

His next project, Atlas, extends this thinking further – a growing series of templates under a unified creative direction. TBI Hi Diego, how are you doing? DFT Hi, I’m very well. I’ve always admired the work you do at TBI, so it’s a pleasure to be here. TBI Do you associate your first interests in design and motion to anything in particular? DFT Not in any specific way. From an early age, I was always drawing and making things. At some point in high school, a teacher introduced me to the world of design, and from then on, I suppose the possibility of creating new things through design is what truly fascinated me and drew me toward it.

I’ll always be grateful to him for that. Motion came later. When I decided to focus on brand design and started publishing my work online, I became very aware of the level at which the leading studios operate. I wasn’t there yet, of course, and although I still feel I have a lot to learn, that gap is what pushed me to learn motion design as a way to work within the same rules. That is also why I have been focusing recently on creating templates. Today, presenting work in motion is almost essential, yet not everyone has the resources to do it properly.

My goal is to help make that more accessible. TBI Could you give us a summary of your career so far and what led you to start Studio Föhn? DFT I am at a very early stage of my career. I am 22 years old and finished my studies less than a year ago, so this is just the beginning. Studio Föhn started very recently and in a fairly natural way. It was a direct response to my need to create, to work with autonomy, and to give form to my ideas.

It became a way to bring my work into the world and to focus on what I am genuinely interested in. I try to reach the essence of things. I try to reach the essence of things. TBI How would you describe the kind of work you do? DFT I like to think that my work is reductive and rational. I try to reach the essence of things, the point where there is nothing left to remove. I always strive to ensure that every decision is justified and nothing is arbitrary, which I believe is the only way to achieve truly exceptional work.

It is difficult, and very few reach it, but it is the direction I consciously work toward. TBI What prompted you to create The Kosmos? DFT I have always been very attracted to the idea of being able to present a project, or even very complex things, in a very simple way – like bentos, for example. That means respecting the time of the person who is paying attention to your work, which in the end is the most valuable thing we have.

Article truncated for readability. Read the full piece →

The article discusses a significant shift in motion design practices that could influence brand identity, making it impactful and relevant for industry professionals, while also presenting a relatively novel approach to design tools.