What Inspired You To Design?

A cute question to ask yourself today. Why do I love working with shapes, colors, and renders? Most Graphic Designers that I've had the privilege of working with have told me that design is something that they would do for free. The most recent designer I have personally heard this from was Colin Hesterly, a fellow graduate, and overall fantastic Graphic Designer. Now, normally his aesthetics are reminiscent of the 50's and 60's, as a matter of fact, his buddies also had a liking for that style. Looking at that, I instantly believed it. He genuinely took something that he loved (50's movies) and mixed it with his skills of motion graphics. That's what drives him. (I'd think)


I started off as a fine artist. As a kid, One of my favorite places to hang out was the Orlando Museum of Art.  I also visited the art festivals around Orlando, Florida, like ones held at Downtown Disney. They held panels from around the globe, and I was always wondering about what made someone look at something. I ended up painting some of my own pieces, acquiring a taste for ink and wash painting. Quite funny, in College, I have learned that the fundamental difference between fine art and graphic design was that in graphic design, it was mandatory to have a point. It was no longer about displaying what you felt 100% of the time, you actually had to think. It initially scared me, I'll be honest, but whenever I had a client, I would take some of the art elements I have learned (rule of thirds, color) and mixed it with my new found love for illustrations and photography.


Speaking of vector illustrations, that was the gateway form of graphic design that won me over to going to school. I remember looking at designers in the web, like Poked Studio. The simple shapes that somehow exuberated character. The textures within assets, somehow blending well with these flat colors. I wanted to learn that. So, I bought CS2 before college, and made banners for people in Photoshop. Silly me. When I learned the benefits of Illustrator in college, I wanted to hit myself. "The imagery is infinitely scalable??" I thought. I also didn't like the pen tool, a tool that many Graphic Designers need to complete their compositions. Now, I can't work past the bezier handles, haha. Scary enough, now I work on vector illustrations, motion graphics, photography, and 3D more than I do digital painting, a natural transition for a fine artist.


I will show the first Graphic Designers that influenced me to look into their portfolio, and in turn, go to school, and look for a career of my own.

Poked Studio

Gary Fernandez

Nick La

Erickson Enrique

So what inspires you to lose sleep and hygiene for this great occupation? Leave me a comment!

Posted in: Inspire