Designing Ceramics with Cultural Identity: The Practice of Atelier Nodus

Resumen

This article explores how cultural identity can be embedded in product design through the practice of Atelier Nodus, a ceramic studio based in El Salvador. By using a design-based qualitative methodology that combines practice-led experimentation, documentation, and reflective analysis, the studio examines historical ceramic traditions, materials innovation, and contemporary sustainability practices. Findings demonstrate that integrating local resources, ancestral techniques, and global design perspectives strengthens both product functionality and user connection while promoting sustainable business practices and the preservation of regional cultural heritage. Atelier Nodus contributes to current discussions on cultural identity in design by proposing a model in which material experimentation becomes a vehicle for preserving heritage and generating new creative value.