A Fluid Style, A Fierce Vision: The Creative Journey of Nicolò De Rosa
"Since I was a kid, I’ve always had a strong creative streak — from LEGO, to breakdancing, to photography — I was constantly looking for new ways to express myself and create. The pandemic was definitely a turning point. Locked indoors while the world stood still, I finally had the time to reflect.
It was the final stretch before graduating, and while my classmates were turning in assignments and tests, I was completely ignoring my teachers’ emails and spending my days posting improvised photo edits on Instagram — made with the camera on my old Samsung and edited using Picsart.
Looking back, those “projects” were really low quality, but I got a surprisingly good response. People — friends, early followers — were genuinely interested in what I was doing. When I started getting my first paid cover commissions, even though I was just a kid with a bad phone and zero training, I began to think: maybe I could actually do this for a living.
I don’t think I’ve made any real “mark” yet, but the cover for Ante Meridiem (Live Session) by Latrelle was definitely a big win.
It’s crazy to think that something I originally made as a fanart — just a creative experiment — ended up becoming the official album artwork. It was featured multiple times on EsseMagazine, and it’s still Latrelle’s profile picture on TikTok.
After that release, several up-and-coming artists started reaching out to me for commissions in that same “painted” style — which has kind of become my signature look lately.
It’s hard for me to talk about “my style” as something fixed. I see it as something fluid — always shifting, adapting to the context I’m working in. It’s deeply tied to who I am and my personal background.
Over time, I’ve definitely gone through different “phases.” For example, there was a time I was really into pixel art — drawing rappers from Italy and the US by reimagining iconic visuals in pixel form. It was my way of visually honoring the music and artists that inspired me.
Right now, I’m in a more “painterly” phase: I use the same mindset, but I create classical-style portraits — often inspired by renaissance painting — usually connected to the music world. Sometimes I rework iconic images, sometimes I invent new ones, but I always try to make them feel true to the artist’s identity.
As a designer, I can find inspiration anywhere. But usually, my style blends with the people I work with — whether they’re artists, brands, or companies.
In the rare moments when I work on personal projects, I notice there’s a certain visual consistency, even if it’s hard to define. A friend once told me that all my graphics have this sense of calmness — I think about that a lot.
As obvious as it may sound, I’d pick my own logo.
It actually came about really instinctively — no deep planning. The name “Paradiz Ronado” comes from what would be the “last name” of my dog, basically a mix of his mom and dad’s surnames. I don’t really know why I chose it. I just liked it. It felt right. So I started using it.
The logo itself is a stylized Doberman: the sharp snout, pointed ears, visible teeth. Above its head floats a kind of halo, with two symbols that sit somewhere between a cross and a star. Again, it all started from an aesthetic place, but over time I’ve found deeper meanings in it.
The dog, for me, is a powerful symbol: it can be loyal, affectionate, and protective, but also fierce and aggressive. That duality really resonates with me.
The halo is harder to explain. I’ve never had strong religious beliefs, but ever since I started creating, I’ve been on a kind of personal, almost spiritual journey. It’s like I’m searching for my own form of faith. So this figure — full of contrasts — now feels like the best representation of who I am.
I think my goals exist on multiple levels.
The first, most practical one, is to support myself through my art. Being able to wake up every day and work on music, creativity, and meaningful projects — that alone would be a huge achievement.
Then there’s a deeper, more ambitious level: building a name for myself, giving value to what I do, and eventually having the time to explore more personal, humanistic research. I’d love to use my creativity and sensitivity to do some good, to investigate, to try to leave something behind.
In a way, I even dream of reaching a kind of immortality through my work — like the greats whose legacy still lives on. I’d hate to leave this world without leaving something meaningful behind.
Lastly, I want to explore creative worlds that are completely different from each other: design a clothing line, then a film, then maybe a car — whatever.
I’m really inspired by people like Kanye West and Virgil Abloh, who used their creativity across wildly different contexts while keeping a strong, unmistakable identity in everything they touched."
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