To be honest, I didn’t choose the path of becoming an artist because I was told it would be easy or because I loved hearing the well-known term “non-starving artist”. I also didn’t choose it because, as a kid saying, “I want to be an artist” got more “oohs” and “aahs” than the kids who said they wanted to be doctors and lawyers; that was the complete opposite of what I heard growing up. As I got older, and could appreciate design, I encountered many negative responses about choosing the field of design but I never allowed it to get under my skin because I was never unsure about art or design. I really never sat down and asked myself “Ok, what do I want to do with my life? Do I really want to be an artist?” It was never something I had to think about or compare to other options because quite honestly there were no other options. It was always clear to me that I didn’t choose to be an artist- it chose me and thankfully defined who I was going to be for the rest of my life.

I can still recall being a bit reluctant in signing up for an education in the digital arts. Ok fine, I was A LOT reluctant. As a traditional artist, I remember thinking that technology was a tool for people who couldn’t draw. That ridiculous perception quickly changed when I started my Graphic Design education at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Tampa, Florida. I soon realized that technology wouldn’t hinder my talent or cause me to forget my passion for traditional art, but on the contrary, amplify my passion, allowing me to evolve my talent in ways I never imagined.

While attending IADT, I worked for a local mural company in the Tampa Bay area painting murals and interior finishes for clients across the United States, but mostly in Tampa. Prior to the completion of my Associates degree, I landed a job in the field working for Catalina Marketing as a Graphic Designer. After a few years, I grew tired of laying out coupons and knew I had more to offer as an artist and designer. So I took a shot at fulfilling my life-long dream to work for the Walt Disney Company and submitted my portfolio. A few months later I received a call with an offer for a professional paid internship with Walt Disney World. I spent six months at the Magic Kingdom, designing internal communication materials, followed by six months in the Disney Internal Ad Agency, working on marketing materials for both Walt Disney World®, Orlando and Disneyland®, California. After a year, my internships were complete and with over 1,000 lay-offs at Disney® across the country, there were  no salary positions available. I made the decision to move back to Tampa and was fortunate enough to continue to work for Disney® as an off-site freelance illustrator. I later found employment with my current employer, Checkers Restaurants® working on packaging, billboards, point of purchase materials, web ads, traveling for press checks and art directing photo shoots.

More recently, Josef Mancino approached me to work on the cover for this issue. I was excited to have the opportunity to work with him again and to kick off the New Year with an awesome new project. After hearing the concept, I immediately began thinking, “I really want to pour my blood, sweat and tears into this and make a truly amazing piece.” Mancino was one of several instructors that prepared me with the right tools and knowledge to ensure that I would excel in my career. He not only taught me the technical skills, but I was able to learn strategic thinking and really just to follow my heart and stay true to myself as an artist. As the Creative Director for this cover, he gave me plenty of creative freedom and insisted that I incorporate my personal style into the piece while maintaining the message of “Building a Brand”. With the help of IADT- Tampa Professional Photography students Rachel “Kittie” Howard and Michael Minichiello, we were able to capture the images that were used on the cover and I was able to create what I feel is the most intense Photoshop composite I have created (to date) in my career.

Projects like this are what really give me the opportunity to not only push my potential to the furthest degree, but also remind me how much my talents have evolved from my background in art- the simple graphite and paper to the complex digital art I create today. I’ve learned to think progressively and experiment with various media and know that, in the end there won’t be much to lose but plenty to gain.

This cover features a surreal representation of one’s professional evolution, the importance of versatility and the development of a “true to yourself” brand. The nuances of conventional and progressive design tools allude to the advancement and self-improvements we experience throughout our education and career. The use of traditional and digital techniques also exemplify that combined proficiency in various media will make us stronger designers and prepare us for opportunities and success. The imagery used in the composite was shot by IADT- Tampa Professional Photography students Rachel “Kittie” Howard and Michael Minichiello. Conceptual development, Photoshop compositing and digital painting by IADT- Tampa Graphic Design Alumni Joel Santana. Creative Direction by Josef Mancino.

To read more about Joel Santana’s design process and see additional imagery, click here.

Coolshowcase.com

Coolshowcase is a cyberspace gallery for the work of freelance digital artists, graphic designers and photographers. The site fosters creative work, but also serves as a gateway for knowledge about the digital art field, and for creatives with common interests to connect with each other.

Designflavr.com

Designflavr is visual design and art gallery that showcases new and refreshing talent on a daily basis to inspire your creative juices and keep them flowing.

Deviantart.com

DeviantART is a platform that allows emerging and established artists to exhibit, promote, and share their works within a peer community. The environment is devoted to original art works from traditional media to digital art, pixel art, films and anime.

Graphic-exchange.com

Graphic-exchange is an alternative to the “links only” web site, showing you a selection of work directly on this site rather than overwhelming you with more links to other resources.

Mobilemag.com

Mobile Magazine is a general interest technology focused publication that focuses on consumer electronics, gadgets and related technologies.

Designsoak.com

Design Soak is a design and illustration magazine that features quality content from across the globe.

Graphicsfuel.com

GraphicsFuel.com is a graphic design blog that provides high quality graphic design resources such as textures, backgrounds, templates and other completely original and, best of all, free PSD files.

Muse.drewwilson.com

Muse is a project designed and developed by Drew Wilson and focus on the Artist, rather than simply the Art. This site’s goal is to inspire artists/creators like the greats were inspired before them.

Theinspirationroom.com

The Inspiration Room™ is a creative archive and community site that provides you with the latest and classic creative inspirations from television, print, ambient and interactive advertising, music videos, photography and design.

ALUMNI PORTFOLIO SITES

Hi-imkelli.com

Freelance Designer, Kelli Kreighbaum has a passion for branding and for the web. She’s a runner and a beach bum surfer who loves moleskins and awesome type.

Leocreativemind.com

Julio Gonzalez, the graphic artist behind Leo Creative, invites you to take a journey into a creative world where inspiration has no limits.

Alisonfoxall.com

Alison Foxall is a Tampa web designer, photographer and WordPress theme designer. She creates website designs, codes and develops websites into standard compliant XHTML and CSS, then integrates websites seamlessly into a custom developed WordPress theme to easily manage content.

Artofsound.us

Matt Hanson’s site is a digital playground of all things Matt Hanson. You will find music loops, a few songs, photos and other creations that he has thrown together over the years.

   BOOKS

Making and Breaking the Grid:
A Graphic Design Layout Workshop

By Timothy Samara
Some graphic designers are crazy about using grids in their designs, others despise it because they feel it makes all layouts look the same. Even if you are one of those grid-haters, you should know what is a grid and how to use it.

Designing Brand Identity:
An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team

By Alina Wheeler
Branding is much more than just logo design; it even goes beyond graphic design. This book is a real guide to become better at understanding what branding is and creating powerful brands.

Package Design Workbook:
The Art and Science of Successful Packaging

By Steven DuPuis and John Silva
If the multi-dimensional side of graphic design interests you, then packaging is what you need to learn. Get started with this great book.

   BLOGS

blog.spoongraphics.co.uk

ndesign-studio.com

cssaddict.com

assault.it

designer-daily.com

designworkplan.com