Issues > Winter 2012 > Essentials > Testimonial > Testimonial

Testimonial

Joel Santana
Graphic Design Alumni
IADT- Tampa

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.