20 years,
20 breakups.
They say the best way to predict someone’s future is through their past. We’re breaking up with our past to keep on breaking well into the future. We invite you to join us as we retrace our path of breaking things: from 2003 til forever.
2003
Goodbye boss, hello abyss
Our CEO and founder (hi, Pablo!) decided to quit his job at a prestigious design studio to pursue his dream of doing things the way he believed.
2004
We broke with traditions
Rosalía has proved that successfully redefining icons means adding layers of avant garde. We did this with our first client, Universal Music, creating a collection of albums for the iconic flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla.
2005
We broke into our hometown
Madrid is home and where we began working with respected cultural institutions such as the Prado, La Fabrica, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and Matadero Madrid. Many other projects followed, like “Madrid te abraza”, a breakaway concept to highlight the spirit of the city.
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2006
We broke the dream of every designer
Pablo was appointed Creative Director of the emblematic Matador magazine for 11 years, working with brilliant creators such as Ferran Adrià and Miquel Barceló. We worked with the crème de la crème of the cultural scene in Spain and thus became the ones to watch.
2007
Breaking new ground in design education
We’ve always been committed to sharing our knowledge and skills with the professionals of the future. We began with IED Madrid, the Instituto de Empresa, and then collaborated with the Universidad Europea to build our very own Masters in Digital Product Design (mUX).
2008
We broke the jury
In an audacious move, we submitted a tiny project to Spain’s design awards, and in response we bagged ourselves a Grand Laus. We’ve received many other accolades over the years including D&AD Pencils, but this one represents the love we put into everything we do, regardless of size.
2009
We broke the audience
Shh, Erretres is talking! Pablo broke out of Madrid to become an international speaker and an industry reference. We’ve shared knowledge to inspire audiences from Tokyo (5 times and counting) to Mexico and across Spain. These are always followed by a beer: the universal language!
2010
We welcome in the new kids on the block
Not satisfied with just working with big names, we broke inertia with projects for the new economy. Although challenged by investment fund oversight, dreams and ideas became success stories and even unicorns. Bnext, Seedtag, BKool, Embat... we love you all!
View case study2011
Dinner’s ready!
From fun restaurant concepts to partnering with icons like Arzábal and then breaking into the US with Quantum’s plant-based caffeine bars, we’ve worked to change the way we eat. We even collaborated with Philippe Starck to redefine a grand total of seven gastronomic spaces: client meetings until 8pm became our bread and butter.
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2012
Building bridges, breaking barriers
Big consultancy firms have been buying up independent creative agencies for years. We’ve resisted so far, but we've still solved major design challenges for big players like KPMG, EY, McKinsey, and UST because nobody can boast of having all the expertise. We’ve even positioned and branded some of our very own competitors: call us crazy!
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2013
We broke our size
We broke down sociocultural barriers across the world and moved into new sectors, including banking in Latin America with Banco Pichincha, winning a pitch against all odds and industry giants. Our vast selection of international projects celebrates our ability to understand beyond borders and cultures.
2014
We broke with durability
Our rebranding of Canal+ consolidated our design philosophy of putting people at the centre in order to create iconic, durable designs. We still see parts of the original brand in the current Movistar+ identity, and not just because we worked on it, but because people love it. It was rewarding in many ways: we had a great time and bagged many international awards.
View case study2015
We broke with our time zone
We transcended borders, styles, and philosophies in order to immerse ourselves in a radically different environment. Our first projects in Japan let us discover, grow, and unlearn in order to learn more. The challenge didn’t end there, as we were working with clients in San Francisco, New York, and Ecuador at the same time: difficult even for Google Meet!
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2016
Breaking boundaries between talent
No single company has all the knowledge to confront modern-day complexity, so we launched Erretres Open Lab (EOL), our innovation and education platform to connect professionals across industries. We believe change comes from bringing together many different viewpoints and specialities, so join us for our next event!
Get involved with EOL
2017
Adding more facets to Erretres
Let’s get digital. We all had a smartphone and we all shopped online, so we knew we had to incorporate digital transformation into our work. We started with web projects, which soon turned into a huge variety of digital products and services. We had to break this barrier to keep on being our innovative selves.
2018
Less words, more action
Less storytelling and more storydoing was the mantra that drove the Ecoalf project, breaking away from empty words in favour of tangible actions. This left us inspired to partner with those who are committed to saving the world: what better purpose can we serve?
View case study2019
They call us the growth hormone…
…because we’ve helped transform beloved startups into fierce and well-established companies. We began talking less about typefaces and colours and more about impact and growth with clients in San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Beijing. We couldn’t be prouder!
2020
Breaking the limits of what we knew
During the pandemic we left our desks, coffee breaks, and even our office’s swimming pool, but we discovered new horizons from our sofas despite moments of uncertainty. We learned a lot and became remote-first, bringing some of our most important global projects from Visa and Funky Corporation in Japan.
View case study2021
From digital projects to digital products
There are many great strategic design firms and just as many digital ones, but finding a partner with expertise in both is no mean feat. We decided to do it ourselves, becoming the hybrid strategy, design, and digital consultancy we are today. We flexed this hybrid muscle in partnering with Playtomic to transform them into Europe’s first sports tech unicorn.
View case study2022
Hola, bonjour, hallo, konnichiwa
We’re one team with colleagues across the world in five main locations: Brussels, Madrid, London, and Tokyo. We let our team work from wherever they wanted, enriching or reinventing ourselves from the ground up in order to reach the sky. We’re now an amazing global team of senior designers, strategists, and transformation experts; and we’re only just getting started.
and now...
2023
2023
It all started with a book; a book launched in Japan (in Japanese, of course) and written by our CEO Pablo (hello again!). Looking over these last 20 years and pondering those yet to come, we’re launching RRRupture, our new methodology which will break with these past versions of ourselves. It will lead us to exciting new territories and ventures very soon, so watch this space.
If you’re looking to break something as a prospective client or partner, email us for a free half hour consultation:
Email usTo carry on breaking things, check out:
Our new methodologyRRRupture
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