PAUL FUENTES
Paul Fuentes Design is the candy-coloured brainchild of husband-and-wife creative duo Paul and Ilse Fuentes. Visual storytellers, image manipulators, and masters of the pastel surreal. Based in London, their work exists somewhere between pop art, surrealism, and total visual joy, where animals disco, pineapples turn floral, and every day is a little more playful than the last.
It all began in Mexico City, where Paul first honed his eye as a graphic designer, obsessively remixing everyday imagery into punchy visual puns. In 2015, he launched the now-iconic Instagram page @paulfuentes_design, turning minimal mashups into a full-blown movement. Inspired by the collision of French surrealism and Pop Art, Paul’s work quickly gained a cult following for its strange but satisfying combinations. Think kittens in ice cream cones or a hot dog transformed into a Vespa.
That same year, fate (and love) stepped in. Paul met Ilse, a Dutch creative with a background in media, entertainment, and creative management, while living in London. Between trips to Mexico and the Netherlands, the two built more than a relationship, they built a business rooted in shared vision, adventure, and humour. Ilse joined the team as a full-time creative partner, bringing an editorial eye, a business mind, and an infectious energy that continues to shape the duo’s expanding universe.
Now operating under Paul Fuentes Design, the pair work as photographers, creative directors, and content innovators. Their mash-ups blend food, animals, architecture, and objects, all rendered with absurdist wit and pastel perfection. Their goal? Simple: “To put a smile on your face.”
But the Fuentes universe didn’t stop with still life. After a sun-drenched trip to Palm Springs in 2018, Paul was struck by the cinematic nostalgia of mid-century Americana. Cue the launch of @paulfuentes_photo—a new body of work that reimagines travel photography as dreamscape. Using the same playful logic and meticulous editing, Paul creates lush, layered compositions where cheetahs chill poolside and classic cars are parked against pink skies and palm trees.
In these works, wild animals become sunbathing icons. Architecture, light, and landscape are manipulated into a surreal utopia, echoing the endless summer aesthetic of 1960s California. It’s a retro daydream where every detail is curated, colour-graded, and elevated. Each photograph is a multi-layered digital collage, blending elements of fantasy and reality into something entirely new.
Whether it's an avocado turned into a purse or a tiger lounging beside a mid-century pool, Paul and Ilse invite their audience to escape the ordinary. Their creations are more than visuals they’re moments of delight, designed to disrupt the scroll and awaken wonder.
With international exhibitions, commercial collaborations, and an ever-growing community of fans, Paul Fuentes Design is not just an aesthetic, it’s a vibrant worldview, where creativity knows no bounds and humour is always in style.
Welcome to their world. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s always just a little bit pastel.
We partnered with Paul Fuentes Design as part of a Today at Apple showcase
