
Francisco Cortés is a Mexican visual artist and spatial designer based in London, UK. Across both art and design, his practice circles a single question: what does it mean to inhabit a space? Whether that space is a room, the body, the mind, a poem, or a song.
He trained first as an industrial designer in Mexico, with an international exchange in Melbourne, Australia. He went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in illustration at the Academia de San Carlos (UNAM) and an MA in Illustration and Visual Media with Distinction from the University of the Arts London, where his practice took shape around the concept of inhabiting, followed by further training in spatial design at the Royal College of Art.
Over 15 years, he has built an international career in spatial and experiential design, shaping environments and 3D worlds for studios in Copenhagen, Berlin, Sydney, Seoul, and London, and for brands including IKEA's SPACE10, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Swarovski.
Alongside his studio practice, Francisco teaches and lectures. He has been an invited lecturer at the University of the Arts London, where he presented a lecture and workshop on inhabiting as research and practice. He has also taught 3D design at CENTRO University in Mexico City and on Domestika.
A trained classical pianist, he weaves music into his work, where black and white become piano keys, and rhythm becomes composition, bringing visual art, spatial design, and sound into a single cross-disciplinary language.
AWARDS
World Illustration Awards. Longlisted. Exploration Category. 2026
1st Prize Hisense x VIDAA Art Competition. 2026
University of the Arts London. International Postgraduate Scholarship. 2023
Fonca-Conahcyt, Mexico. Scholarships Abroad AFPE. 2023.
FWA of the Day. Coca-Cola: Dreamworld AR | Tomorrowland (UNIT9). 2022
Domestika. Top 10: Best Projects of May. The Poet's House. 2018.
Secretary of Culture Mexico. XXVII Catalog of Illustrators. 2017.
Educal. Winner of the Illustration Contest Day of the Book. 2017.
Reason Play. Outdoor Children’s Playground Design. 2nd Place. 2012.
exhibitions
Flat White Soho, London UK. Dream Reality. FREM Collective Exhibition. 2026
Dolby Studios Soho, London UK. HISENSE x VIDAA Art Shortlisted. 2026
Embassy of Mexico in the UK. Day of the Dead. Collective. 2025
UAL Central Saint Martins, London UK. Moveable Fest. Collective. 2024
UAL London College of Communication, London UK. WIP Exhibition. Coll. 2024
Gallery Klyuch, Tokyo Japan. Moveable Fest. Collective. 2024
LOOT, Mexico City. 7 Illustrators, 7 Photographers. Collective. 2023
EDUCAL, Mexico City. JJ Arreola Bestiary. Collective. 2018
CCEMX, Mexico City. XXVII Catalogue of Illustrators. Collective. 2018
Bicentennial Park, Mexico City. XXVII Catalogue of Illustrators. Collective. 2018
Faculty of Arts and Design, Mexico City. Human Figure Drawing. Coll. 2016
Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City. Industrial Design Projects. Coll. 2009
interviews & features
MINUS 37 | The Poetry of 3D Illustration
Domestika Live | Lights, Shadows, and Storytelling in 3D
University of the Arts London | Student Voices MAIVM
Inspiration Grid | Typographic Music
IBERO | Forum The Value of Design
Universidad de Boyacá | INDICREA Forum
Society 6 | Now on view: Francisco Cortés
Langweile Dich | Alphabet als Musikinstrumente
DOMESTIKA | Top 10: Best Projects