Hi guys,
We’re very excited to share a new episode of Talks on Creativity with Verónica Fuerte — the founder and creative director of Hey Studio in Barcelona, celebrated for its bold use of color, geometric forms, and clean visual storytelling. Her vibrant work has caught the eye of major clients like Apple, Google, and The New York Times.
In this talk, Verónica opens up about her creative journey — how she shaped her signature style, built a collaborative studio culture, and continues to nurture authenticity in a world driven by trends and technology. She also shares what it’s like to lead an all-female team, balance motherhood with a thriving creative career, and build brands that truly stand the test of time.
Verónica founded Hey Studio in Barcelona after several years working in different design studios around the city. She had learned the ropes of agency life but felt constrained by the need to adapt to each studio’s style and direction. What she truly wanted was the freedom to create work that reflected her own creative instincts.
Even during her university years, Verónica had already sensed that she was drawn to a particular visual language — one that favored geometry, simplicity, and bold color. But while working for others, she often had to suppress this instinct to fit into each studio’s aesthetic. Launching Hey Studio became her way to fully embrace the visual world she had always loved.
“At the beginning, I did many projects just to survive. But I also started building my own portfolio through personal work. That’s where my true style started to take shape.”
In those early years, she accepted a wide variety of commissions — not all aligned with her vision — simply to stay afloat. But she dedicated her spare time to personal projects that allowed her to experiment, refine her sensibility, and express her true voice. That combination of practicality and persistence gradually gave rise to the distinct Hey Studio identity: work defined by clarity, structure, and emotional brightness, rooted in her passion for simplicity and color.
Over nearly two decades, Hey Studio has refined its process to balance structure with creative freedom — a blend Verónica sees as essential for meaningful design. Each project begins with a deep discovery phase focused on truly understanding the client’s identity: their values, culture, and long-term vision. The team conducts thorough workshops filled with questions that help uncover what makes the brand authentic, timeless, and relevant. These sessions go beyond visuals; they’re about translating strategy into feeling and form.
“Designers are strategists too. We translate words into visuals. It’s our job to understand what really matters to the brand and make it visible.”
Once that clarity is achieved, the team moves into an open ideation phase — an intentional space for exploration where no idea is too wild. “Everything is good in the beginning,” Verónica says. “Sometimes a small sketch can inspire something bigger.” This creative freedom encourages her designers to challenge assumptions and cross-pollinate ideas before filtering and refining the most promising directions. The result is a body of work that feels cohesive yet full of life — design that connects strategy with emotion and vision with play.
Despite the growing comfort of remote work, Verónica believes that true creativity flourishes through human presence and spontaneous exchange. For her, design is not a solitary act but a dialogue — one that depends on proximity, shared energy, and unfiltered emotion. At Hey Studio, the team meets in person four days a week to spark this kind of connection and keep their creative momentum alive.
“When we are together, we are brighter. Creativity is human. Ideas grow when we share the same space.”
Verónica explains that in-person collaboration allows her team to read each other’s expressions, sketch side by side, and build on ideas in real time — something digital tools can’t fully replicate. While they can work remotely when needed, she sees physical presence as a vital ingredient for collective flow and deeper creative chemistry.
This belief in connection is at the heart of Hey Studio’s culture. As an all-female team, they prioritize empathy, openness, and mutual support. Verónica nurtures an environment where every voice matters and creative ownership is shared. “When we collaborate,” she says, “we don’t just design — we grow together.”
Continue reading the story on our website & watch the full episode on our YouTube channel ✨
