Alumni Spotlight: Jesus De Santiago Jr. Designs for a Cause

October 22nd, 2014 | Natasha Englehardt

Platt Alumni Jesus De Santiago Jr. Thinks Pink!

Platt College San Diego Media Arts Alumni Jesus De Santiago Jr. has recently been using his design skills to support Breast Cancer awareness. We had the opportunity to talk with him about his latest project for the Matrix El Cajon Girls Soccer Club.

Interviewer: You have been a coach at the club for quite some time now, and recently designed brand new jerseys for the Girls Soccer Club at Matrix El Cajon to help raise awareness about Breast Cancer for the month of October. What would you say was your overall experience with this project?

Jesus: The overall experience of this project as a whole, for the Breast Cancer project was amazing, due to the fact that I was able to step up and create something amongst my soccer club. With the support of the soccer club, I knew I had the tools to do it; being part of such a powerful movement was a fulfilling achievement.

Interviewer: How long have you been coaching soccer and when did you start incorporating your graphic design skills into your position with the soccer club?

Jesus: I have been coaching soccer for six years now. Furthermore, I have been coaching at the competitive level for two years for the girls, sixteen years and under. I started incorporating my graphic design skills at my soccer club when I was given the opportunity to create all the promotional media for the club such as flyers, banners, and business cards just to name a few.

Interviewer: What is your favorite thing about working on a project like this? Moreover, what were some of the challenges that you were presented with?

Jesus: My favorite thing about working on a project like this is the fact that I get to see my designs come to life; starting from the design process, to the approval of the design, to actual production, and seeing the finished product in my actual hands. In addition, I get to experience the joy of having all the teams within the club wanting to be part of my idea.

Interviewer: Is there a specific class at Platt that you felt helped you with this kind of project?

Jesus: The class at Platt College that I felt helped with this kind of project was definitely my vector graphics class. It was a really rewarding and fun class for me. As a result, it allowed me to take what I learned in that class and apply it to this Breast Cancer project, and other personal and freelance projects.

Interviewer: Anything else you would like to say about this project?

Jesus: I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported me in this Breast Cancer awareness project that I could happily call my own. It was a very time consuming project, but I definitely enjoyed seeing the evolution of this project along the way. I would also like to thank the teams who supported me by participating in the project for Matrix El Cajon, and to Mike Mercuriali at Prime Sports, who made this experience awesome and worth it every step of the way!