User:AYen3013/Publo A. Medina

Publo A. Medina (or Pablo Medina), is a Cuban-Colombian multi-disciplnary type designer, graphic designer, art director, educator and artist based in East Village. He is interested in using urban vernacular from Latin-American neighborhoods as inspiration. Currently he works as an freelancer, and owns a multi-disciplinary graphic design studio called Design is Culture.

Education
Publo A. Medina was born and raised in Washigton D.C. . He studied major in drawing and minor in print-making at Pratt Institute, and recieved his BFA degree (Dean's List) in 1992. After undergrad, Medina struggled to step foot into the fine art scene and make a living, so he went back to study for graphic design. He later recived his Master of Science in Communication Design (Dean's List) from Pratt Institute in 1996. During his time at Pratt, Medina collaborated with the band named The Deviators, in which he delivered flyers and screen printed T-shirts to promote their perfomances.

Inspiration & Influence
As a descendant of immigrants from Latin-America, Pablo A. Medina has keen interest in immigrant neighborhoods. In addition, hand-painted signage and music are also influencial in Medina's creative practices. At the age of 16, he was influenced by punk rock utopia of music, creativity, ethics, and activism. Growing up from these scenes in the late 80s with the influence of art school led to a very independent-minded, DIY ethos in him .Aside from cultural themes, Pablo Medina also explores spiritual themes, including Buddhism and Yoruban . Medina has struggled with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, he discovered meditation to help him navigate his struggles. He practices a meditation calledd Vipassana  , which also became his source for creative ideas.

Career
In 1996, Publo Medina begin designing typefaces, in which photography played a role in the beginning stages. The first three fonts he designed for his graduate thesis at Pratt, Vitrina, Cuba, and North Bergen, were inspired by photographed letterforms in a Latin-American neighborhood in New Jersey called Union City.

After recieveing his Masters, Medina teamed up with David Carson (American Graphic Designer), and designed post-modernist typeface inspired by his interest in Latin-American popular culture. In these early days, Medina also worked at Digital Pulp, a multi-media design agency, as a Designer. During his time at the agency, he worked with clients like Doubleclick and Cigar Aficionado. In 1997, Medina was hired by The National Hockey League, and worked as a Permalance Designer. In 1999, Medina was hired by global advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather. There he worked as Art Director and Graphic Designer for corporate clients such as Motorola and Miller Lite.

During 2000 – 2019, Medina founded his own multi-disciplinary graphic design studio called Design is Culture (previously named Cubanica ), located at the Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn. He pursued client's work with experimental ideas that combines multiple disciplines in art and design. The studio provided editorial design, book design, font design, graphics for apparel, event design and branding services.

Since 2017, He started on-site freelancing as designer, illustrator and animator. He partnered with non-profit organization Taskforce, at which he creates animations to promote social justice.

Beside working as artist and designer, Medina also worked as an educator. He has taught art and design at Parsons School of Design . During 1999–2000, he taught at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) as Adjunct Faculty for Graphic Design  . In 2012, he taught at California College of the Arts (CCA) as visiting Adjunct Faculty and Artist-in-residence  . In 2015, he taught at the School of Visual Arts for the Design Department  .

Awards & Achievements
2018| The Latin America Contemporary Fine Art Competition (Chelsea, NY) awarded him an exhibition space in Miami’s Spectrum Art Fair during Art Basel.

2008 | AIGA Design Journeys Archives

2008 | Urbanworld Film Festival – Best Documentary Short Award

2008 | Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival – Excellence in Filmmaking Award

2004 | Type Directors Club (New York), Typeface Competition Judge

2001 | Selected by the Art Directors Club Young Guns III (under 30).

Exhibitions
Group 

2020 | Pleiades Gallery, Altered States

2019 | Catalyst Gallery, Small Works

2018 | Planthouse Gallery for VOCAL-NY and the Young Center for Immigrant Children Rights

2018 | Spectrum Miami at Art Basel, Miami 2017 | Benefit Exhibition for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

2017 | Benefit Exhibition for ACLU and IRAP (International Refugee Assistance Project)

2016 | Benefit Exhibition for Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

2012 | 111 Minna Gallery, Mission on Minna

2010 | AIGA NY, Design Journeys: You Are Here

2007 | Chelsea Art Museum, 10 Years Running

2003 | Museum of Modern Art (NY) Book Exhibition

2001 | Art Directors Club Young Guns III

1999 | Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum, Design Triennial

Solo 

2012 | Type Directors Club, A Mission in the Mission

2005 | Zakka Bookstore and Gallery