When it Matters, Stick with It

Did you know that the Post-it inspired ISGlobal's "Note-olvides" campaign? A graphic humor book inspired by Forges to fight against malaria.

Reading Time: 4 minutes.

Imagine Spencer Silver, a chemist in the 3M company laboratory in Minnesota, back in 1968. He has a special assignment: to find the strongest and most resistant adhesive possible for the aerospace industry. However, during one of the tests, he finds quite the opposite: a glue made of acrylic microspheres that peels off very easily. A setback? Well, a scientist is used to failure.

Let's fast forward a few years. 1974. Now you see Art Fry, another researcher who sings in his church choir once a week. What annoys him most is that every time he leaves small pieces of paper to mark the song pages, they disappear by the following week, and he has to start searching for every page all over again. Art Fry also works at 3M and has attended several of Spencer Silver's seminars where he uses that "useless" adhesive, but Fry finds it perfect for sticking small notes.

Art Fry believes they will work as bookmarks for his hymnal. He tries it out and sees they can be removed without tearing the pages. He meets with Silver and they brainstorm. They have something small yet big at the same time. The Post-it was born—that sticky note that has helped us so many times not to forget important tasks.

New solutions to old problems

From that Post-it idea, the ISGlobal Note-olvides initiative was also born now, in 2026, to raise awareness and funds for scientific research seeking answers to malaria and neglected or neglected diseases, as they are often called, even though they affect more than a billion people, especially in developing countries.

Fry says that research consists of finding new solutions to old problems. That’s what Hernando del Portillo must have thought, leading the malaria and neglected parasitic diseases program in the midst of a global funding crisis for medical research on these ailments.

Fry says that research consists of finding new solutions to old problems. That’s what Hernando del Portillo must have thought, leading the malaria and neglected parasitic diseases program in the midst of a global funding crisis for medical research on these ailments. “What can we do?” he asked. Immediately, Rafa Vilsanjuán and the entire ISGlobal team bet on an awareness and fundraising initiative that would reach the public.

I have been fortunate enough to collaborate on the creation of this campaign with Jorge Martínez, a highly experienced creative, who connected the concept of forgetting with humor, which is so closely linked to science. Without humor, it would be impossible to deal with failure.

But don't forget about...

Jorge remembered a phrase by the unforgettable Antonio Fraguas (Forges) that was a recurring theme in some of his cartoons: “But don’t forget about…” The first one was after the earthquake in Haiti (“But don’t forget about Haiti”) and he later used it for many other neglected causes.

And here comes the wonderful coincidence that happens when things get moving. Berta Fraguas, Forges' daughter, is a friend of Irene Losada, a doctor and researcher at ISGlobal specializing in Chagas disease, and the current director Quique Bassat. In fact, Forges drew a cartoon for Bassat’s medical school promotion. Thanks to the Forges family, we have a cover cartoon for the project.

From then on, we contacted dozens of graphic humorists from Latin America, Spain, and the United States who collaborated without hesitation. From Peridis to Nani, from Julio Rey to Eneko, among many others, each sent a drawing related to neglected diseases painted on a Post-it. We even discovered an illustrator working at ISGlobal, Alba García. All of this is collected in a wonderful little book published by the Lunwerg label (Planeta Group), available in both print and online formats. The book features short texts by scientists like María Elena Bottazzi or the director of Gavi, Sania Nishtar, and storytellers like Cuban author Leonardo Padura or the comedian and trained doctor Gran Wyoming. After a presentation at Casa del Libro in Madrid, it will continue to be presented at various fairs and events across Spain. You can buy the book in print or online. You can also contribute to this initiative to raise funds for research into malaria and neglected diseases by making a donation via Bizum to 02948.

When it matters, stick with it

By the way, you are also in time to bid online for some of the original cartoons remaining in an online auction. The proceeds will go to the research projects carried out by ISGlobal.

And I don't want to forget (I have it written down on a Post-it) to tell you something beautiful that happened to us. During the campaign's development, we managed to contact Art Fry. He is still in Minneapolis at 95 years old. He had the wonderful gesture of sending us a Post-it, not with a drawing, but with this phrase: “When it matters, stick with it”