GRÀFFICA Magazine No. 39 Creating Better

Through interviews with Sagmeister, Isidro Ferrer or Vasava, and through the reflections of Milton Glaser, Scott Belsky and Raül Refree, we explore the value of error, happiness, perseverance and critical thinking as drivers of the creative process in a present marked by speed and uncertainty.

This issue serves as a guide for creators. It's not a typical manual, but rather a map of ideas, attitudes, and lessons learned that help you understand how to work better .

Some issues are born from a clear idea and end up revealing something deeper. This issue began as a search for tools: we wanted to gather everything that helps designers, illustrators, typographers, branders, and visual thinkers work better. But we soon understood that creating better doesn't depend solely on the tools. It's not just about pencils, cameras, or software, but about the perspectives, habits, and values ​​that define creative practice.

Based on this premise, this issue is structured as a space for shared reflection between those who make a living from creating and those who contemplate the creative act from within. It's a conversation between practice and thought that attempts to answer, without formulas, a question that is both simple and difficult: how can we create better?

The magazine opens with a survey of our readership: a portrait of what many consider essential for keeping creativity alive—curiosity, attentiveness, continuous learning, calmness, and a sense of wonder. The diverse and honest responses reveal that, beyond the tools, what truly matters is attitude.

In our regular survey section, we received over a hundred responses from design, illustration, typography, and visual communication professionals from different countries and generations. Their testimonials reveal how they create, what tools they use, and what values ​​guide the profession today. Did you know that six out of ten admit to having had to let go of self-imposed pressure and perfectionism to advance in their careers? An honest snapshot of how design is experienced and conceived in 2025.

In the "Thread Counting" section, we've gathered three excerpts from books that we believe serve as compasses for understanding creativity. The book on Milton Glaser highlights an essential lesson: embracing mistakes as part of the process, not as a threat. Scott Belsky's *Making Ideas a Reality * proposes a method for transforming inspiration into action and overcoming the paralysis that often accompanies creative projects. And in *When Everything Fits* , Raül Refree champions the unknown as a driving force, reminding us that the best ideas often emerge when we're not entirely sure where we're going.

We've also brought together a new generation of creatives who work with purpose and a critical eye: Víctor García Gutiérrez, Gonçalo Salgado, Lakis Sobyra, and Álvaro García Ruano represent different ways of understanding the craft—from design and illustration to art direction. Their testimonials reflect a generation that seeks meaning, rigor, and commitment in every project.

The interview section broadens this perspective across different disciplines and generations. Isidro Ferrer champions analog as a still fertile ground, untouched by nostalgia. Knom discusses the craft of finding the best, even when the path demands patience. Brandfy reflects on how artificial intelligence can help creatives become more profitable without sacrificing their vision. Vasava shares his accumulated experience and the importance of leveraging what he has learned. Espadaysantacruz explores listening as the starting point for design. Studios like Silencio, Cuchillo, and Supperstudio demonstrate how collaboration, process, and experimentation remain the true drivers of innovation.

Among all these interviews, we had the pleasure of speaking at length with Stefan Sagmeister, who poses a direct question: Can happiness be a work tool? His reflection, both philosophical and practical, places well-being at the heart of the creative process: "When I'm depressed, I'm of no use to anyone. When I'm well, I'm effective, useful, productive."

In the How It Works section, we explore two topics that resonate with the present: the risk of losing context in an information-saturated world, and the method Walt Disney devised in the 1950s to protect creativity: three rooms—dream, critique, execute—which today we could translate into a contemporary lesson on how to care for the mind in the face of stress, excess, and self-imposed demands.

Creating Better is not a manual or a catalog. It's an invitation to pause, observe, and reconnect with what gives meaning to the craft of creating. To remember that the tools change, but the fundamentals—curiosity, sensitivity, time, and vision—remain the same. Because creating better isn't a matter of technique, but of awareness.