Nico189 — Milan, Italy

What is the attraction for you of creating illustration? “I always needed to express myself in something creative without making too many compromises, being able to carry out personal projects alongside my work, and that’s why I became an illustrator. I love illustration because it gives me the opportunity to develop a project with my own style. I find it very rewarding.”

The freelance designer and illustrator known as “Nico 189” employs a minimalist style that has been influenced by a background of graffiti art, characterized by clean-cut lines and geometric shapes. The artist’s principal focus is on illustrations for magazines and international brands, with his work having appeared in publications such as Fortune, Harvard Business Review and Monocle, while he numbers Adidas, Swatch and Ikea among his many clients.