Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Garcia.
Hi Juan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Grand Prairie pretty much my entire life, but I was originally born in Mexico. I came to Texas along with my older siblings and Mom at the age of 3. My Dad had already been living in the Texas before he was finally able to bring us all. I come from a large family of 5 sisters and 1 brother, so it took some time to plan the big move. Unlike some of my siblings, I was fortunate enough to start school at a young age. I know it was very difficult for them to adjust mostly because Spanish was their first language. Me on the other hand was able to pick up English pretty quick watching Sesame Street and a lot of other shows on PBS. So, when I started Kindergarten, I was pretty fluent in English. My older sister and I were the only ones to graduate high school and get a degree. Growing up I was always creative and loved art. I won various local art competitions throughout school. After graduating high school, it took me a while to figure out how I could make a living or a career utilizing my talents. I quickly found out that the art industry can be very difficult to make a living out of, especially when social media was non-existent. So, I decided to go to school for Computer Engineering. Although I liked computers and math, I soon realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I took some brief time off to figure out how I could make a career out of my true passion, which was art. Finally, I decided on attending The Art Institute of Dallas, where everything was centered around the creative industry. I graduated in the Summer of 2010 majoring in Graphic Design. In October of that year, I got a job offer working for The Dallas Cowboys, which I gladly accepted. I worked on the merchandising side as a Production Artist for 6 months and loved the whole experience. It was a dream come true working for Jerry Jones and America’s team. As surreal and amazing as the experience was, soon after a better opportunity presented itself. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I accepted a job working for Varsity Spirit Fashion. Also known as Varsity Brands. Most would see it as a downgrade, going from working for the Dallas Cowboys to working in an industry I wasn’t very familiar with. I chose to see it as a fresh start with lots of opportunities to really show and expand my creativity. I put the pedal to the metal and went to work! I learned as much and as fast as I could about the cheer industry. Within months I went from creating basic cut-and-dry apparel illustrations to full-on custom uniforms and sports apparel for some of the largest college teams and cheer programs across the country. If you’ve seen the series “Cheer” on Netflix or attended any cheer competition, you’ve probably seen my work.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Talent and knowledge can get you far, but I’m a firm believer in hard work. Simply because I saw how hard my dad worked all his life so that our family could have the opportunities he never had. Varsity Brands gave me opportunities I never could’ve imagined. However, they most definitely weren’t handed to me. Working there I learned so much not only about myself but about an industry I knew nothing about. My background had always been art, branding, and graphic design. Being the only guy in my department with no background in fashion made me feel like I always had to work harder than my peers. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to work with some really talented designers that I learned so much from. They believed in me at times when I didn’t and pushed me to expand my level of creativity. Before I knew it, my designs were making the cover of Varsity’s yearly catalog and being worn by cheer athletes all over the country. Some of our biggest clients started to request to work with me. Which was mind-blowing for someone like me. Sadly, after working there just shy of 9 years, the Pandemic went into effect. In March of 2020, I was one of many that got laid off. Like a lot of people, I felt a little lost at first having to face so much uncertainty; both in life and my career. I quickly had to figure out a way to make money during a pandemic. My freelance work consisted of mainly logo designs, branding, and illustrations. Not many people were looking to start a new business or spend money. Fortunately, a lot of my old clients I met through Varsity reached out when they heard the news. All of a sudden, I was booked for months and had a pretty steady income coming in. I never would’ve imagined that freelancing would flourish into what it has for me. The last few years have been nothing short of difficult. I’m beyond blessed to be where I am today and grateful for every single experience that has transpired.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Like I mentioned, prior to the pandemic I worked designing custom uniforms and athletic apparel. Most of the clients I worked with were some of the largest cheer programs in the country, like Spirit of Texas, Cheer Athletics, and USA Cheer just to name a few. I still enjoy and design custom apparel on a freelance basis. Thanks to Netflix’s Cheer, I know the sport will only continue to grow and become more mainstream. However, now I’m focusing more on my art, animated logos, and recently social media marketing. I really enjoy helping new and small business establish themselves on social media. There are so many businesses out there with so much potential. Unfortunately, they don’t know how to market or promote themselves. A logo can be crucial for any business, big or small. Not a lot of business realize that. Being able help a business succeed simply with a logo or some basic guidance is the ultimate reward for me. I hope I can continue to do that. Besides working for Jerry Jones, another of my proudest moments was when I was selected as one of the finalist for a package design contest hosted by Buchanan’s Whiskey. The final design was picked by J. Balvin and Bad Bunny. The winner was flown to Las Vegas for a meet and greet. I made the top 3 but unfortunately was not picked. Although I didn’t win the big prize, I did gain around 9K new followers on Instagram. Plus, I also got some money and goodies, so it wasn’t a complete loss.
I feel like my experience in the apparel industry and my artistic background sets me apart from others in my field because I have the capability to combine the best of both worlds. I’ve always had a love for sneakers and streetwear, but working in apparel made me see sneakers and fashion in a different light. I have lots of ideas so I hope in the near future I can do something with it.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
As far as the Graphic Design industry goes, it already has evolved so much just in the last 6-8 years. Thanks to the internet people have access to a lot more information that wasn’t available when I was in college. You have apps and websites that can walk you through pretty much anything you want to do. You have companies that offer courses online; both from college and well-known people in the industry. Also, we’re starting to see artificial intelligence being used more often in the creative industry. Many creatives are intimidated by it. However, I don’t feel like it can ever fully replace everything that a creative person can do. It definitely a game changer though and it’s probably just something artists and creatives are going to have to get used to. Everything seems to be shifting towards 3D and virtual reality. I’m learning to embrace it and I’m pretty excited to see where all these changes and new technologies take creatives.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: designs_by_jg
