Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Armando Godinez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Armando, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

This goes all the way back as a kid and just loving to draw things like the Chicago Bulls logo, Ninja Turtles and other pop culture icons. I drew quite a bit when I was younger and that was amplified when I took my first art class in high school and my teacher helped nurture my gift of art. I took an AP art class my senior year and made lots of art during that period that led to me receiving college credit and an art scholarship to a junior college.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I attended art school and graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from Texas Tech University in 2004 and that is how my journey started in the industry, but I also did freelance on the side to make some extra money. My first job was at a web development company where their main client was Microsoft, and I helped designed websites and flash animations that I learned from the ground up to help produce various projects. 

Unfortunately, myself and some colleagues were laid off from that company and so I was fortunate enough to land a job at an advertising agency and learned about working with clients, presenting, pitching, print design and digital. I was there for 5 and a half years until I felt that I wanted to move up in my career and found a job with another advertising agency where I became an Art Director and oversaw a small team of designers and interns that produced branding, collateral and websites for various clients. That was a time where I really learned to understand the client’s goals in initial meetings and come up with solutions, so that they realized those goals and ROI. I also had a hand in helping art direct and give input to our in-house video producer which tied into the additional services that we offered clients. I held that position for 6 years until I ran into burn out and needed a change in my career.

That led me back to my alma mater in 2017 and I took a graphic design position with Texas Tech University Office of Communications and Marketing where I immersed myself in the education sector and the needs of the university. I also found success in my freelance work as two of my logos were selected and published in Logo Lounge Book 10 and more logos in the following Logo Lounge Book 11, Logo Lounge Book 13 and five logos in last year’s Logo Lounge 15 Book. 

Then came a leadership change and an opportunity to produce a university magazine that was named “Evermore”, and I poured myself into researching, choosing the paper stock, typefaces and the overall design style and hierarchy of the what the magazine would look like. I was moved up to Associate Director of Creative and then into a Creative Lead role with the magazine. All in all, the work that I produced helped us win several CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, American Advertising Federation Awards and a third place in the publication category from the prestigious PRINT in 2023. I continued to pick up more awards from CASE and AAF in the coming year but felt that it was time for a change due to leadership and needing a change. 

I left the Office of Communications and Marketing late last year for an Associate Director position in the TTU Office of Advancement which is the fundraising arm of the university. In my current position I oversee a creative comms team that helps push our comprehensive fundraising campaign which launched in 2024 and is set to end in 2028.

Overall, I’ve learned quite a bit about problem solving, how to pitch ideas to clients and those in leadership positions and helping bring those ideas and concepts to life with my work or through leadership and mentoring my team members. I’m proud to have worked in various industries but still bringing that curiosity, problem solving and creativity to my various roles.

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

The fact that not many people in the world can see things the way we see them as creatives and how we produce things from our own imaginations and ideas. We can bring those ideas to life but also, that we are innate problem solvers in the work that we do, and how we mesh that into our daily lives. I use my problem-solving skills for every day issues, like when it comes to repairing things around the house, with finances and helping my friends and colleagues. I feel strongly about younger creatives learning to use that critical think skill set and how you approach problems and finding solutions.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My last year in college when I lost my father in June of 2023 and not having that compass in my life to help lead me left me with a huge void. I was fortunate to have an internship in 2004 and that led me having a full-time job offer after graduating from college. Unfortunately, that only last two years as the company grew too fast and couldn’t keep up with overhead and bringing in work, which led to seven employees being laid off including myself. That was a tough moment in my life as I was about to buy a ring to propose to my girlfriend and I had to put that on hold. I pulled it together and updated my resume and portfolio and called all the agencies and business in town to see if they had an open position and thanks to my tenacity I landed a graphic design position at an advertising agency toward the end of that week. I’ve learned that you must problem solve and be tenacious and not let hard things slow you down and good things will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://armagraphico.dribbble.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armagraphico/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armando-godinez-jr-1838483/