Meet Jozef Banuelos | Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jozef Banuelos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jozef, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
Being a designer in tech specifically is a lot more technical than people might think. The team I work on is mostly made up of engineers. I need to be able to understand their language and perspective to be able to ask the right questions as we work to build something together. It’s very collaborative, I include them in my design process heavily. It’s similar to an architect understanding the materials needed to construct a building. This doesn’t mean it’s not creative though!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started out as a graphic designer. After college, it was pretty challenging to find a job in the industry. I took an internship, and then found a job as a production designer at a consumer packaged goods company. I learned a lot there working on a variety of mediums. A lot of it was print focused, with some digital ads. Eventually I worked on some very light mobile app designs there. This really piqued my interest in UI Design and eventually tech. At that point I really didn’t know how to transition from Graphic Design to UI/UX Design. So I did a lot of research, which led me to bootcamps. Particularly General Assembly. Now this was expensive, and if I wanted to do it full time I needed to quit my full time job as a Graphic Designer and dedicate all my time to the program. This was a really tough decision to make, it took me almost a year to finally decide to make the leap. During that time I saved money and really thought about where I wanted to be long-term. During the program, I threw myself into it fully. I studied and practiced as much as I could.

After finishing the program I found a job at a design agency focused on tech. I was there for about 2 years and learned a lot. Agencies are notoriously rigorous, and for good reason. But the experience is invaluable. Eventually I wanted to transition to a tech company working on a single product. This took me to the Noun Project where I worked on their digital asset manager product named Lingo. I worked there for another 2 years, being promoted to Senior Product Designer during that time. I worked directly with the Product Owner and the engineering team, which is where I gained a lot of experience with the technical side of designing software. This was definitely a pivotal moment in my career. I learned how to work within challenging technical constraints, balancing business needs and customer needs. I wore many hats there as well, also working on brand and marketing. Even redesigning the Lingo brand as my final project before I left the team.

And leaving the team wasn’t easy, I really enjoyed working there. But I was ambitious and wanted to work on a bigger team. It was a really stressful decision to make, I had (and still have) a lot of imposter syndrome. Was I good enough to work at a bigger company? Did I have the skills to move up the ladder somewhere else? Would I even make it past interviews? This is where the support from my amazing fiancé came into play. She encouraged me and helped me to see where my experience had led me thus far.

Which leads me to where I am today, working at ServiceTitan. A much bigger product, which means a much bigger set of constraints to work within. This has been the most challenging role I’ve ever been in. But in a good way. I am continuing to grow every day. And on days where the imposter syndrome is really bad, I know I can rely on my partner to support and encourage me.

I would say that the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way are that self-doubt can be a powerful motivator, and having a special someone to lean on when you need to is not something to take for granted.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s lots of great spots in LA, mostly food for me but I’ll break It down by category.

To eat:
– Brooklyn Ave Pizza in East LA: Some of the best pizza you can have in LA. Highly recommend!
– Spitz in Little Tokyo: Mediterranean street food that always hits the spot
– Sugarfish and Kazu Nori in Downtown LA: If you love sushi, you won’t regret having either
– Golden Road brewery in Anaheim: This is a great brewery to drink, eat and hang out. The food and beer is amazing!
– Ballast Point brewery in Long Beach: Another great brewery to hang out. The views are amazing since it’s right by the ocean, and the food does not disappoint!

To visit:
– Norton Simon art museum in Pasadena
– The Broad museum in Downtown
– The Arboretum in Arcadia
– Universal Studios
– Disneyland

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My amazing fiancé: Debbie. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. She has supported me like no other. I’m sure most people in a creative field know it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows all the time. We aren’t always creating the things we want to, and what we are creating doesn’t always end up aligned with our original vision. It can be a tough field, and burnout is common. Despite the stress and hardships, my loving fiancé is always there for me. She encourages me when I struggle, believes in me when I doubt myself, and pushes me when I need to. I really wouldn’t be in the position I’m in today without her support. And I wouldn’t have grown to be the person I am today without her.

Website: jozef.design

Other: I’m not big on social media so sorry for the lack of links! Also my personal website is pretty outdated at this point haha.

Image Credits
https://www.lingoapp.com