This time, we’re visiting the Herraizsoto&co studio in Barcelona—a creative hub at the forefront of design and innovation.
Let’s meet Daniel Martos, a creative mind with a lot to share and a project we’re excited to spotlight for its originality.
Interview with Daniel Martos: A Source of Inspiration
Code: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daniel. Could you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about how your creative journey began and how you got to where you are today?
Daniel: The pleasure’s all mine! I was born in ’96, so I’m still a rookie at life.
I studied a technical baccalaureate in my hometown, Vic, only to realize my true passion lay elsewhere. Ever since I was a kid, I loved drawing, writing, and watching movies, so I decided to pursue a degree in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia.
At first, I wasn’t sure what direction to take, but getting a taste of film, audiovisual production, design, advertising, and so on, opened the door for me to the world of graphic design, illustration, animation, and coding—the fields I’m most passionate about.
Code: Has the journey been easy or tough? What’s kept you moving forward?
Daniel: For me, the journey is just getting started.
I’ve had (and still have, since I’m in my final year) classmates and professors who opened doors for me and sparked my curiosity, making me fall in love with this world.
Plus, since joining herraizsoto&co, I’ve learned a ton about how agencies work, and the team here really makes everything a bit easier.
Code: As you know, we’re big fans of the Coolgifs project—it’s fresh and on-trend. Can you tell us about the creative process behind it?
Daniel: &coolgifs was born just over a year ago as an in-house initiative at the agency.
The idea was that emojis just weren’t expressive enough anymore, so we wanted to create something with more personality.
That’s when we came up with the idea of a family of monsters, each representing a different emotion. We did some benchmarking to see what people usually share in Stories and came up with a list of possible candidates, narrowing it down to five to start with.
From there, we started sketching and working with the team to define the visual style of the monsters, and once we had the five, we did the same with the animation.
It was a constant process of trial and error, but above all, it was a huge learning experience in character animation—and on the technical side, figuring out the best parameters to make the gifs look great on Instagram.
Code: The project just radiates freshness, and the illustrations are fantastic. Do you think inspiration always comes from work?
Daniel: Not at all—I’d actually say the opposite.
For me, inspiration can strike anywhere, when you least expect it.
Often it’s in everyday moments: listening to music, watching a series or movie, at an exhibition, or even just hanging out with friends.
In fact, &coolgifs came from the need to express emotions in a bigger way on Instagram Stories, which is now part of daily life for so many people.
Work can be inspiring, of course, but for me, it’s more about honing the skills to bring ideas to life and solve problems more efficiently and quickly.
Code: I love the result, and I’m sure it’s the product of a lot of creative magic. Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about the project?
Daniel: Thank you so much! Honestly, it’s all been possible thanks to the collaboration of everyone on the team.
What I love about the project is that it was a proactive move by the agency, and since it’s a relatively new format in an environment that can change overnight, we don’t see it as finished—we hope to keep expanding the monster family in the future.
I also have to say the success has far exceeded our expectations—we’ve seen lots of people, even influencers, using them. I encourage everyone to search for “coolgifs” in Instagram Stories and use them however you like!
Code: And to wrap up, here are the three magic questions we ask all our guests:
Code: What’s the coolest thing about being a designer?
Daniel: Definitely the chance to create something new every day.
Code: And the worst?
Daniel: When clients ask for changes that make no sense.
Code: How do you see the state of the industry?
Daniel: Honestly, I’m optimistic.
We’re so used to being bombarded with images, illustrations, and audiovisual content that it’s really hard to stand out.
That’s why brands need to do things differently.
It’s not enough for things to just look good—they have to add real value for people.
This is where the creative community has the chance to step up and show the true value of what we do.
Code: Before we wrap up, I want to congratulate you on your work and encourage you to keep fueling your creative engine. It’s been a pleasure talking with you—thank you so much.
I encourage our readers to check out Daniel Martos’ work at the following links:
www.instagram.com/herraizsoto/
