ABOUT

PHILOSOPHY:

I first became interested in graphic design while poring over album covers in a second-hand record store when I was in high school. At the time I didn’t even know that what I was looking at was considered design. I didn’t know the term, "graphic design". What I did know was that it communicated something to me very clearly and very powerfully. This visual communication created a real and personal connection that was undeniable. When I decided to become a graphic designer it was for the same reasons I felt the way I did in the record store all those years ago. I wanted to create real connections with real people.

The connection and visual communication that graphic design makes possible is what is so fascinating. This is what has fed my passion for the study and practice of graphic design through my four years of undergraduate study at The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and on through my graduate work today at The Academy of Art University's Master's Program.

The need for good, effective design is more important now than ever. With the world's "visual pollution" at an all-time high and the constant inundation of visual stimulants on our senses growing ever more expansive, the need for real communication is overwhelming.

In my own work, I strive to create this personal connection with my audience through research, understanding, and strong visual impact. This connection is what is so powerful. I believe that graphic design is more than a method of selling products or advertising services. I believe that graphic design is more than just a means to an end.

PROFILE:

Carlos J. Zapata moved to the Midwest six years ago to play in countless Milwaukee area bands, work an untold number of odd jobs, and, just recently, graduate from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design where he has studied Communication Design and Photography for the past four years. A native Texan, Carlos has just moved to Chicago’s Logan Square/Humboldt Park neighborhood where he hopes to find work, make friends, and settle in. Additionally, Carlos would like you to know that even though he wrote this in the third person he assures you he’s not a douche bag.

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