DisCOVERing Pablo

written by Laís Pamplona on November 13, 2017

Designer, animator, illustrator, art director, typography teacher, founder of Delcan & Company… the multitalented Pablo Delcan is getting everyone’s attention. He belongs to the inspiring group of change makers and innovators of the 2017 Forbes (30 under 30) List. If you read The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine or Penguin Random House, you have probably seen his work.

What’s your favorite design tool?
PD: My favorite design tool is a pencil. Sorry if this answer is too obvious. There is something about a pencil, even if brand new or shrunk to its last days. It’s visually iconic, simple, a key tool of the design process and filled with possibility.

What’s the biggest challenge you got from a client?
PD: Once, working with the NY Times Magazine, I was asked to come up with an idea for the cover of a special issue about Redesigns. They requested that it should be about taking an object and changing it to give it a new purpose or meaning, and (if possible) had to be humorous.

Did your European mindset ever jeopardize your creative process in the USA?
PD: I became an adult in New York City. I moved here from Spain when I was 19 years old, and it was here where I developed my creative process, so even though (my work) is definitely influenced by my upbringing, this city has clearly influenced my way of life and practice.