Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanna Pineda.
Giovanna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story, just like most people’s, is a little wild. When I left my hometown of Alief and started college, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. Subsequently, any class that wasn’t going towards my major was always going to be calculus, chemistry, physics…the works. Although these classes were taking up most of my time, I also knew that I wanted to study something interdisciplinary at the core of my studies, so I chose cognitive science as my major. It was the perfect mix of subjects like psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and computer science that allowed me to really get into the weeds from a theoretical perspective while still having really significant connections to daily life, ranging from how your phone uses predictive typing to how the receptors in your eyes process color in a painting.
Of course, around junior year, the unfortunate time came for me to start thinking about taking the MCAT, which meant that I had to take Intro to Sociology. Long story short…this course, along with some really informative summer programs and the unfolding of a serious mental health crisis at my university, made me rethink everything I did during my college career and led me to the realization that I didn’t want to become a doctor (or a cognitive scientist). Upon this realization, I did everything I could to finish college not only with cog sci classes on my record but with a minor in sociology to boot. With the support of a bunch of really amazing friends and loved ones, I did it, and I moved to New York after being recruited to work as a Community Relations Coordinator (CRC) at a charter school in Bed-Stuy, where I could make a difference for kids just like the students of Alief.
Here comes the graphic design part. The charter school network that I worked at had huge brand recognizability all over the city due to its iconic visual identity; everything, from the unmistakable uniforms to the bright logo on every scholar’s backpack, to the posters all around the city compelling parents to apply for admission, was meticulously maintained by our network design team, and crafted by one of the most famous design firms in the world – none other than Pentagram. I became very familiar with all of the visual elements of the brand identity since I was responsible for sending out our school’s weekly newsletter, managing our social media accounts, and posting custom signage in the main office. One day, after watching a video about those dumb doors that look like “pulls” but are actually “pushes” and vice versa, I read “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman, a Cognitive Science and Design Hybrid himself, and it hit me – I loved design. Interior design, product design, architecture, app design, web design…graphic design. And I never knew it because I never had a firm understanding of what exactly it was, but I was drawn to it my whole life. Whether it was designing a t-shirt for National Honor Society in high school or asking the network design team to make special assets specific for our school as a CRC, I was always leaning towards design – I just had no idea that I was doing it.
Insanely enough, on my way to pick the brain of a designer at the network office (thanks, Justin!) so I could get a better understanding of what it’s actually like to be a graphic designer, I saw an ad for Shillington Education, a design bootcamp structured specifically for those who want to make a career change to graphic design, on the subway. I became super curious about what it could mean for me, since I had already done a little bit of digging and was dismayed to learn that, at the time, I didn’t really possess most of the skills that I would need in order to become a designer, much less be admitted into a graphic design program. After learning more about what being a designer was like and attending a Shillington info session on the very next day (crazy, right?), my fate was basically sealed. Somehow, I found an amazing gateway into a profession that perfectly encompassed my love for distinct visuals and my love of cognition/processing/perception all in one. I attended Shillington for the Winter 2018 full-time course (s/o to Classroom 1!!!), had amazing teachers, found an incredible group of friends, and eventually found work at a digital strategy/PR agency in SoHo. Looking back on it now, it kinda feels like a fairy tale.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oof, y’all are askin the big questions here. It has most definitely not been a smooth road. Although I’m so happy with where I am today and am so thankful for the friends and family that have gotten me here, it hasn’t been easy to surmount the obstacles that have come up along the way. To start, I set off on a very narrow, linear path with very little wiggle room at the beginning of my college career, which kind of pigeonholed me into living my life in a very specific sort of way for several years – until I realized I was incredibly unhappy. Next – apart from the difficulties that come with being a first-generation college student and a child of immigrants at a centuries-old institution on the other side of the country, the competitive culture at my university wasn’t at all easy for me to navigate, and I’m so grateful that I found strength and comfort with friends that were on the same page as me and weren’t afraid to admit that they were going through the exact same problems I was going through. Then, after I graduated and moved to New York in search of ~purpose~, I often felt misguided and lost…until the idea of graphic design almost literally hit me on the head.
Lastly, throughout the course of actually learning and doing design – from Shillington to agency life to being a freelancer back here at home – it’s always an ongoing battle to silence your own impostor syndrome as a woman, as a Latina, and as a creative, especially one who didn’t start off as a creative in the first place. The intrusive thoughts that our egos can’t help but recite in our head, about us not being good enough or unique enough or competent enough, are always something to grapple with during the highs and the lows alike. But despite being an anxious individual and a perfectionist at heart, I try not to let my former self get in the way of my present self (or future self) anymore, since I know that I’m not alone and that what truly matters is continuing to put your best foot forward, having faith in yourself and your skills, and carrying every failure as a lesson.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a graphic designer! I can create anything from a magazine spread to t-shirt design, to an event flyer, to a company logo, to a restaurant menu, to custom social media graphics, to product packaging, to a book or album cover, to a full-blown print and digital campaign. I’ve completed student and client briefs for all sorts of entities – a music academy, a startup, a social impact organization, a movie festival, a cleaning service, a museum exhibit, a boutique dog accessory brand, a panaderia, and more. From what my clients say, I think I’m known for being communicative, efficient, and hardworking :’)
I’d say that I’m most proud of the fact that my design practice is deeply rooted in collaboration and communication between the client and myself. I’m a firm believer in basing projects on the foundation that the client establishes upon initial contact, and in course-correcting the path of the design together throughout its execution. Some designers tend to forget that we would have little to work with without the unique brand stories that our clients tell us, and that we are usually the ones who use the lofty design terms for the unwritten aesthetic concepts that guide modern visual trends, not our clients; subsequently, designers should be a tad more forgiving when it comes to reasonable clients occasionally not knowing how to phrase what they want – they hired us to help bring that abstract vision to life! Lastly, I’m also proud that my plan was always to take whatever I learned on the East Coast and bring it back home to Houston – our city has so much to offer in so many different industries, and I can’t wait for more native Houstonians to start bringing what they’ve learned from other places to support and enrich our city of hustle.
What were you like growing up?
I was a bit of a weird child, haha. I was an only child, so I was really introverted and shy, and I was accustomed to entertaining myself with my imagination. I was always into arts and crafts, though, and I loved reading.
Contact Info:
- Website: giovannapineda.com
- Email: gpineda.htx@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mazapancita/
Image Credit:
Image credit for the laptop picture: Isometric Studio in Williamsburg.
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