For this edition of MEET THE ARTIST, we’re excited to introduce Rafael Nieves, aka Unca Raffy, a graphic designer whose work celebrates the places we call home. While many people would describe him as an artist, Rafael is quick to make a distinction.

“The word artist scares me a little bit,” he admits with a smile. “I consider myself a graphic designer.”

It’s a humble perspective from someone who has spent more than 30 years blending illustration, architecture, typography, and storytelling into a body of work that has become instantly recognizable throughout Chicago’s western suburbs. His vibrant prints don’t simply depict landmarks. They capture memories, pride, and the emotional connection people have with the communities where life happens.

Rafael’s creative journey began long before computers and design software. As a child, comic books opened an entirely new world. In fact, they helped teach him how to read. He became fascinated by the combination of words and images, dreaming of one day becoming a comic book artist himself. Eventually, he realized drawing wasn’t going to be his greatest strength.

“I got well enough at drawing to know that I would never be well enough at drawing,” he says.

Instead of giving up on creativity, he shifted his focus toward writing comic books while discovering another passion along the way: graphic design. He became captivated by everything surrounding the story—the logos, layouts, architecture, and visual identity that gave each book its personality. That fascination ultimately became his career.

For the past 16 years, Rafael has focused on creating a signature collection of prints featuring towns and villages throughout Chicago’s western suburbs. Every piece shares one defining element.

Welcome Home.

The phrase appears on every print and has become both his trademark and his mission.

Each design begins with extensive photography. Rafael visits each location himself, often taking hundreds of photographs of a single landmark before returning to his computer to transform those images into bold, graphic compositions inspired by classic travel posters and vintage movie posters.

The result is more than a portrait of a place.

It’s an invitation to remember.

“I always try to bring a sense of homeiness to my pieces,” he explains. “Someone can look at the piece and go, ‘Oh yeah…I know where that is.'”

His work evokes familiarity, nostalgia, and community—small moments that remind us why the places we live matter.

Despite decades of experience, Rafael doesn’t believe he’s mastered his craft. In fact, he says he’s never completely satisfied with any finished piece.

“I’m never 100% satisfied,” he says. “I always think the next one’s going to be better.”

Rather than seeing that as frustration, he embraces it as motivation. He considers himself a lifelong student of graphic design, constantly exploring new techniques, refining every curve, adjusting every line, and searching for ways to make each piece stronger than the last. That commitment to continual growth is part of what makes his work feel so intentional.

Although graphic design is his profession, Rafael draws inspiration from many creative disciplines. He’s an admirer of architecture, classic films, travel posters, comic books, and great design in all its forms. Each influence subtly finds its way into his work, creating prints that feel timeless while remaining deeply rooted in local communities.

More than anything, he credits the talented people around him for continuing to inspire his own creativity. “I am incredibly grateful and in debt to the people I surround myself with,” he says. “They’re infinitely talented, and I’m honored to be considered a part of that.”

Like many artists and designers, Rafael’s creative work exists alongside a busy life. He balances a full-time job, being a full-time dad, continuing to write comic books, and creating new prints whenever time allows. It’s a schedule that requires persistence, patience, and plenty of late nights spent perfecting designs inside Adobe Illustrator.

For Rafael, creativity isn’t reserved for moments of inspiration. It’s a practice built one line, one curve, and one project at a time.

At first glance, Rafael’s prints are beautifully designed illustrations of familiar landmarks. But look a little closer, and you’ll discover they’re really about something much bigger.

They’re about belonging.

They’re about recognizing a favorite street corner, a hometown landmark, or a place filled with memories.

They’re about the feeling that comes from looking at a piece of art and thinking:

“Welcome home.”

We’re proud to feature Rafael Nieves in our MEET THE ARTIST series and celebrate the creativity he brings to communities throughout the western suburbs.

To explore his work, visit rafnieves.com, or follow him on Instagram @raf_nieves and Facebook @nievesdesigns.

The next time you’re at U3 Coffee, spend a few moments with Rafael’s work. You may arrive looking at a landmark, but you’ll leave thinking about the places—and the people—that make home feel like home.