Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Cuellar.
Hi Jordan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
First and foremost thank you for this opportunity to share my story. It’s a lot to share, but I will keep it as brief as possible.
To preface everything, I’m a graphic designer, lettering artist and a self-proclaimed Art Director.
I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue some form of creative career. My earliest memory was wanting to be an architect. I wasn’t sure why, but drawing was a huge hobby of mine and I correlated it with that path. It wasn’t until high school where I was enrolled in a “graphic arts” class, which ended up sparking so much interest. I took it for 2 years and just enjoyed playing around with digital tools like Photoshop and Illustrator. My cousin, Anthony, got me access to Photoshop, the one you had to install from a CD, (wow that sounds crazy haha). We’d always play around with it, follow along with tutorials, create random things, and even design for friends!
After high school was over, that same cousin of mine started going to college to pursue a major in Visual Communications (design). He encouraged me to also join, so I followed suit and went along for the ride. Throughout college, I’d take initiative to learn on my own whenever I hand the chance to create for myself and design for friends & family. Whether it be flyers, logos, t-shirts, cover art, I’d always go for it. During my own research I learned a lot about hand lettering and became obsessed with it. I did a year long challenge of hand lettering something every single day and share to Instagram. From random words to phrases and song lyrics, I’d draw those words – that challenge really helped me get some pretty cool opportunities. Despite how others feel about social media, it really did help me reach different people and opportunities I never thought I’d get.
I took on internships during and after college. My first full time job was designing for an agency specializing in marketing for vehicles. I’d help put together sales material and even learn how to do photo cleanups and color corrections. I had short stints working on an MTV show, with clothing companies, music artists, and other freelance gigs.
However long after I ended up finding my way to my longest running job which is my current role at HallPass Media, a sports media and marketing agency based in Orange County, California. Working here has led to so many cool and unique opportunities. Between working on projects for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, adidas Basketball, Sports Business Classroom, The Basketball Tournament, Utah Jazz, Second Round Foundation and so much more. I’ve gained so much experience, skills, and relationships I never thought I would!
Although I work full-time, I still try to make time to take on freelance projects or personal projects just to break the monotony. Despite how hard I work, designing is something I love doing and will keep on doing!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! I don’t think there ever is a smooth road.
A lot of struggles came early on from trying to find work after school (consistent work) and trying to stay “creative.” The design world is very competitive and there’s so many talented, skilled, and hard working designers everywhere.
I’ve spent so much time working on projects that people either don’t like have or have never seen the light of day.
Other struggles have been personal battles such as dealing with imposter syndrome, staying confident with my abilities, trying to not take things personally, taking breaks from work and enjoying life, and getting out of my own head. It’s something I still deal with and I’m pretty sure a lot of other people face the same struggles. I guess that’s just part of the human experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Most days, the work I do at my job consists of taking on a variety of projects, big or small, with a generalized design approach. I’ve helped work on marketing campaigns, visual identity projects, logos, merchandise, signage (print and digital), websites, and more.
However, I’d say my specialty revolves around hand lettering as I’ve been able to apply that skill to logos, merch design, title treatments, cover art, posters, commissioned paintings, and even music videos!
It’s weird, I’m not the type to get hung up on the things I’ve made or sit back to reflect, I sort of just create and move on to the next project. I can say what I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to pursue a career with something I love doing and working hard at it. I always knew I wanted to be a designer, I just didn’t realize what opportunities would come my way. As an introvert, it’s kind of crazy to know I’ve made it this far and am continuing to keep at it!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The quality I feel that’s most important to what I’ve been able to accomplish thus far is having a strong work ethic. That comes with a multitude of things such as taking pride in my work, finishing a project no matter how long it takes, paying attention to details, going the extra mile, taking initiative, and figuring out jobs outside of my skills like taking photos and editing simple videos.
Has it been perfect? Absolutely not!
Is the outcome always a success? Nope!
Despite any failures I endure, I’m forever grateful for every experience and will continue to put full effort in anything I do!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jordancuellar.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jordancuellar
