Co-Founder and Creative Director

“As Latino’s, my siblings and I were brought up with music. Music was an extension of the love that filled our home. Come the weekend the vinyl would hit the turntable and the volume turned up.”

When prompted to reflect on his earliest artistic inspirations, Miguel smiles and leans in with a visible enthusiasm. “I was absolutely fascinated with street art. I was drawn to the colours and shapes but mostly the typography being created by anonymous artists.” Growing up in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Richmond — a locale renowned as an enclave of diversity and creativity — Miguel’s artistic inspirations weren’t confined to spray paint on walls.

“My friends and I would be in awe of these beautiful and eclectic murals; so much so that I would take photographs, have them developed and just admire them as art. I was starting to understand the unique typefaces being created and, whilst I couldn’t decipher these ‘futuristic’ fonts, I was drawn to the combination of creativity and colours.”

For a man whose current favourite colour is white, this seems quite a juxtaposition. But seeing beyond the obvious has been a characteristic of Miguel’s journey. “When I was younger, I would see little points on the floor and join them to create shapes. I remember being on the train and there would be two lines going across the carriage and I would form another line in my mind to complete a design. I was very good at physics and maths, so I was naturally drawn to the structured side of graphics. Grids, forms and perspectives all leading to a purpose.”

As a young adolescent, Miguel was hooked on the world of typography, colour and graphics. But he also had another passion, one which endures to this day: football. “I have two brothers and we were all raised with a round ball in our hands. At mealtimes, discussions centred around football players and strategies, who was the best striker, and who would win the champions league.”

Miguel’s strong ties to family are evident. His parents fled the Pinochet regime in Chile to establish a safe, loving home in Australia; one that could provide their three boys a future with possibilities and opportunities. It was this awareness of sacrifices made by his parents, and a sense of responsibility, that led Miguel into an Electronic Engineering course at University. “I felt like I had to get into university — it was the expected journey. But I very quickly became disillusioned with my course. It was a barrage of numbers and coding that was too much of the left side of the brain for me. It was suffocating.”

Miguel could stifle his creativity no longer. Making the decision to leave the engineering degree, he called upon his true love of design, immersing himself in a folio prep course where he ventured deeper into understanding typography. “I came to fully appreciate and understand that typography was really about creating typefaces and putting them out there to the world as an art form. And from that point I knew this was my calling: it captured my heart.”

This love would see Miguel further his studies in an intensive two-year graphic design course, kickstarting his creative journey with his other love, life partner and everyday hero, Nancy Bugeja.

It was at the conclusion of this two-year degree that Jack Larkin, a respected and revered design lecturer, identified Miguel and Nancy’s talents. “He encouraged us to forego another three years of university and to get out and start working: to get our hands dirty,” Miguel gestures. “I vividly remember Jack, saying there was nothing more he or his peers could teach Nancy and me.”

Encouraging and inspiring advice from Jack. But this was the early 90’s and Australia was in the midst of a recession. Work opportunities — particularly for those looking to enter the workforce — were scarce. Miguel undertook unpaid design work experience, juggling this commitment with part-time cleaning jobs. “I saw my parents working long hard hours to provide for our family. I used whatever time I had to support them with their cleaning jobs.” This experience forged a deeper determination within Miguel to pursue his passion.

“Seeing my parents struggle, work hard, and break their backs to get a few dollars, was tough. But it just helped me push further and go harder. And it was at that point, I made the decision to get out there and do some freelance work.” Miguel started with what he describes as a ‘little project’ for a retailer consisting of a logo design, business cards and invoices. “I remember my client handing me a cheque for $800 and I was in awe of what this represented.” Miguel was on his way. Further freelancing work followed along with a vital short course on small business essentials including accounting, business planning, networking and marketing — a course he also undertook with Nancy.

“Up to this point, I had been working with Nancy in a little corner of her parent’s house — an early version of remote working,” adds Miguel with a grin. “The business course, combined with a slowly growing workbook, allowed us to take the plunge and lease our first studio in Fitzroy.” The office was small but that was inconsequential.

From humble beginnings and a few detours along the way, Miguel and Nancy now had their own studio. House Mouse (HM) was born. When quizzed whether their rapidly growing practice was known for a particular design style, Miguel defers to a more meaningful connection. “Ultimately, we have to meet the client’s brief, so the style becomes irrelevant. The outcome should be what the client needs. I quickly came to realise that design is the outcome, but the bigger picture here is the service. The work that we do and the service we offer is for others, it’s not for us.”

HM quickly became known for this client-first approach with word-of-mouth propelling the studio’s profile and pipeline. Awards quickly followed. Miguel attributes this client-first mentality to his upbringing: a close family environment filled with love, respect and music. “As Latino’s, my siblings and I were brought up with music. Music was an extension of the love that filled our home. Come the weekend the vinyl would hit the turntable and the volume turned up,” gestures Miguel as if turning dials. “It could be Merengue, Cumbia, Salsa, or Elvis Presley, the Beatles, or some rocker. There was always music.” This deep connection to music has led to a lifelong obsession with collecting, curating and even mixing music. These days, Miguel has a weekend DJ residency creatively mixing vinyl within one of Melbourne’s iconic riverside bars. For Miguel, this musical obsession is an extension of his design passion.

Interview and copy by HM’s close collaborator and friend, Ric Navarro.

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Miguel Valenzuela is Co-Founder and Creative Director at HM, a purpose-driven creative agency globally recognised for meaningful work that gets results. HM empower bold organisations and brands through beautifully crafted strategic design and marketing.

@iamhm_official