Take a 3-D tour of me with a hilariously flat face
My Grandma Arlene (left) and my Great-Grandfather Fred Gray (right) inside of the Brooks Gray Sign Company
The only known existing photo of the outside of my great grandfathers sign shop
My story begins before I was even a thought. My great-grandfather was a sign painter, and owned a very successful sign company in Virginia. After leaving home at an extremely young age, he needed to find a way to support himself. As a child living on the streets in the early 1900's, he needed to get creative to avoid starving. He began smashing bricks and mixing the dust with water and oil to make red paint. With this crudely constructed pigment, he began painting a legacy that would eventually trickle down to me.
My love for letters truly sprouted when I was introduced to graffiti by my brother and my friends in elementary school. This interest soon matured into a love for calligraphy and typography. After researching and practicing the fundamentals of type for years, I began to develop a general love for design and communication. Fueled by my Grandma's inspiring stories of her father's sign shop—I knew I was on the right path for myself.
I took this intrigue and have pursued a career in graphic design. My experience has led me to work with clients of all shapes and sizes. From freelancing logo designs for local artists and businesses, to working for an award winning mobile marketing company and creating ad campaigns for massive clients. I have designed truck wraps, product packaging, hand-lettered chalkboards, logos, album artwork, movie posters, memorial cards, wedding invitations, web graphics, billboards, t-shirts, hats, etc. Although I have fields that I specialize in (posters, logos, album art), I never shy away from adapting and solving new problems.
From smashing bricks, to pushing pixels across the internet.
Gregory Diaz Jr — Greg Diaz Design
I am in love with the challenge of representing an entire idea, experience, concept, message—within a single image. Within a single word. Movie theaters to me are like art museums. San Francisco is an art gallery of graffiti and advertisements. Even streaming music, I can't help but look at the album artwork. I see beautiful design everywhere.
My story begins before I was even a thought. My great-grandfather was a sign painter, and owned a very successful sign company in Virginia. After leaving home at an extremely young age, he needed to find a way to support himself. As a child living on the streets in the early 1900's, he needed to get creative to avoid starving. He began smashing bricks and mixing the dust with water and oil to make red paint. With this crudely constructed pigment, he began painting a legacy that would eventually trickle down to me.
My love for letters truly sprouted when I was introduced to graffiti by my brother and my friends in elementary school. This interest soon matured into a love for calligraphy and typography. After researching and practicing the fundamentals of type for years, I began to develop a general love for design and communication. Fueled by my Grandma's inspiring stories of her father's sign shop—I knew I was on the right path for myself.
I took this intrigue and have pursued a career in graphic design. My experience has led me to work with clients of all shapes and sizes. From freelancing logo designs for local artists and businesses, to working for an award winning mobile marketing company and creating ad campaigns for massive clients. I have designed truck wraps, product packaging, hand-lettered chalkboards, logos, album artwork, movie posters, memorial cards, wedding invitations, web graphics, billboards, t-shirts, hats, etc. Although I have fields that I specialize in (posters, logos, album art), I never shy away from adapting and solving new problems.
From smashing bricks, to pushing pixels across the internet.
My friend and colleague KDigitals featured me on his podcast. Check it out!