LONG VERSION, DESIGN BACKGROUND, WORK HISTORY, AND THAT ONE TIME IN BANDCAMP…
As a young designer and print production artist, I idolized my art directors at Grey Advertising and shed many tears when they berated me on my kerning. I am happy (now) to have had training from the fiercest and most talented individuals who could see spaces where I thought there weren’t, because I eventually learned. I also once cut my fingers with an x-acto blade while cutting and mounting an important comp. I bled all over the print and made it worse when I oversprayed the Super77, but I didn’t get fired, and we won the account.
A bit later…San Francisco Bay Area and New York City
Everything print. Pantone and press checks. I learned to work with and cooperate with photographers when I art-directed for lifestlye, on-figure, and tabletop product shoots. I designed glossy lifestyle spreads in thick home and fashion catalogs for retailers that were once delivered to many mailboxes across the USA.
Next: Designing for screens
I created designs for flash sites (!) until folks caught up with the security bugs, hard to read text, plus a long list of other general chaos. It was fun experimenting in the wild west web for a while.
Yes, we once mocked up entire websites in Photoshop. 🥀️🖖️👀️ RIP my prebuilt 10pt spacers, for you are no longer needed. Things snap to place now.
While working as a web designer for the NFL (I was on the original creative team that helped onboard all 32 clubs onto the official league platform—best and most fun creative team ever), I got to be on the field and tasked to shoot the game with the super-buttery 😎️ Nikon 600mm Ultra Zoom for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Such a surreal moment.
That was the Super Bowl with the 34 minute blackout. Beyonce sang and danced at half-time, and the San Francisco 49ers lost their first Super Bowl in franchise history, defeated 34-31 by the Baltimore Ravens. Since it was a live event, runners swapped out my memory card every few minutes, so the photo editors probably saw all kinds of blurry photos, but I did my best to get good shots for the league, and was relieved to see that I was able to get some that they used for the coverage. Whew. That same weekend I shadowed Dhani Jones for behind-the-scenes shots for his special. He was very kind and made sure I had food, which meant a lot.
Present day, Los Angeles
I spend my free time crafting stories and working with AI to help me bring my ideas and characters to life. When I first discovered Midjourney in October 2022, it completely blew my mind. Those first few months were a whirlwind of sleepless nights, I was so caught up in the magic of its possibilities, and I was absolutely smitten. At one point, I even wondered if I was addicted. (TBD lol) I am now waiting for v7 to come out, and I am floored by how much has changed in such a short time.
My current stack
Midjourney www.midjourney.com/
HailuoAi (I am CP, thank you!) https://hailuoai.video/
Runway runwayml.com/
Luma lumalabs.ai/
SunoAI https://suno.com/
Sora (just started)
Magnific https://magnific.ai/
Topaz Video & Photo for upscaling
Adobe Creative Suite, even if (gasp!) I am using Capcut instead of Premiere—but I really enjoy the Capcut interface, and so far it is good for my needs.
I like design in all forms, my eyes are often peeled for emerging trends, and I am always—always learning. Staying curious, innnovative in my craft, and having full command of my tools is a priority. Through mentors and amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with, I learned a lot about teamwork and design excellence. I aim to pay it forward and provide others opportunities to grow, and in some way help fuel their interest in design.
I’m also a nice person. One of my most trusted friends, the brilliant Stephan told me to add: until I’m not.
Elsewhere:
︎︎︎ Instagram
︎︎︎ YouTube
︎︎︎ TikTok
Some of my photography is available for stock at Gettyimages ︎︎︎ Shutterstock ︎︎︎
Other hobbies: Gardening & cement crafts. I am also 8 years strong a die-hard-student of charting, and am an avid member of the fintwit community, though I will never reveal my handle here.
