Laudatio by Alfonso Albacete at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando On 2 May 2026, José María Cruz Novillo (Cuenca, 1936) passed away at the age of 89. Widely regarded as the most influential graphic designer in contemporary Spain, he was the author of the visual identities of institutions and companies such as the postal service Correos, the national railway Renfe, the energy group Repsol and the National Police, as well as the Bank of Spain's peseta banknotes, the fist-and-rose emblem of the PSOE (the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and the coat of arms and flag of the Community of Madrid, among many others. A sculptor, painter and engraver as well as a designer, over the course of his career he received the National Design Award (1997), the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts (2012) and the Laus de Honor (2023).
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