Mission Statement: I’m a graphic designer who is driven and is an opportunity seeker for ways I can be a leader and use my love and skills in typography, illustration and photography to create valuable and visually pleasing work.
I didn’t start college with the thought that I would be a graphic designer. I just sorta fell into it. I did not know much of what graphic design was and what the education of a graphic designer was about. I’ve always been attracted to art since little. I would always draw just about anything. When I began taking introductory design courses, I was enthusiastic but also disappointed because it wasn’t as exciting as I would see online when I would type in graphic design. It was when I moved on to my second semester when I became more interested in being a designer. My typography one professor was the one that inspired me to become a graphic designer. Although, her nice personality made me pay attention in class, truly it was her passion and teaching drive that was inspiring and driving me to do my best in the class. This class did lay out what kind of designer I am from the work I did. When I’m asked what kind of designer I am, I make sure to mention how was it that it started and what drove me to graphic design because it gives a strong idea about my interests.
I feel at times my interests guide the type of designer that I am and the kind of work that I produce. Some of my earliest interests were drawing and reading. Those were the two things I was heavily invested in when I was younger and would allow me to forget about the world. Drawing just lets me to express ideas visually. When I was young, I would draw what I watched on TV and that would be cartoons and anime. Nowadays, what I draw still looks similar to what I drew in high school but my ideas differ. Now I try to capture abstract ideas, portraits and I’ve noticed that my drawings have concepts, the kind of what you would see in murals. Although, I am not truly an illustrator I like to incorporate drawings and art into my designs. For example, I have done editorial spreads where I used my drawings to build strong visuals. I really like the way it came out and I try to incorporate drawings into my work when I can. Lately, I have become really interested in photography. Ever since, I bought my camera for my photography class I like to walk around with my camera. I enjoy capturing visuals and shooting events, portraits, headshots and much more. I’m still developing my photography but I do see that it has improved my design work. In the end, many of my interests and hobbies appear on my design work and have helped me in developing as a designer.
Professors are shapers. I have to give credit to most of my professors because I’ve been lucky to have some professors that are really invested and they try to guide you. During college, I’ve had two types of professors. The first are the ones that teach you skills and technical stuff. These where the classes where I would show up and do the work. The other was ones that taught me some life lessons, I was lucky enough to know them as friends and I built a great relationship with them. Some of these have been my typography one professor, who taught me ways art is incorporated into design and how to make designs that felt more personal; my communication design II professor, whose class I struggled with at the beginning but I started to think about the people interact with design and advertisement; my packaging design professor, who saw some of my style but would push my designs into a better direction.
Currently, my strengths are showing the kind of designer I currently am. My work has focused more on typography, muted colors, social change, campaigns and illustrations. My hobbies are drawing and photography so I like to incorporate those elements into some of the work I do. Every project is different and will require different sets of skills. However, I do tend to keep myself within a sort of of identity and style. Some may say that my style is indeed revolves around illustrations and photography but also the projects I have worked on have been around subjects about psychology, social change and experimentation. Answering the question on the type of designer I am can lead to many answers, but it’s a good question to ask whenever is considering their brand, identity and their work and where are they moving.
Answering what kind of designer I am is almost reflecting on my journey, my experiences and my interests. I can say that my experiences in college have shaped me the most. From professors who helped me guide me to challenging projects that helped me find elements that I gravitated towards. I didn’t begin my journey with the thought that I would be a graphic designer. However, my interests and experiences led me to this field. From my interest in drawing and illustrations to photography, both have led me to graphic design and have helped guide my work whenever I have initiated a project. What kind of graphic designer is interesting question that I will start to contemplate from time to time now because It helps to look back on what got me into this field, this passion.
