Cabeza Patata

Cabeza Patata is a multidisciplinary character design studio founded in 2018 and based in the United Kingdom. The studio describes itself as "a character design studio with a can-do attitude" that takes on projects from beginning to end, working across animation, illustration, teaching and talks. Its team of illustrators, animators and sound designers is positioned around innovation, craft and a playful, hands-on approach to making characters. The studio has produced work for a range of high-profile international brands and platforms. Its portfolio includes a global campaign for Spotify Premium, a TikTok fashion-influencer concept for The Grinch with Life Is Good, character work for Costa Coffee, festive content for Google's GBoard, a wine-themed project called Cheers!, and an illustrated article for The New York Times. This mix of entertainment, technology, retail and publishing clients illustrates the studio's positioning at the intersection of commercial advertising and character-driven storytelling. Beyond client work, Cabeza Patata has an active teaching and public-speaking practice. The studio has given talks at design and animation events including TheCreativeFest Barcelona, Pictoplasma Berlin, Offf Barcelona and Sevilla, Nicer Tuesdays London, Tumo Yerevan, See No Evil London, Brief Festival Madrid, Mouvo Festival Prague, Caixaforum venues in Madrid, Zaragoza and Palma, She Drew That, Pixel Vienna, Offset Dublin, Beyond Tellerrand, Awwwards Amsterdam, Vancouver Film School DDC, Prime The Animation Valencia, and the Asia Designer Communication Platform in Kyoto. This speaking record reflects the studio's ambition to share its craft and to broaden access to the creative industry. The studio's stated mission includes addressing imbalance in the design industry by inviting people who have traditionally been outside the creative sector to take part. It argues that the more diverse the people making characters, the more unique those characters will be. Craft is central to its identity: even in digital work, the beauty of imperfections is deliberately preserved, and the team mixes techniques and explores how new technologies can be applied to traditional methods. Cabeza Patata operates as a private studio rather than a publicly listed company. Its output spans advertising campaigns, brand mascots, editorial illustration, animation and educational activities, making it a recognizable independent name in the character design and motion graphics field.

Cabeza Patata was founded in 2018 as a studio "born from a love of characters." From the outset, the founders established a distinctive visual style and pursued ambitious commercial work, describing the period since as "a wild ride." The studio quickly built a portfolio of campaigns for major international brands, including Spotify Premium, The Grinch with Life Is Good, Costa Coffee, Google GBoard, a wine project called Cheers!, and The New York Times. A defining feature of the studio's development has been its commitment to craft. Cabeza Patata states that a love of crafts has been with it from the beginning and is part of everything it does. Even in digital work, the beauty of imperfections is deliberately present, and the team mixes techniques while exploring how new technologies can be applied to traditional methods. This philosophy underpins both its client output and its teaching. Alongside commercial work, the studio developed a significant public-speaking and educational practice. Its talks list includes TheCreativeFest Barcelona (2019), Pictoplasma Berlin (2019), Offf Barcelona (2019), Nicer Tuesdays London (2019), Tumo Yerevan (2019), See No Evil London (2019), Brief Festival Madrid (2019), Offf Sevilla (2019), Mouvo Festival Prague (2020), Encuentros con... Caixaforum Madrid (2020), Encuentros con... Caixaforum Zaragoza (2020), She Drew That (2020), Pixel Vienna (2020), Offset Dublin (2021), Caixaforum Palma (2021), Beyond Tellerrand Online (2021), Vancouver Film School DDC, Prime The Animation Valencia (2021), Beyond Tellerrand (2022), Awwwards Amsterdam (2022), and the Asia Designer Communication Platform in Kyoto (2023). This record shows the studio's growing international reach across Europe, North America and Asia. The studio frames its teaching and outreach as part of a mission to change an imbalanced design industry. It seeks to invite people who have traditionally been outside the creative industry to take part, arguing that the more different the people making characters, the more unique the characters will be. This inclusive ethos is presented as integral to the studio's identity rather than a side activity. As of the available evidence, Cabeza Patata remains an active, privately held studio based in the United Kingdom, working globally on character-driven animation, illustration and brand campaigns.

• 2023

  Talk at Asia Designer Communication Platform, Kyoto.

• 2022

  Talks at Beyond Tellerrand and Awwwards Amsterdam.

• 2021

  Talks at Offset Dublin, Caixaforum Palma, Beyond Tellerrand Online, Vancouver Film School DDC and Prime The Animation Valencia.

• 2020

  Talks at Mouvo Festival Prague, Caixaforum Madrid and Zaragoza, She Drew That and Pixel Vienna.

• 2019

  Talks at TheCreativeFest Barcelona, Pictoplasma Berlin, Offf Barcelona, Nicer Tuesdays London, Tumo Yerevan, See No Evil London, Brief Festival Madrid and Offf Sevilla.

• 2018

  Cabeza Patata founded.

Independent multidisciplinary character design studio blending craft, animation and illustration for global brands, with a strong teaching and public-speaking practice.

• Spotify Premium global campaign

  A global campaign to promote the world's biggest music platform.

• The Grinch with Life Is Good

  Everyone's favourite Christmas villain becomes a TikTok fashion influencer.

• Costa Coffee

  The UK's biggest coffee shop meets Cabeza Patata's characters.

• Google GBoard

  Sending some festive fun with Google's GBoard.

• Cheers!

  A playful take on a luxurious selection of wines.

• New York Times

  An illustrated article to put our digital sewing to the test.

1. 1Cabeza Patata Studiocabezapatata.com
2. 2Cabeza Patata Studio - Aboutcabezapatata.com
3. 3Wikidata Q137010753wikidata.org