Today we’d like to introduce you to Diego Negrete.
Hi Diego, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Diego Negrete Olmedo, graphic and type designer from Tijuana, México. My creative path began in my own home: my father is an architect, and my mom a high school teacher, so my house was always full of architect sketches, cardboard, chalk, pencils, markers, brushes, compasses, rules, and all types of materials to be creative. All this environment attracted me to draw, cut, paste, do “Graffiti” in my books because I was too shy to tag any wall. And when the time came I decided to study graphic design over architecture mainly because I felt that graphic design had more creative fields. I had the opportunity to study at Universidad Iberoamericana under a scholarship and I took from there all the knowledge I could, I graduated and began to take on design projects from family and friends alongside a friend, but after a while, we failed; we were either naive, un-experienced or just un-lucky. I jumped here and there at some jobs and by 2012 I left my city with my girlfriend (now my wife) to the big city CDMX under the idea ongoing for six months to work for me and to study for her but as time passed by I took a dream job at the branding agency Anagrama where I worked, learned and grew as a designer for four years. During that time I studied for a Master’s degree in Type Design, fell in love with the City, the food, the museums, and more things that shaped my creative vision.
Finally, in 2016 I left Anagrama and started working full-time at Stundra, the graphic design studio I co-founded in 2014 with my wife Ely. We moved back to Tijuana that same year and since then I’ve been a solo designer under Stundra and as a freelancer under my name, working, collaborating, and helping thrive brands as a brand designer, designing logotypes for all types of industries, and designing typefaces for retail.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been challenging, but in many ways, I’ve been lucky, and I realize I have privileges that have smoothed the road. There have been three main struggles in my path, the first one being the move to a new city, where I didn’t have friends or family close by, and where I learned to live on my own. The second one was taking the challenge of working at Anagrama because I determined in my mind that there was no chance of failure, and the first day I realized I was not fully prepared for the job, worked many nights at my apartment, cried, but with the support of my girlfriend, I finally uplifted my skills and delivered what was expected. And the third one was to learn the value of my skills and how to sell them, it was an inner struggle that took me way too long to understand.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in branding design, which means I help clients, agencies, and businesses to design and develop the brand identity for their projects through unique and tailored solutions that help them to communicate and connect their brand with the audience in a meaningful way. I like to work alongside my clients, involve them in the creative process, carefully listen to their vision, expectations, and feedback during all the developing process of their project, this is something I realize clients truly appreciate and value from working with me. My aim is always to deliver bold functional brands that help my clients to thrive their brands.
How do you think about happiness?
One of the reasons we moved back to Tijuana was to be closer to friends and family and we had planned to work from home and be present to see our baby grow when the time comes. And that time is now with us, and that’s the most amazing thing that’s happening that makes me happy. And so that and having the opportunity to do the type of work I do is what I value the most.
Contact Info:
- Email: hola@diegonegrete.mx
- Website: http://www.diegonegrete.mx/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diegonegretemx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stundrastudio
- Other: https://stundra.com/
Image Credits
Orlando Macías
