A Story of Culture, Community, and Creative Beginnings
As a student at Art Center College of Design back in 1995, I found myself surrounded by talented people, all focused on their own work. In a place like Art Center, socializing didn’t come easily, especially across different majors. With a few friends, Rafael Esquer, Pablo Aguilar, and Jose Caballer, and others, we decided to do something about it. We formed a group called Contraste, a place where Latin-American students could connect, share their experiences, and build a community that felt like home. We weren’t just creating a club; we wanted to form a lasting network, something that would carry us into our careers as the future image-makers of our generation.
Each year, Contraste’s Dia de los Muertos event was our way to make that vision come to life. These events were our pride and joy, filled with food, music, art, and faces painted as the iconic calaveras. But they didn’t come easily—we’d spend months raising money by selling t-shirts, knocking on the doors of local community groups, and persuading the various departments at Art Center to chip in. Looking back, I’m amazed we managed to pull it all off while keeping up with classes. But those events were everything to us, and we wanted them to leave an impact.
Finding the Perfect Band and an Unexpected Deal
For our second—and, as it turned out, final—Dia de los Muertos celebration, Pablo and I took on the responsibility of booking a band that would make the night unforgettable. Pablo’s classmate, Monica Morant, suggested we reach out to Ozomatli. She had dated one of the members and thought they would bring the perfect energy. We could tell immediately that this band was something special, but with a $700 budget, we were a long way from covering their full fee. After some back-and-forth, I offered to design a logo for them as part of the payment. I still remember their excitement—they agreed, and suddenly, I was creating a logo for a band I admired.
Designing a Logo That Meant Something
I felt the pressure of this project but also the thrill of it. I wanted to capture their spirit, their energy, and the cultural roots that pulsed through their music. I worked on a few different designs, each with a distinct feel, and when it was time, we met with Will Abers (Will Dog), our contact with the band. We laid out the options, and I could feel the anticipation in the room. Cut Chemist, the band’s turntablist, immediately gravitated to one design. He looked at it, nodded, and said it was tribal, modern, simple, and unique. Then he grinned and told me he could already picture it on his turntable scratch pads. That moment stuck with me, seeing how much the design meant to them.
A Symbol that Caught Fire
After the event, the Ozomatli logo took on a life of its own. The band printed stickers with the logo and handed them out at their shows. Before long, they were plastered all over LA, turning up on street signs, posts, and walls across the city. People felt a connection to it, and I’d often get pictures from friends who spotted it in some unexpected place. Over time, those photos started coming from further away. I remember being on a trip to Spain and suddenly seeing the logo—it was surreal. A symbol born from our final Dia de los Muertos event was now traveling across the world, connecting people in ways I never imagined.
A Thank You That Meant the World
Years later, Ozomatli reached out to formally secure the rights to the logo and offered me payment. I reminded them of our original deal: they had given us an incredible performance, and that was all they owed me. In response, they granted me free tickets to their shows for life, a gesture that still means so much to me. It was more than just a thank you—it was a reminder of the special connection we’d built.
Looking Back at Where It All Began
Now, looking back, it’s incredible to think how we all started together. Today, I run my own marketing agency; Rafael has a design agency in New York, Alfalfa; Pablo is thriving with his photography business; and Jose has become a successful entrepreneur. The Ozomatli logo isn’t just a design—it’s a piece of our shared history, a symbol of the culture, creativity, and connections we built in those intense student days. It reminds me of what we believed back then: that we were the image-makers of tomorrow, and our work could go beyond what we ever imagined.
