Swatches and splashes of color swirl around the computer screen, slashed by rigid, solid lines to create a picture or a letter. This design will be on the top of letterheads, posted all over a website and made into business cards. It’s called a logo, or branding, and will be made by three EC students.
Carlos Ortega, Haim Amar and Evan Yabu, all graphic design majors, have come together to create Signature, a graphic design company that already has a list of clients.
They work to help companies or organizations find a brand and have the ability to create anything from motion graphics to letterheads which become one cohesive look.
Currently, they are working with an agriculture science company, West Torrance High School’s volleyball program and a website that sells clothes for dogs.
“We’re totally rogue and that‘s why we did this,” Ortega said. “It’s mostly about gaining experience and being able to share that with my friends.”
Ortega said that the entire process of setting up a project can be nerve wrecking, but with his prior freelancing experience, taking on clients is easier than he thought.
“We hope people don’t look at us at just students,” Ortega said. “That’s why we have a website and are solidifying our own brand and building a company.”
Ortega said he has always been interested in graphic design and said that EC’s graphic design department is like a small community. He said the professors there have always encouraged him and taught him to go after what he wants.
“I’ve always been into digital imaging, but the instructors here really push me,” Ortega said. “It’s very satisfying to see the end product of your work.”
He added that the students are inspired when their work can be seen in someone’s place of work. They also enjoy helping that business.
Though they’re a small company now, Ortega has high hopes for where the company will go in the future.
“At first, I didn’t think I was cut out to get actual clients,” he said. “But this has given me something to work on, gives me the confidence and experience I need.”
