Highframe

12/06/25

What is a designer and what is their role in 2025?

A designer is a person who identifies what people need and visualizes their ideas into tangible objects.
They take a more structured approach to creating things compared to artists, they’re like the JavaScript of a website while the artist is the CSS and the engineer is the HTML.

If we can take a more
philosophical approach, I can compare the designer title to Sagittarius (which is actually my zodiac) who is often associated with the Greek character Chiron, the centaur who nurtured the most famous heroes in Greek mythology, from Achilles to Hercules. It’s funny because my name-

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Exclusive Edited Photo of Cesar Lazarus in Forever Vision HOODIE Sample - June 2025

Cesar Lazarus, was inspired by the Roman emperor and the man who was resurrected by Jesus, and Roman mythology borrowed a lot from Greek mythology, kind of like what Virgil taught about not needing to reinvent the wheel but rather elevate what we have and bring out its best qualities. Lots of parallels as you can see.

It also happens to describe a lot about me as a designer and I always tell people this analogy: I am like a street
light; in the day, I’m present but unassuming. But in the night, I am a guiding light.

You recently helped Prody move away from streaming services to sell his music independently on their website.

What do you think the future of creative distribution looks like outside of corporate platforms like Spotify and Apple Music?

I notice a growing interest in controlling your own work and a dissatisfaction with the subscription model, rendering art into a commodity that’s gamified.

I believe that a creator should hone in their vision and empower their audience with new, fresh ideas and offer ways to participate in their stories without depending on corporate middlemen. It reminds me of when the Internet revolutionized access to information in a way not seen since the invention of the printing press and the rise of television.

Specifically it reminded me of the topic of pirating, which really just means accessing media online, was seen as a major threat to control information from corporations. These days it’s reigned in under the guise of convenience and over time that convenience became more of a hassle to keep up with as prices went higher and services became bloated. I’m not the only person to express dissatisfaction with the monthly payments because as soon as you stop paying, you lose everything.

There was a reason that platforms like iTunes were a lifesaver for both artists and businesses alike at the time and it has been a solution that worked for over 20 years now! Now with a maturing cyberspace, I believe artists should claim their own space, tell their own story, and cultivate their own fanbases without needing to sacrifice their dignity or rights to CEOs who just see them as statistics. With the trust of their audience and the confidence they share with the world,

I believe with enough people, a new digital revolution can be achieved.

Organic French Terry Cotton Grown and Knitted in the USA Shot By Highframe (August 2024)

You mentioned you use AI for light tasks like removing objects from images or proofreading.
What is your philosophy on where we draw the line in using AI tools to enhance your process
without letting them take over?

Artificial intelligence exists in its own lane. By itself, it’s just another buzzword marketed by big tech. Think about it, do you remember Big Data? The algorithm? Machine learning? It’s all the same thing: using machines to centralize information and control what we see. From our own feeds, we see media both vilify and crown this technology.

It’s up for the individual to decide what they choose to believe in as long as they don’t lose their humanity in the process. What I’ll say is to avoid becoming dependent on one source for your daily life. Have an open mind to potential possibilities and you might just surprise yourself. As long as you are aware of what you use and how you can make it your own, all the more power to you. I predict we’ll see a much bigger push for “Human-Made” work soon and we as creators will see more opportunities to express our authenticity.

But on other days, “Fuck AI”. Simple as that. My mindset fluctuates like that.

Looping back to the first question, how do you think the designer's role will change in the next
decade.

I think we’ll see an ever stronger push for authentic works and a greater emphasis on community, especially now that corporations face more scrutiny than ever. In the fashion space for example, exposes on opaque supply chains and bad actors across manufacturing are brought to the light, yet the houses still stand.

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In music, streaming and record labels perfected the conveyor belt of short-term dopamine talent. Across the fine arts, sketchy deals and limited opportunities leave painters without much recourse.

I can keep going and it would only empower my position on supporting genuine expression
without having to be careful with what we say. I could only visualize how things could be for so long but I rather focus on what I can do for myself and for others today. I think about it this way: the past repeats itself for when we let it; the future worries about itself for it has yet to happen; the present is all we are guaranteed and what we can change.

Designers and artists seem to always be being taken advantage of and increasingly so.

How important is having full creative control in today’s landscape and what tradeoffs should artists be willing to make/ non negotiable?

You know I feel this is a discussion that’s been explored across generations and will continue to be debated for years to come. Historically, the rich and powerful transformed art as a propaganda tool and that was the only way for artists to obtain a stable life. Creativity is encouraged when it benefits the structure of the system it’s under, which here would be capitalism. With that knowledge, you can start to see how creators who didn’t already have a head start from family connections find themselves struggling to capture the success they need to sustain themselves. So thus, creative control can feel like a mystical ideal, especially now in an age where digital media is heavily controlled and personalized, only to regurgitate the same things over and over.

Yet here we are, advocating for the ultimate freedom an artist can achieve, something far more valuable than money, because you can always make more money and it’ll still not feel like enough.

I believe understanding that we are limited in the time we have alive and that we won’t bring our fortunes to the grave, it’s the first step to finding creative control as a creator.

You see across different eras in art history and designs that drive, that energy, that desire to make a difference, but the time will eventually come where we all meet our Creator.

I think in the end, it’ll be through the people we spoke with, we helped, we angered, we scared, or we loved that would be remembered and that’s only possible when creators are given the chance to share their real stories.

If I had to guess, Virgil was very inspiring to you as he was for many of us. What sort of impact did he have on your practice and ethos?

You know I mentioned Virgil back in the first question and it’s also funny because I didn’t really think about him when I started my career.

I can’t deny his impact on pop culture and his ethos inspired many designers to pursue their craft. He just wasn’t the person I considered to directly inspire me. Here’s how I
feel about inspirations: they exist in all forms, from our parents to friends and colleagues, to educators and icons in our media consumption.

We all have someone we look up to as a guide, a mentor, a teacher, a figure we place great importance on. But at the same time, I believe each of us needs to discover our own voices and styles that define us, not just imitate what’s already done. For example, with my clothing project Forever Vision, I’m not trying to reinvent clothing or radically transform the concept of fabrics and patterns. Instead, I envision to elevate what exists to the best quality it can be and share my journey with others to inspire them on what’s possible.

What I just did here was define my approach, my vision, my signature to what I do. So while a figure like Virgil can exist on his own, I want to encourage people to be the best for themselves, not “be the next someone” or something along those lines. How you live your life is truly unique compared to your mentor’s and that should be your defining attribute and hopefully you can encourage others to discover themselves through you. It’s like nature: it doesn’t try to impress you by doing what it did before, it just exists like how it always did for millions of years. It’s just that over humanity’s existence, we were the ones to give meaning and significance to nature that didn’t exist before. We then used that inspiration to create and give back, inspiring others in the process.

Picture of Cesar Lazarus Wearing the First SHIRT He’s Ever Sewn (September 2024)

Why do you keep going?

I keep going because I find enjoyment in it. Creativity has always been a part of my life and getting to share it with others is truly a gift.

Sure, success can come and will certainly benefit my career and give me opportunities to pursue bolder ideas but in the end, once my time comes, I hope to at least be a guiding light for one person to discover their voice.

Also, I don’t believe in waiting for some miracle to come in and indirectly give us the opportunity to express what we feel. Why don’t we just do it ourselves and show that it can be done? The choice is ours. That’s why I keep going with Highframe.

Also, I get to meet lots of cool people along the way!

Forever Vision Samples V3 Photo - Photo 6 - Cesar Lazarus Walking on the Beach With Samples (March 2025)