Inspirational Stories #15: Sol Marengo

In the 15th edition of our Inspirational Stories series, architectural illustrator Sol Marengo reflects on her journey from struggling with digital graphics as a student to developing a clear visual language through illustration. In this interview, she shares insights on teaching architectural graphics, building digital products, finding inspiration, and the tools that shape her creative process.

Elif Ayse Sen3 January 20264 Mins read12

In the 15th edition of our Inspirational Stories series, we are pleased to feature Sol Marengo, an architectural illustrator whose work centers on graphic expression as a core architectural skill rather than a supplementary one. Her practice explores how drawings, diagrams, and digital illustrations shape the way architectural ideas are understood, communicated, and taught.

Shaped by her own academic experience, where limited exposure to digital graphics made architectural representation feel distant and complex, Sol Marengo has built a personal illustration language grounded in clarity, intention, and accessibility. Over the years, she has developed and curated a wide range of architectural digital products, reflecting both technical expertise and a refined visual sensibility. Alongside her creative work, she places strong emphasis on education, actively sharing methods, workflows, and insights with students and architecture enthusiasts who seek to strengthen their visual skills. Through teaching and content creation, Sol advocates for doing graphic work with precision and awareness, believing that strong visual communication can transform how architecture is learned and practiced. You can follow her ongoing illustrations, digital products, and educational content on her Instagram @sol_ms.

Table of Contents

How would you describe your identity as an architectural illustrator or content creator?

I would describe myself as someone deeply focused on visual language. I’m not only passionate about sharing ideas through visual projects, but I also find it very important to teach this kind of work to students and architecture enthusiasts. During my studies, I lacked a strong foundation in digital graphics, which made my relationship with architecture quite challenging. Now that I’ve developed my own illustration style and know how I like to share graphic projects, I can truly see the importance of doing it correctly, and I’m very passionate about sharing that knowledge with others.

Architectural Illustration from Sol Marengo

I started sharing my work when the pandemic began, in March 2020. While working at an architecture firm and developing projects, I discovered that what I enjoyed most about the architectural process was creating visuals and summarizing ideas through illustrations. I began sharing my work on social media because I had found my passion within architecture. Seeing the public’s response and the lack of knowledge among students motivated me to keep sharing and growing my teaching project.

Do you have a content strategy or is it more spontaneous?

A bit of both. I follow a schedule (planned months in advance) and try to stay up to date with algorithm changes. But since my content is so closely tied to art, life can often affect the inspiration or ideas I have. When I’m feeling inspired, I take full advantage of it and become more active on social media; and when inspiration is lacking, I try to find ways to spark it again.

Plan & Section Illustration by Sol Marengo

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who wants to become an illustrator or sell their first digital product? Where do you find inspiration for your illustrations? Who inspires your work?

The most valuable advice I could give to students is that everything comes down to practice. It’s something we hear all the time, especially during our studies, but I didn’t fully understand it until I started working with digital illustration. When I look back at my first drawings (which I was very proud of at the time) and compare them to what I create now, I can see an immense improvement. Sometimes we can get stuck while trying to learn something new, but practice is what makes the difference between staying stuck or moving forward.

I find inspiration in everyday life: sometimes it’s seeing a building I admire, taking a photo where the colors are in harmony, or looking at a painting that uses an interesting method to represent elements. And of course, I also find inspiration in the amazing visuals and projects shared by my students and fellow content creators.

What tools or software do you mainly use? Do you follow AI and other emerging technologies?

I fell in love with Illustrator from the moment I learned how to use it. It’s the software I know best, and I find it to be a very complete and user-friendly program. I also work a lot with Photoshop, SketchUp, and After Effects, many times I need to use all of them for a single graphic.

I don’t particularly use AI tools, except for some simple processes offered by Adobe programs (for example, removing an image background). However, I stay up to date with the new options and processes that evolve thanks to AI. I believe that, when used correctly, it can help, especially to speed up our processes, without replacing the human work that architectural design requires.

Sol Marengo’s journey highlights a broader shift within contemporary architectural practice, one where visual communication is no longer treated as a secondary skill, but as an essential form of architectural thinking. Her work demonstrates how illustration, when approached with intention and discipline, can clarify ideas, bridge gaps in education, and open architecture to wider audiences. Rather than positioning graphics as mere representation, she frames them as a way of understanding space, process, and concept.

We would like to sincerely thank Sol Marengo for generously sharing her experience, insights, and approach to architectural illustration with us as part of the Inspirational Stories. Her openness in reflecting on her learning journey, creative process, and teaching philosophy offers valuable guidance for students, architects, and visual thinkers alike. We are grateful for her time and thoughtful contributions, and for the clarity and care she brings to the conversation around visual communication in architecture!