We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gerald Sastra. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gerald below.

Gerald, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think my most meaningful project would have to be the Justin Dart Jr. Accessibility Center at the University of Houston, where I had the opportunity to revamp the center by adding branded environments to a very important hub for the students of the university. The project started off when I was a student designer for the Campus Recreation department, and my supervisor (who is one of my mentors), heard about this opportunity and told me to create something. The center was looking for a design idea for their space in attempt to relaunch the center. For context, the Justin Dart Jr. Accessibility Center is a center for members of the campus community who have disabilities. I never really tackled doing anything within that scope but I was eager to get my hands dirty and try it out. I ended up pitching my idea to the center and they decided to go with my idea. It was very enlightening to learn the different phases of environmental graphics, and I was lucky to stay on until the project completion. It meant a lot to me because this project was my turning point that made me want to pursue a career in environmental graphic design. It also meant a lot to me to be able to make a lasting mark on campus while also making an impact to the community. I taught me the different skills and knowledge on what it takes to execute a design and apply it to a physical space. I strived to create meaning to every detail of my design and it is one of my most treasured projects.

Gerald, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Gerald Sastra and I am currently a graphic design student at the University of Houston and I am originally from Indonesia. I grew up with the art and design world around me and I started off this journey since I was in middle school, where I enrolled in an art-based program. My first love was actually drawing which then evolved to painting. I did not however, see myself doing fine art in the long term, which eventually led me to graphic design.

I originally intended on being a business major but one of my uncles who was a design alumni from the University of Houston told me about the “Block” program and thought that I might like it there. I took his word for it and left to Houston to pursue design.

As a student, I try my best to dip my feet into the different pools of design. Thankfully enough, I got into the block program through a pretty intense portfolio review. And the program teaches their students the different areas of design that prepares us for our careers may it be UX/UI, print, motion, etc. I however, am leaning towards environmental graphics as I find confidence in the fact that most EGD works would have a longer “shelf life” and that it would be consumed in a physical space.

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with the idea of “style”. I used to be a fond believer that a good designer should not have a style since I thought designers should be versatile and be adaptable to different situations. Which is true, but now I also think that whether intentional or not, designers tend to repeat the same elements/ methods in design over and over again which would eventually become a “style”. With that said, I have noticed a pattern in my body of work ever since my painting days. I enjoy creating work that is based on modularity; a unified whole made out of different components or modules, may it be squares, people, or lines, I think I find a design fulfilling when it is composed out of a harmony of things.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I consider myself to still be in the early stages of my creative journey. However, I do wish that I would have engaged with the design community earlier. I think it is important to expose oneself to what everyone else is doing. I think one can learn a lot just by talking to other creatives and obtain something from a simple conversation that informs your craft. I am now involved with the Houston chapter of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) which has been an immensely helpful resource in coming out to the design community. I think part of this conversation has to do with insecurity. I struggled, and still do, with feelings of self-doubt, but I am learning to expose myself and my work to the community and I think being curious and willing to learn is key to being successful in anything really.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As basic as this may sound, I just find joy in making things. I love experimenting with color, form, and all the elements of visual design and I think that feeling of creating something fulfills myself personally. I love that creatives get to do what they want to and bring something to the world that could make an impact on other people. being a designer particularly, comes with the confidence that we create solutions to problems. The process of creating on its own is very rewarding in a way that it comes from the heart and is intentional in the way we want the end product to look. I also value the fact that my personality and identity is reflected In my work, and that is something that I can take pride in saying: “Yeah, I did that.”    

Contact Info:

• Website: geraldsastra.com
• Instagram: @geraldsastra
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldsastra/