Perezfecto adapts pulp-era tones to contemporary satire

Transmission 192: Interview with Perezfecto

Marcelo Pérez Dalannays, known professionally as Perezfecto, is a Chilean illustrator, graphic designer, and digital artist. He began drawing at a young age and pursued graphic design at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. After working in various design roles, he transitioned to freelance illustration, collaborating with agencies, publishers, and direct clients. In 2014, he launched his Instagram account (@perezfecto), where his distinctive retro-inspired, satirical illustrations gained significant attention. By 2017, due to amassed over followers, he focused on commissioned artwork through the platform. ​His artistic style draws heavily from mid-20th-century American comics, pulp fiction covers, and pop art.

He often combines vintage aesthetics with modern digital techniques, infusing his work with humor and social commentary. ​He views himself as an investigator of human behavior, motivations, and the reasons behind people’s actions rather than merely a caricaturist. With over 25 years of experience, he has worked across advertising, publishing, and corporate media, serving clients both locally and internationally. ​In addition to his visual art, Pérez Dalannays authored the book Nadie es Perfecto (Nobody is Perfect, 2021), a collection of his illustrations and reflections on the creative process. He also illustrated the graphic novel Max Urdemales, abogado sobrenatural, collaborating with writer Francisco Ortega. ​Beyond his creative artworks, he founded and directed Grafiscopio (2012–2018), a platform dedicated to professional development in visual communication. He has also taught at Chilean universities, including Universidad Diego Portales and Universidad Gabriela Mistral, and has delivered over 50 lectures and workshops.

Marcelo Pérez Dalannays‘ official site | Behance | Instagram |

How did you discover that you wanted to pursue a career in illustrations? Have you been fascinated about drawing since your childhood? Was there a specific moment or project that marked a turning point in your life?

I started drawing at an early age (5 years old, now I’m 48) and spent most of my spare time doing that (I even created a hand-drawn magazine which I sold to my neighbors for a dime) but never took it seriously until I went to college and started working for a small publisher while in my 2nd year. That’s when I thought: OK, maybe I can make a living out of this.

You consolidated your career as an independent illustrator thanks to your talent and versatility. What were the main challenges in the beginning?

Chile is a rather small country and market so you need good connections to enter the big leagues (agencies, publishers, corporate world and mainstream media). Also back in the day (late 1990s – early 2000s) illustrators had to be pretty skilled and versatile to land all kinds of projects if they wanted to make ends meet. I was able to [re]produce all sorts of styles from children to photo-realistic and that made a difference, but I had no style of my own.

Perezfecto turns vintage media into visual commentary

Your illustrations blend vintage aesthetics with modern lifestyle elements and human relations, additionally and your color palette and textures evoke a nostalgic atmosphere. How do you keep the balance in the spontaneous visual storytelling with vintage details? Can you walk us through your creative process?

Storytelling is actually more important to me than technique or style. I turned to comics because I’m a huge fan of Americana, retro magazines (pulp, lifestyle) and vintage aesthetic but also because it was easier and faster for someone willing to post 2-3 drawings per week. To me the idea comes first and then I sort out the best way to depict it. If I don’t have a good idea, skills and tricks won’t produce a good drawing.

As the founder and director of Grafiscopio, what was your main goal in creating this platform and what impact has it had on the community of designers and illustrators in Chile?

When I was a young freelance artist I only knew how to draw but didn’t have a clue on how things work in the real world. By that I mean pricing my art, paying taxes, managing my business and intellectual rights, or dealing with clients. As a result I had some awful experiences that I didn’t want my fellow artists to go through, so I created a site where I taught everything I learnt and gave them tools to turn a creative activity into a creative business. It paid off and quickly took my career to the next level. I was then considered a professional artist. After 6 years I closed Grafiscopio to focus on Perezfecto, my most profitable endeavor to date.

With the growing popularity of digital platforms and social media, how has your relationship with your creativity changed and what strategies do you use to maintain an authentic connection with your followers?

If you want to stay relevant in an ever-changing landscape like social media you have to adapt and find ways to produce faster and cheaper. Of course this can lead to ‘fast-food artwork’ and as your numbers grow it’s also harder to keep a close relation with your audience, but I don’t want to look fake or distant so I’m always sharing thoughts, videos and selfies to show them I’m not a machine. There’s a real guy behind every post and someone who’s struggling like anyone else. People appreciate that and so do I, because an artist is more than his work.

With more than 25 years of experience in graphic design and illustration, what key lessons have you learned about the evolution of the industry and how have you adapted your style to technological and market changes?

First you gotta be flexible. Don’t get stuck on a style, tool or method. Don’t make generic stuff or you’ll be replaced by machines. “Commodity designers” are being laid off. Become a brand, a voice, a content creator. And second: think globally, don’t focus on your country, culture or native language. You don’t even have to travel or move abroad. Just take advantage of the world wide web and social media. The entire planet is just a click away.

Finally, I love vintage comics but I don’t want my work to look exactly like that. Inspiration? Yes, but I wasn’t born in the 1930s. Perezfecto has its own voice and people recognize it.

In the book “Nobody’s Perfect” you address various personal and professional topics. What inspired you to share these experiences and what has been the most surprising reaction from your readers?​​

The book is a summary of my insta account (from 2014 to 2021) but also my journey through life, the way I see the world around me, especially human relationships and social issues. I wanted to reflect that, and much to my surprise people from different countries, ages, languages or genders related to it! I found my community and that is a weird but magical thing.

In a world full of visual items, how do you maintain your inspiration and keep your artwork original? Which of your inspiration sources was the most peculiar or unexpected?

Honestly I’m not a big comics consumer or collector. I don’t even have that many art books. My inspiration comes from all sources: the news, a conversation, a novel, a tweet or a movie. Actually, many ideas were “cooked” while riding my bike, which I love. This is the main difference between human creativity and AI: machines are trained with images. Human artists on the other hand are capable of turning abstract concepts (or even junk) into ideas for their work.

Do you think that the growing rise of AI-assisted design tools will help or it will compete with artists and creatives?

Generic art(ists) could and will be replaced, I’m afraid. But quite frankly I don’t see AI as a threat because it’s not creative in a broader sense, and as the USCO ruled (april 2025) “human authorship is the foundational requirement for the copyrightability of AI-generated materials”. It’s still an emerging technology so there aren’t regulations yet and people don’t understand much about its possibilities and limitations. To me it’s no different from fan art (derivative work) and the fact that models are being trained by scraping art without permission could be quite risky for commercial use. I don’t think many brands, agencies or companies would like to get involved in legal issues. So in my opinion AI could not replace a pro artist or designer.

Photos and illustrations courtesy of Marcelo Pérez Dalannays

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.