Meet Eileen Alexandra Colon | Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eileen Alexandra Colon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eileen Alexandra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been interested in art since I was a kid. Growing up I would always be doodling. School projects that included any form of artwork always excited me. I remember this book project in elementary school where we were asked to make a portrait of the main character and we were allowed to use any form of material. I had my mom help me make a full body portrait of Ash Ketchum on foam board. That has got to be one of the coolest projects I got to do during elementary school because I was able to do something that I enjoyed and had full creative freedom. I also enjoyed drawing cartoon characters; I would always draw all the different Cartoon Network characters. As a kid my dream was to create and draw cartoon characters. In high school I was lucky enough to join the Mayfair high school Art Academy. Art Academy is a four year art program that teaches you traditional and digital art. I was able to learn a lot of new skills that improved my traditional art, but I’m most fortunate to learning digital art. I learned how to use Photoshop which opened up so many creative doors for me. In high school I learned how to make posters, manipulate photos, create digital drawings and so much more. There was one project in particular that helped me decide what I wanted to do in life. I was asked to create a logo revision for an company I wanted, I chose to revise the logo for Ivory Ella. Before this assignment, I didn’t know what graphic design was. But after creating this silly little elephant, I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, I went to college and got my BFA in graphic design. Now I’m living my dream as a graphic designer.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a freelance graphic designer with an interest in illustration, advertising, branding, and motion design. I’m a storyteller, I love to bring a story to all of my designs. There is a story behind every design choice I make. It makes my work more interesting and powerful. There’s one project in particular that I enjoyed working on. During my last year of college, I had to create an airport app for my UX/UI class. I researched a group of people and asked them questions based on their experiences at airports. After I collected my survey, I noticed that a lot of people said airports made them feel anxious. That’s when I decided to create a fun app with characters that will help people during their trips at the airport. My goal was to have the main character Sunny, bring a smile on people’s face while also helping them out when they needed it. That has been one of my favorite projects I’ve worked on so far. My dream is to work in broadcasting. After college I got an internship at Nexus Studios. I was fortunate enough to be able to work on the Billie Eilish movie on Disney+. That was when I got my first screen credit which so exciting for me! I’m currently freelancing at Two Fresh Creative, living the dream designing and animating for broadcasting. It took a while to get to where I am because I was a new designer fresh out of college during the pandemic. I was fortunate enough to get an internship right after college, but there was a couple of months where I did struggle to find work. Being a freelancer isn’t easy, especially during the pandemic but I didn’t let that bring me down. Networking is key. I learned to constantly network and get my work and name out into the industry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my best friend to all the cool thrift and antique stores. We would hit up Los Feliz flea and Silverlake flea market on a Saturday morning and find the best vintage clothing and accessories. We would also have to check out King Richard’s Antique Center to find the best knickknacks and vintage finds. We would eat the best Japanese food at Geko-Tei Japanese Kitchen in Cerritos; I would recommend getting the beef tongue steak and eel rice. And then we would get dessert at Mochinut where there are so many flavors to choose from. One of the best bars to visit would have to be Kalaveras. The environment feels like you’re in a neon room and the music is always on point. It’s definitely a good place to grab a drink and just enjoy the energy of the place. On Sunday, we would go to Smorgasburg to eat all the best food and maybe buy a few things from the vendors there. And while we’re there, we need to check out one of the coolest shoe stores, Bodega. Our week would be filled a ton of thrifting and eating around LA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank my high school teachers, Mr. Nelson and Mr. T for giving me the opportunity to be apart of the Mayfair high school Art Academy. I would also like to thank all of the amazing people I met in the CSULB Graphic Design Program. I want to give a special thanks to my partner, Jeremie who has been like a mentor to me. And another special thanks to my parents who encouraged me to pursue my career in art and design.

Website: https://www.eileenalexandra.com/

Instagram: @eileenalexandra_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-alexandra-colon/