An award-winning bilingual Art Director specializing in publishing and consumer products.

As a seasoned Senior Graphic Designer in publishing and consumer products, I’ve led the development of visually captivating books, leveraging expertise in packaging design and creative direction. Additionally, as a founder and content creator, I’ve cultivated a unique brand known for vibrant, culturally authentic products, fueled by my commitment to quality and innovation.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Creativity | Effective Communication | Leadership | Cultural Awareness and Social Responsibility Resourcefulness | Selection and Approval | Scheduling and Tracking | Problem-solving | Data Analysis | Time Management | Training and Coaching | Strategic Planning | Relationship Building
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Design Principles | Ideation | Branding | Typography | Print Design | Technology | Adobe Suite Proficiency  | Presets and Preflights | Pre-press Formatting | Office Software Skills | Sketching | Paper Modeling and Mockups  | Dielines and Mechanicals

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Growth Strategy: Implemented creative streamlining procedures and processes to maximize company efficiency and value over time.
Staff Management: Leveraged a decade of experience managing both in-house and remote creative teams, ensuring cohesion and productivity to meet challenging deadlines consistently.
Product Development: Spearheaded the creation of innovative, award-winning products from initial concept to final completion in collaboration with production teams.

PROFFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior Graphic Designer | Lil Libros | 2021 - 2024
• Help develop the company’s organizational design department by creating structure and procedures.
• Guide and advise fellow employees in both the creative process and client management to foster stronger working relationships and solutions (designers, interns, etc.).
• Work closely with illustrators and freelancers from the contractual phase to book/product launch. Provide design briefings and feedback to illustrators, in-house designers and freelance designers.
• Produce and design titles from conception to manufacture, including book covers and jackets (non-fiction & fiction for children ages 0-12) and ensure a “wow factor” & visual consistency throughout each project.
• Monitor marketplace trends to produce the most innovative titles in the market. Stay ahead of the latest design and visual trends in the children’s arena (not just in publishing but also in pop culture and retail).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create marketing and product design for both print and digital distribution.
• Work closely with editorial and the design team to understand creative intent and determine how to best meet each project’s unique needs.
• Work with authors, artists, licensors, designers, manufacturers, production managers, overseas publishers, and packagers to design materials for marketing, publishing, and products.
• Assist team achieve both creative and financial goals.
• Guide titles through the publishing process by creating schedules, collaborating with design, production, and sales + marketing.
• Creatively seek out new products and maintain cutting edge industry knowledge.
• Guide illustrators to assure deliverables meet the required formats.
• Attend meetings, such as distribution meetings, departmental meetings, launches, and other ad hoc meetings.
• Process and approve vendor invoices within the department.
• Support founders with miscellaneous requests and administrative tasks.

Graphic Designer | Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC | 2017 - 2021
• Design for the Children’s Imprint Silver Dolphin Books and Studio Fun International
• Art directed, designed, and illustrated original content and licenses such as Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, Smithsonian, Discover, Animal Planet, Disney Press, Mattel, and others.
• Led the Nickelodeon program, working directly with Blue’s Clues and You! License.
• Art directed and designed the NAPPA Award winner series Wild Bios.
• Created, designed and oversaw new formats such as Discovery “Head to Head”, a spiral bound flip through pages to learn amazing facts and mind-blowing statistics about Dinosaurs, Animals and Natural Disasters.
• Managed illustrators and freelancers (English and Spanish) on multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Develop and worked directly with toy manufacturers for a consumer products license and non-license.
• File creation for domestic and foreign editions to be translated and printed in an efficient manner.
• Led Read-Along social media stories for the Wild Bio series and Eyes On series.

Senior Graphic Designer | BYC Franchise | 2014 - 2016
• Generated new concept designs to help brand development for the BYC Franchise chain restaurants.
• Created print media publications like menus, newsletters, media covers, newspaper ads, magazine ads, social media ads, and other printed media.
• Worked on large-scale design solutions in print, such as billboards, branded tents, display booths, and banners.
• Created and developed packaging solutions for the BYC Franchise catering launch.
• Created graphics for social media content and developed the creative calendar for different social media platforms.
• Created handbooks, guides, and manuals for the BYC franchise. 
• Worked cooperatively as production stylist for photoshoots and commercials.

Editorial Designer | Giving Back Magazine | 2014 - 2016
• Generated new concepts and designs for magazine layouts.
• Designed various graphics for Giving Back ads and advertisers.
• Worked cooperatively with editors to generate attractive visual presentations. 
• Designed web banner creatives and solutions.

Graphic Designer | Mexico Aqui | 2013 -2014
• Generated new concepts and designs for magazine layouts.
• Designed various graphics for ads and advertisers.
• Worked cooperatively with editors to generate attractive visual presentations. 
• Designed media kit.

Co-owner and Media Manager | Cafe Ole | 2007 - 2014
• Handled the tasks of designing advertising ads for blogs and other social media platforms.
• Development of new marketing promotions for customers.
• Management of kitchen and staff straining.
• Creation of new recipes under to eat healthy & zero waste program.

Graphic Designer | Oasis Of Hope Hospital | 2003 - 2006 | Mexico
• Generating print media publications like books, CDs, DVD videos, newsletters, media covers, newspaper ads, magazine and other printed media.
• Generated new concept and design for an in-house hospital laboratory. 
• Created handbooks, guides, and manuals for the hospital and laboratory.
• Created and developed packaging solutions for the Kemsa laboratory probiotics.
• Liaise with external parties and ensure that the design meets their requirements.

