Photo: Little tail. La Association of Graphic Design and Visual Communication (ADG-FAD), organizer of the ADG Laus Awards for Graphic Design and Visual Communication since 1964, grants the ADG Laus de Honor Award 2026 to the graphic designer and painter Pilar VilluendasA pioneer of activist design, she is recognized for her profound social and political commitment, the value of her work's message, especially within the context in which it was produced, and for her advocacy of design as a tool for social transformation. The power of her message remains fully relevant today.
This year, as the ADG Laus Awards celebrate their 56th edition, the organization pays tribute to the career of Pilar Villuendas, whose work is characterized by the use of a clear and accessible visual language, conceived from and for people. Her career stands out for its cross-disciplinary approach that connects art, design, and illustration, with a rich, free, and timeless visual language. Throughout the years, she has demonstrated a consistent commitment to considering design as a tool for improving society in projects with a strong social focus.
The ADG Laus Honorary Award recognizes a career that has left its mark on the profession and contemporary visual culture, and that has served as a source of inspiration for subsequent generations. The jury for the 2026 ADG Laus Honorary Award is composed of various members selected by the association each year, including professionals from the fields of design, communication, and culture. This year, the committee of experts consisted of Xavier Cervantes, editor-in-chief of the Culture and Leisure section of the Ara newspaper; Georgina Ferri, director of Betevé; Henry Young, advisor of Corporate Strategy of the Chamber of Commerce; Toni Puntí, Head of Culture at 3Cat; Pilar Roca, Director of Communications for the Barcelona City Council; Alex Salmon, director of the April supplement of Prensa Ibérica; Claret Serrahima, founder and CEO of Clase; Elisabeth Valls, Director General of Dissemination of the Generalitat of Catalonia; Alex Gobern, president of ADG-FAD; Roser Tiana, vice-president of ADG-FAD; and Meritxell Casamira, Vice President of ADG-FAD.
Pilar Villuendas, graphic design with social and political commitment
Graphic designer and painter, Pilar Villuendas began her career in the seventies, collaborating in the field of communication and graphic design in different socio-political and cultural projects and initiatives, always with a gender perspective.
He puts design at the service of neighborhood associations, unions and left-wing parties, helping to visualize the demands for change in a context where many collective works remained unsigned.
In the late 1970s, she founded her own studio and began collaborating with companies and agencies, although she soon shifted her focus to social projects. In 1980, together with Jaume Bach, she spearheaded the first family planning campaign in the democratic era for the Catalan government.
In 1985 he created, with Josep Ramon Gómez, the studio Villuendas + Gómez DissenyHer experience in activist design has translated into a solid professional career serving social and cultural projects for the administration, at a key moment marked by the first democratic city councils. Her work can be read as a visual chronicle of Barcelona's transformation: from the anti-Franco struggle to the city's consolidation as a cultural benchmark, passing through the Olympics and the renewal of its public image.
Throughout his career he has developed graphic identities and projects for institutions such as the Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat of Catalonia, COOB'92, Fira de Barcelona, the Official College of Physicians, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Institute of Theatre, TMB, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the PSUC or CCOO, among others.
A member of ADG-FAD and the Official College of Graphic Designers of Catalonia, she also served as president of the Association of Professional Designers (2002–2006). Committed to the profession, she has contributed to the training of new generations of designers as a lecturer at Escola Elisava, Escola Massana, and the Faculty of Fine Arts in Barcelona.
Presentation of the award to Nit ADG Laus 2026
The ADG Laus 2026 awards for Graphic Design and Visual Communication will be announced at Nit ADG Laus, during the traditional awards ceremony, which will be held next Thursday, June 11, at DHub Barcelona.