Feel free to get in touch: celestoid@gmail.com
As a young designer and print production artist, I idolized my art directors at Grey Advertising and shed many tears when they berated me on my kerning. I am happy (now) to have had training from the fiercest and most talented individuals who could see spaces where I thought there weren’t, because I eventually learned. I also once cut my fingers with an x-acto blade while cutting and mounting an important comp. I bled all over the print and made it worse when I oversprayed the Super77, but I didn’t get fired, and we won the account.
A bit later…San Francisco Bay Area and New York City
Everything print. Pantone and press checks. I learned to work with and cooperate with photographers when I art-directed for lifestlye, on-figure, and tabletop product shoots. I designed glossy lifestyle spreads in thick home and fashion catalogs for retailers that were once delivered to many mailboxes across the USA.
Next: Designing for screens
I created designs for flash sites (!) until folks caught up with the security bugs, hard to read text, plus a long list of other general chaos. It was fun experimenting in the wild west web for a while.
Yes, we once mocked up entire websites in Photoshop. 🥀️🖖️👀️ RIP my prebuilt 10pt spacers, for you are no longer needed. Things snap to place now.
While working as a web designer for the NFL (I was on the original creative team that helped onboard all 32 clubs onto the official league platform—best and most fun creative team ever), I got to be on the field and tasked to shoot the game with the super-buttery 😎️ Nikon 600mm Ultra Zoom for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Such a surreal moment.
That was the Super Bowl with the 34 minute blackout. Beyonce sang and danced at half-time, and the San Francisco 49ers lost their first Super Bowl in franchise history, defeated 34-31 by the Baltimore Ravens. Since it was a live event, runners swapped out my memory card every few minutes, so the photo editors probably saw all kinds of blurry photos, but I did my best to get good shots for the league, and was relieved to see that I was able to get some that they used for the coverage. Whew. That same weekend I shadowed Dhani Jones for behind-the-scenes shots for his special. He was very kind and made sure I had food, which meant a lot.
Present day, Los Angeles
Currently, I work as an art director for a healthcare company specializing in pharmaceutical distribution. I collaborate closely with our clients and medical professionals, and I lead the creative direction of our projects, ensuring every design is both visually compelling and strategically effective. A critical part of my role is navigating the industry's strict regulatory guidelines, ensuring compliance while maintaining creative integrity. I’m fortunate to work with a team of talented and dedicated professionals and together, we strive to push boundaries with every release.
🤖❤️️🤖❤️️🤖
I spend my free time crafting stories and working with AI to help me bring my ideas and characters to life. When I first discovered Midjourney in October 2022, it completely blew my mind. Those first few months were a whirlwind of sleepless nights, I was so caught up in the magic of its possibilities, and I was absolutely smitten. At one point, I even wondered if I was addicted. (TBD lol) I am now waiting for v7 to come out, and I am floored by how much has changed in such a short time.
My current stack
Midjourney www.midjourney.com/
HailuoAi (I am CP, thank you!) https://hailuoai.video/
Runway runwayml.com/
Luma lumalabs.ai/
SunoAI https://suno.com/
Sora (just started)
Magnific https://magnific.ai/
Topaz Video & Photo for upscaling
Adobe Creative Suite, even if (gasp!) I am using Capcut instead of Premiere—but I really enjoy the Capcut interface, and so far it is good for my needs.
I like design in all forms, my eyes are often peeled for emerging trends, and I am always—always learning. Staying curious, innnovative in my craft, and having full command of my tools is a priority. Through mentors and amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with, I learned a lot about teamwork and design excellence. I aim to pay it forward and provide others opportunities to grow, and in some way help fuel their interest in design.
I’m also a nice person. One of my most trusted friends, the brilliant Stephan told me to add: until I’m not.
Elsewhere:
︎︎︎ Instagram
︎︎︎ YouTube
︎︎︎ TikTok
Some of my photography is available for stock at Gettyimages ︎︎︎ Shutterstock ︎︎︎
Other hobbies: Gardening & cement crafts. I am also 8 years strong a die-hard-student of charting, and am an avid member of the fintwit community, though I will never reveal my handle here.
Feel free to get in touch: celestoid@gmail.com