EDUCATION

San Diego Continuing Education | San Diego, Ca
Sales and Marketing Certificate Program
2024
San Diego Continuing Education | San Diego, Ca
Interactive Media Certificate Program
2010 - 2011 
Universidad Iberoamericana | Mexico, Campus Tijuana
Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design
1998 –  2002, Graduated with Honors

Languages
English, full professional proficiency
Spanish, Native or bilingual proficiency

HONORS AND MENTIONS

2024 Pura Belpré Youth Illustrator Award (Honor Title) | Mi Papá es un Agrícola
By J. Roman Pérez Varela (Author), José B. Ramírez (Illustrator), Haydeé Yañez (Art Director/Designer)
Told from a proud son's perspective, this story conveys the dignity and humanity of the farmworker while illuminating the sacrifice and hardship one father bears for his family.

2023 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids | WEPA!
In a bilingual text, with both English and Spanish versions of the prose on every page, de la Vega tells an empowering story exploring the experiences of kids with ADHD. Mia Emilia Lucia Renata is incredibly fashionable, creative, and smart, but she is also judged by her family and teachers for being clumsy, loud, and messy. Try as she might, Mia can't help it, and Abuela says that it's because she has too much wepa in her system. Her parents place her in a ballet class to help her release some energy, but the structure is too much, and she strays to her own beat. Just when she begins to despair over being misunderstood, she hears the rhythmic beat of wepa calling her from a senior citizen dance party, where everyone boogies to their own beat. It's perfect! De la Vega's warm, expressive artwork vividly depicts Mia's energetic personality and colorful concluding pages nicely match the relief she feels when she realizes no one's judging her. An author's note describes de la Vega's own experience growing up with ADHD.

2021 NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Winner | Smithsonian Kids: A is for Astronaut
Inside this board book, little space explorers will learn out-of-this-world words for each letter of the alphabet paired with colorful illustrations on each page. From astronaut to zero gravity, this simple introduction to outer space and the ABCs is sure to delight babies and their parents! Author Jennifer Levasseur serves as the as the responsible curator for the National Air and Space Museum's astronaut cameras and chronographs, as well as the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.

2021 NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Winner | Discovery: Rocks and Gems
Discover some of the world’s most amazing rocks and gems in this detailed reference book with stunning photos, interesting facts, and more. Learn all about how various rocks and gems are formed and their uses, and then use the six rock and gem samples to get your collection started. Features a slide-out tray printed with rock names and a poster for young collectors to categorize their finds. From sparkling gemstones to molten lava, this introduction to the world of rocks and gems is a must-have for any future geologist.

2021 NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Winner | Discovery: Baby Farm Animals!
Part of the 2021 NAPPA-award-winning Discovery 10-Button Sound Books series. There’s nothing cuter or more fun than this big, bright board book chock-full of noisy baby farm animals! Busy toddlers won't be able to resist pressing the 10 different farm animal sound buttons as they learn to recognize and name the colorful animal photographs on each page. Sturdy shaped tabs make it easy for young children to turn the pages to find their favorite baby farm animals, and simple descriptive text brings the noisy farmyard to life.

2019 NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Winner | Wild Bios: Frida Catlo
Meet one of history’s greatest figures in this adorable board book with an animal twist! Famous Meowxican painter Frida Catlo was a pioneer for female artists. She always painted from the heart, even in the face of health problems and personal struggles. With hilarious puns and colorful illustrations, this book brings Frida’s legacy to life for babies and parents alike!

2017 NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Winner | The Shakespeare Stories
Discover the literary world of Shakespeare with these fantastic kid-friendly retellings of his most famous works. This set is a perfect introduction to Shakespeare for young readers! it is fully illustrated Including 4 abridged classics to introduce young readers to Shakespeare with also a bio of Shakespeare and information about the Old Globe Theater. 

Founder | Mexicons Art | 2013 - Present

Mexicons Art started as my college thesis when I was studying Graphic Design in Mexico in the early 2000’s... with a simple coloring book for kindergartens to share my admiration of strong and unique Mexican Icons from the 40's thru the 60's.
Thru the years, the icons have slowly grown in coloring books, wrapping paper, postcards, enamel pins and more. Always in focus the loving expansion of representation of Mexican icons thru the eyes of a child as well as the connection of relationships of different generations in families as it did with me and my grandfather. Mexicons Art has been feature in Shoutout SoCal, SD Voyager, City Beat, El Latino and Fuchila Fresheners as well as participating in events such as The Super Mamas Social, Hollywood Forever Día de Muertos Event and Molcajete Dominguero, the largest Latinx Pop Up in the country.

Co-Founder | Niños Bilingual Book Festival | 2020 - Present

The first bilingual children literature (virtual), celebrating Día del Niño in the vibrant neighborhood of Barrio Logan in San Diego, California. Featuring bookstores, local authors, and creators from both sides of the Border who focus is the wellness, bilingual literacy and education for children.
"Día del niño, or children's day, is an annual celebration held on April 30 throughout Mexico. ... Usually in Mexico and other Latin countries will host festivals, music shows, magicians, special events with clowns and more for children on this day." Our mission is to give a safe space were kids learn and play while they encouraged to thrive with the assistance of reading, workshops, activities and more. The Niños Bilingual Books Festival was recognized by ALSC as well as Dia.Ala.org website as a safe space to celebrate bilingual literacy in Southern California.