Marty Pedersen isn’t stopping. The 74-year-old owner and creative director of Graphis Inc. has been publishing great design since he took the helm in 1986, and he has no plans of slowing down. “It’s been a continuous treadmill—a very fast treadmill—of change,” he says. “The whole business has changed.”

Even though Graphis Magazine discontinued publication in 2004, the company still produces advertising, photography, and design annuals, conducts design competitions, and is about to launch a new book series called The Journal. On top of all that, Marty Pedersen is preoccupied with presenting work in new media formats online and in video. In the next month he hopes to begin producing an online design program called DTV. Everything is on the table, and Pedersen is having a smorgasbord. “The future is still in evolution,” he said. “I’m digesting. I’m looking at what’s available and what’s happening out there.”

Of course, that’s what the entire industry is doing right now. With the recent closure of I.D. magazine and newspapers on shoestring budgets, it’s a troublesome time to be in publishing. But Marty Pederson is confident that Graphis will overcome the odds. “I’ve made it through two or three tough times with Graphis. We’ll survive again.”

Marty Pedersen is trim and good-looking, his perfectly white hair the only concrete betrayer of his age. He was born in Norway in 1936 and moved to Brooklyn as an adolescent, where he would later meet the woman of his dreams. On Valentine’s Day the couple will celebrate 46 years of blissful marriage. “We’re crazy about each other,” he said. It was obvious. The symbolic choice of wedding date should be no surprise to those who know Marty, he is an unabashed romantic. “There’s no advice on any of this, love, is there?” he asked me with a twinkle. But I thought maybe there would be advice, and Marty went on to confirm my suspicions.

Marty Pedersen is unafraid to bare his sentiments. “Can I just say I get emotional about great work?” He also admits to crying during music and films. “Just look at what we have in the annuals. I’m excited every year when the work comes in. It’s so uplifting.” When put on the spot he finds it impossible to name a single great designer, and he points to the entire collection of Graphis annuals. “Favorites?” he laughs, “All of them. Let’s make rock stars out of these people, which they deserve to be.”

When confronted with reality Pedersen recognizes the inherent dilemmas facing the future of Graphis. The magazine has closed. The demand for books is dwindling, and there’s no real business model for showing work on the web. “Right now there’s a homogenization, and it’s all becoming boring,” he said. “My criticism is that we’re just presently patting ourselves on the back in a very small community.” The answer, he believes, is beyond the design community. It’s a challenge he’s thriving on, like a puzzle he’s just about to crack. And while great design gives Marty satisfaction, he’s running a business that doesn’t sustain itself on warm and fuzzy. But Graphis isn’t waiting idly for a big break or hanging onto its past publishing model. Pedersen is actively attempting to forge a new online medium, capture a new readership, and ultimately make a buck. And he’s not slowing down. “In the end when that thing comes, if you’ve done the right thing with it, there’s a feel-good—for about ten seconds and then you’re off to the next 20 things.”