Ben Blanchard is a Ventura-based designer currently at the Dupuis Group, a packaging and branding agency in downtown Ventura. Born in the hills of Orcutt, California Ben was raised on a steady diet of surf trips and mountain excursions. These experiences greatly influence the design and aesthetic of Ben’s work today, which ranges form detailed illustration to extensive branding projects. Some of his past design experiences include interning at Iron and Resin, working as a designer for CSU Channel Islands and being featured as the 2015 Ventura featured artist of the year for the Ventura Art Walk. Ben spends his days as a full time graphic designer and when not at the desk, can be found surfing the long, righthand point breaks along the Southern California coastline.

Patty Devlin-Driskel is senior art director with Mark Oliver, Inc., a brand consultancy that focuses on food and beverage packaging in the national market. In that position, she uses her skills in art direction, design, project management and client relations. During her career, Patty has also supervised the in-house graphics department for Knudsen Dairy Corp. and worked for full service advertising firms as both a graphic designer and assistant art director. She is very active with AIGA Santa Barbara and currently holds the position of board Treasurer. She is also Adjunct Faculty at Brooks Institute.

Rebecca Ek is a graphic designer from Stockholm, Sweden who moved to Santa Barbara to pursue a career in graphic design. She is a part of Evans Hardy+Young’s creative department, working as a production artist and freelance graphic designer. Although she is at the beginning of her career Rebecca has experience working with students as a TA in digital imaging and web design. She has a passion for art and design and remembers what it is like to be an aspiring designer.

Rachel Elnar is a co-founder, producer, marketer and general support for all that is TypeEd. She’s served as an adjunct professor in motion graphics, user experience, and interactive design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Cal Poly University in Pomona. She currently teaches advanced interaction design at Cal State University Los Angeles and serves as Interactive Director at Ramp Creative.

Lee Ann Engle is Lead Designer at Silverander Communications. After graduating from the University of Central Florida’s graphic arts program, Lee Ann worked as the art director at an Orlando communications firm for several years. Feeling restless at that point, she decided to take time out from her career and return to school at the University of Florida, where she earned her MFA in Drawing and Painting. Soon after graduating, Lee Ann moved to Santa Barbara and returned to design work, however her fine art background continues to inform her life and her commercial work. Lee Ann has worked long-term with communications firms, businesses, and government agencies in the Santa Barbara area as both a subcontractor and employee. Through her work she is grateful to have gained many rewarding relationships in the community, which she considers as important–if not more–than the work. The work, though, has been happily challenging for her. Aside from working with a long list of industries from teak furniture to tech, she has designed toys and has been involved with many projects that benefit the environment and society. She currently works at Silverander Communications in Santa Barbara.Lee Ann lives with her teenaged daughter, Ava, and two cats in Carpinteria. She enjoys redesigning logos on the back of semi truck trailers during her often slow commutes between Carp and Santa Barbara.

Ryan Garcia is Senior User Experience Designer (2005–) and Graphic Design lecturer (2013–) at California State University Channel Islands. Recently, Ryan and team launched the latest redesign of the Channel Islands University website. Other than the occasional freelance gig, most of Ryan’s efforts—working as a web designer—have focused in the academic industry with folks like Sonoma State University and Oxnard Union High School District. He has also created designs for EduSoCal (website/branding) and Community of Academic Technology Staff (branding/posters) conferences.

Jon Leslie is Associate Art Director at BBM&D Strategic Branding in Ventura. After graduating with both AA/AS degrees in graphic design and fine art locally, Jon was accepted into the Central St. Martins College of Art & Design in London. He established himself as a freelance designer in 2003 after working as a senior designer/art director at BBM&D, a Ventura-based marketing & design firm. As a freelancer, Jon worked with a variety of clients from small start-up companies to worldwide corporations. In 2014, Jon returned to BBM&D as an Associate Art Director. He has also been a proud AIGA member since 2001. His expertise includes advanced visual concepting, corporate identity/branding, excellent pre-press/printing proficiency color theory.

Kevin Mapp is a  photographer/videographer for California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, CA. Prior to joining CSU Channel Islands, Kevin worked as a freelancer producing photography and video content for clients such as the Center Theatre Group, Kaiser Permanente, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, East West Players, and the Pasadena Playhouse.

Angela Milosevic is a graduate from Brooks Institute with a BFA in Design. Shortly after graduating, she began working at National Forest, a small artist-driven studio in Atwater Village. After some time she jumped into designing for interactive and digital experiences at BLITZ Digital Agency. Currently she is a Design Director at Hello Design in Culver City. She has no idea whats she’s doing next.

Mark Oliver is CEO and CD of MOI, a full-service brand communications design firm specializing in CPG brand-building and packaging design. While clients of the 30 year-old firm have included Fortune 100 firms  such as Diageo, General Mills, and PepsiCo, the company has focused on growing startups and mid-size firms in the natural foods industry, such as Kashi and Back To Nature. A recipient of more than 450 awards from major design organizations and industry publications, his work is included in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. He is a member of the Brooks Institute Board of Trustees and a AIGA Santa Barbara Fellow. Mark is co-owner of Earnest Eats, a maker of natural food products sold nationwide, and co-owner of Windrun Wines, a wine negoticant in Santa Barbara County. He is a founder of the S. B. International Film Festival, and President of the Santa Ynez Valley Alliance—a non-profit dedicated to the protection of rural and agricultural lands in the Santa Ynez Valley. He has been a grower of organic fruits and vegetables for 33 years.

Lianna Patch is a born-and-raised New Orleanian, conversion copywriter, and content strategist. She’s the owner of Punchline Conversion Copywriting, which helps businesses stand out online and off with clear copy, smart strategy, and humor, because if you don’t like jokes, what are you, a monster? Find her tweeting copywriting tips and pictures of her cat at @punchlinecopy.

Julia Sevin is a suspenders-wearing restless polymath and plain-dealing practical idealist. As a graphics specialist for Story Block Media, New Orleans’ only HubSpot Gold Certified Agency Partner, Julia helps businesses grow through striking branding and compelling collateral. She serves as the current president of AIGA New Orleans and boasts top prizes from Adobe’s Creative Jam and Shutterstock’s Pixels of Fury competitions. She tweets from @julia_sevin.

Laura Strohbusch Graphic Designer, Gravillis Inc. Laura is a graduate of Brooks Institute’s Graphic Design program. While in school she began her career as an intern at And Company, a small firm which specializes in key art for television. After 2 years at And Co, Laura became a jr art director at Gravillis Inc. where she currently works on key art for movies, documentaries and a variety of television show series. She aspires to get her hands on developing unique digital experiences in the future.

Jean-Paul Tummler, Senior Graphic Designer at Dupuis Group. Born in Germany with an existentialist philosopher’s name, Jean-Paul was raised in the Latin American chaos of Venezuela and is a proud holder of German, Venezuelan and Chilean citizenships (all legal, he swears). His focus has been on branding and packaging either for small design studios and big transnational agencies like FutureBrand, working in three continents and more than 7 countries. Jean-Paul’s worked hard to keep alive the curious child we all have inside and is a believer that those who don’t seek with passion will never live life to the fullest. He’s in love with beer and being surrounded by nature.