Debbie Millman has an ongoing project at PRINT titled “What Matters.” This is an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. This facet of the project is a request of each invited respondent to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Cecilia Serafini was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With a background in art history, she moved to the UK in 2013 to pursue her design post-graduate studies. She worked as a designer in the arts & culture until 2020, when she joined Mother Design. Today she is one of their design directors creating work that’s not only visually striking but makes future generations proud.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Kissing my baby’s chin dimple (it’s unreal), perfume shopping and having lunch with my grandparents back in Buenos Aires. It usually involves champagne, and always involves stories of their childhoods which I can never get enough of.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
I don’t know if it’s the first one as I don’t have many memories of my childhood (I know it was a lovely one though!), but I vividly remember my first encounters with Photoshop. We had a computer quite early on at home since my father worked in telecommunications (such a 90s word—does it still exist?!), and somehow I got my hands on a trial version of Photoshop. Wow.
What is your biggest regret?
I can’t really think of one. Not to be all cool about it, but I am more of a “whatever happened had to happen” kind of person. Would I get a tattoo of The Smiths on my side ribs if I had the choice today? Probably not, but I definitely don’t regret doing it.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Time.
What makes you cry?
Most things. I cry a lot. I cry when I’m sad, when I’m happy, when others are sad and/or happy. I cry when I see people succeeding in something they clearly put a lot of effort in.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Luckily a lot. I think it’s because the work I get to do is long-lasting. We put a lot of time and effort into creating meaningful brand identities, we send them out to the world and then we get to see how they come to life in lots of different ways. It’s very fulfilling to see when a client uses what we made for them with pride and excitement.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I’m too anxious to think about these things—anything that is so grand and out of my control freaks me out. Sometimes I lay awake wondering how the Earth doesn’t fall? Into the abyss?! So no thoughts on this one.
What do you hate most about yourself?
Not being honest enough and vocal enough about my thoughts and opinions. It’s getting better with age, and definitely much better since I became a mother, but I still struggle. It’s taken me way too long to understand how important it is to one’s self esteem to take up space and feel seen.
What do you love most about yourself?
I think sometimes I can be funny and I like that. I also think I’m a good mother to my son and my cat.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Empanadas. Argentinian empanadas more specifically. Every culture has its version of an empanada (a thing wrapped in dough)—dumplings, cornish pasties, etc. I like all of them, but our version of the empanada is on a different level if you ask me.