But he wasn’t always this way. In this video, Chris sits down with CSUN design professor, Jung Hong, and recalls how he became a graphic designer. It’s an intimate conversation where Chris openly shares his stories and struggles in his pursuit to become a designer.
Growing up in the 80s, Chris had seen himself as more of an artist than a designer. In fact, the word ‘designer’ wasn’t even part of his vocabulary yet. Throughout high school, he was sure about a career as an artist.
That was, until, he landed his first job working at a Silk Screening Shop in LA. His first real design job was as a tracer, tracing his boss’s drawings to print.
On one fateful, sunny day in LA, Chris was asked to run an errand that would soon change the course of his career. He was asked to pick up a typeset from a designer in the LA area.
Arriving early, Chris was invited inside to wait. As he walked in and through the hall, he turned the corner into the designer’s home studio and was blown away. Seeing this designer’s work opened the door to a new possibility for Chris, serving as a significant turning point in his life.
Chris made a promise to himself to hold himself accountable to this new path. He set up a social contract with friends and family, and told everyone, one day, he was going to attend ArtCenter.