Carlos Sayan

Pointing us in the right direction with his designs

Peru native Carlos Jose Pepe Sayan (Graphic Design, '98) knew from an early age that he would have a creative career. He grew up exploring the arts and discovered his deepest loves were for architecture and photography.

When it came time for college, Carlos searched for a way to merge his talents into a profitable career. The field of advertising drew him in and he attended a technical college in his home country of Peru.

Carlos longed for a whole new world of artistic opportunities so he set his sights on Los Angeles and never lost focus! When he arrived, Carlos mastered the English language and took up photography again. He also began researching art and design colleges. A friend of his, who happened to work as an advisor at FIDM, made Carlos' choice easy. Carlos toured the FIDM LA campus and found out about the Graphic Design program.

He was excited to discover a major that offered a perfect compromise between architecture, advertising, and photography, so he went for it and enrolled immediately.

When Carlos began exploring career choices within graphic design, he came across the description for environmental graphics. The words "graphic design applied to architectural environments" led him straight to his design niche. Carlos had always hoped to be involved with architecture in someway and environmental graphics is all about enhancing architectural structures. He was thrilled!

What was the best thing about FIDM for Carlos? Resources! "More than all the great books and publications, it's the people at FIDM who are the best resources. All the students bring their knowledge and backgrounds to the college and you make great connections!" Carlos made lots of good friends while at FIDM that shared his love of graphic design. He also appreciated how helpful the advisors and instructors were.

Carlos now works as a designer at Sanchez Kamps Associates, a company that creates environmental graphics for huge clients like major corporations and governmental agencies. They've shaped the look of many Los Angeles landmarks, including UCLA Medical Plaza, Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, The LA Metro Blue Line, and several Shopping Plazas like the La Fiesta Plaza Saipan and South Bay Pavilion. Think about it-when you walk into a mall or airport or hospital building, there are signs, letters, and logos everywhere directing you to stores, floors, terminals, entrances, exits, restrooms, restaurants-everything!

Before a structure is even built, Carlos works with site plans, blueprints, and elevations to create three-dimensional graphics for the entire building. First, he collaborates and brainstorms with a team to come up with design concepts. The project director sketches the designs, and then Carlos brings them to life using computer programs like Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Streamline, PhotoShop, and QuarkXpress. His proficiency in Power CADD, the Macintosh version of Auto CAD, comes in very handy for all of the architectural details of his projects. Everything has to be to scale, accurate, and in proportion. Carlos enjoys all the cool projects that he gets to take a creative part in at Sanchez Kamps.

What does he love most about his career? "Environmental graphics don't stay in the two-dimensional worlds of computer screens and paper. They become three-dimensional creations within real environments!"

Carlos stays busy with his own design projects and some that he collaborates on with friends. He also gives back to FIDM in a big way by helping design its Alumni Newsletter.

Carlos has two important words of advice for graphic design hopefuls: "Follow through!" He is adamant about the importance of seeing projects through to the end. He reveres the creative process of design and advises students, "Stay with your concept, whether it starts as a scribble on a napkin or a vision in your mind. Look at all ideas as beginnings of great things." He also stresses the importance of developing basic design skills. "PhotoShop is a valuable tool but it's not everything! Don't rely on the computer when you're starting out. Challenge yourself to learn the basics and keep drawing!"

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication