Creative Works West is an annual gathering of graphic artists and designers. This event celebrates creativity and innovation in design, and it’s a platform for them to share ideas and collaborate.
As a sponsor of 2025 Creative Works West, Sylvamo wanted to provide attendees with a unique piece of print swag that was both functional and inspirational. A sketchbook proved to be just the ticket, and Sylvamo commissioned designer and illustrator Isaac LeFever to design a cover that highlights sustainability and takes inspiration from Seattle, which was the host city of this year’s Creative Works West.
Featuring cascading waterfalls, gloriously lit mountains and a peaceful forest that pays homage to the Pacific Northwest, the cover is emblematic of what drives LeFever as a graphic artist. LeFever sat down with us recently to discuss how he got into graphic art, his creative process and his advice for up-and-coming artists and designers.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get started in graphic art?
I always loved drawing as a kid and was really inspired by that classic 1940s to 1960s era of animation, particularly the stuff being done by Disney, Warner Brothers, Jay Ward and United Productions of America (UPA). I always knew I wanted to be involved in the arts in some way when I grew up.
Fast forward several years, I decided to go into graphic design. It’s a classic vocational trajectory for art kids who need to find a stable job. I really enjoyed the combination of disciplines and stylistic approaches available. There’s lots of opportunities to learn and try new things.
Who or what inspires you today?
I’m still very inspired by classic animation art, especially background paintings. Some of those feel as fresh today as I imagine they did years ago. Movies like 101 Dalmatians or Sleeping Beauty are just packed to the gills with incredible backgrounds.
I pull a lot from that era, as well as mid-century advertising and children’s book art. I also take a ton of inspiration from my surroundings. I’ve lived in the Appalachian Mountains, the Pacific Northwest and Europe and I can’t help but be hugely inspired by those settings. You’ll see a lot of that show up again and again in my work.
Take us through your creative process. How do you approach a new project?
First, I need to make sure I fully understand the project, and that means asking a lot of questions.
Then I like to gather a lot of reference imagery, color swatches and moodboard content into a big artboard and start playing around. Grouping images and colors to hone in on a few vibe buckets for the project. It’s kind of like a visual word cloud exercise.
After that comes sketching — first a bunch of thumbnails and then I zero in on a few strong options and turn those into higher fidelity sketches to run by the client. From there, we’ll go through some feedback and revisions before landing on a tight sketch and, later, the final art.
It’s an open dialogue that involves iteration. You learn not to be too precious about any given idea.
With this sketchbook project specifically, how did you approach the idea of sustainability with a sense of place (that place being Seattle)?
Living in the Pacific Northwest puts you in close contact with the issues of climate change and conservation. I’ve seen the wildfire smoke, the droughts and the heatwaves. And I’ve seen the visual effects of that on Mount Rainier, which looks like it’s lost a huge amount of ice in a single year. It can be shocking.
The area feels incredibly vulnerable and it’s extremely beautiful and inspiring. You feel in your gut what’s at stake. I chose to reference the water cycle, starting in the mountain and ending at the sea because Western Washington contains all those things in a remarkably condensed package.
What’s unique or special about designing for print as opposed to other mediums?
I’ve focused a lot of my career on print. There’s something rewarding about being able to tangibly interact with the work you make and knowing others can do the same.
For a notebook like this one, you have the privilege of your work occupying space in people’s homes and in intimate little moments of their lives. They’ll record their thoughts or plans in it. That’s special.
My home is filled with art prints and beautiful books of inspiring design and artwork. I sell my prints on my website and at local art markets, and people seem to love them. People also seem to be returning to paper-based products as more sustainable packaging and shipping materials. That feels like a very positive development to me.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to graphic artists who are at the beginning of their careers?
That's a much harder question to answer now than it was a few years ago.
I think the AI elephant in the room really casts a lot of things in doubt right now for people looking to get into the visual arts. What I do know is that the human element in what we do and how we relate to people will be very important in a world where so many things feel artificial.
And I think people will take a more specific interest in the creative or artistic process — and in seeing the human touch in our work, in the imperfections and happy accidents and lived experience that goes into what we make.
Thanks to Isaac LeFever for the great conversation. View more of his work at nicetriangle.com.
Looking for a little additional inspiration? Read more about this sketchbook project or browse our library of project inspirations.
