by School of Art + Design
February 11, 2022
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Growing up in North Portland, Ovidio Francisco-Juan learned Spanish in his high school Spanish classes. At home, his parents spoke a dialect of Mayan. They moved to the US from Guatemala, hoping to send money to their families back home before he was born. He is the first person in his extended family to earn a college degree. Ovidio said, “There were no expectations of higher education. My sister was the first to graduate high school.” He pursued Graphic design because it was a compelling new language that could be used to help his community and tell new stories.
Ovidio graduated in the spring of 2020 and is now a graphic and motion designer at Instrument, a digital creative agency with offices in Portland and New York that designs and produces integrated experiences for the web, mobile, and the physical world.
As for the future, Ovidio is hoping to start his own business one day. One that caters to the Hispanic population in Portland. Through research in his design courses at PSU, Ovidio realized the need and desire by Hispanic-owned businesses to push their graphic design into the future. Whatever lies ahead of him, Ovidio isn’t afraid of failure. He will keep pushing himself to succeed, asking for help, and creating spaces for everyone.
Photo: Ben Sellon