Co-Creator, Designer, Photographer, Husband, Father, once designed over 1000 screens for a website project, has photographed all BART stations for a personal passion project.
I have been in the creative arts for a while now and started out making electronic music.
More specifically with a Monome and playing the piano. Falling in love with graphic design from album covers and posters was a gradual process. That love led me to go to a trade school to study and get a degree in graphic design.
After getting trained in design, this led me to work at a small studio in Point Richmond. During this time, I got to work on more prominent brands such as Toys ‘R’ Us where I was the lead designer on their responsive web design project. The experiences at this tiny studio helped shape my design eye and taught me how to level up professionalism and deliver at a high level.
I also utilized video and photography skills to help add to the designs. Custom photography and video were used to tell a more vibrant story for brands. Thinking in photography and video helped me grow a lot as well. Plus, it was just darn fun!
The next step in my design journey was working at a design agency in San Francisco. This experience again helped me level up my design eye and thinking. Plus, the experience of working in SF is like no other. Sometimes, you do photo walks during lunch breaks or looking at all the designs on signs and stores. While at this agency, I met some awesome co-workers that remain friends to this day.
While working in San Francisco, Nicky, and I decided to be crazy dreamers and opened up Tickyboom Design. I quit my job and took the ‘freelance’ leap. It has been a slow road, but it is challenging fun and an exciting adventure.
Daily I strive to learn something new, practice a skill, or think of crazy things to design. My mentality is the ‘Mastery’ path. It is slow, long, and has the intended end goal of doing work that is lasting and good.
Nicky and I have a son named Milo. He brings great joy into our lives.
I have been steeped in art since I was a tiny human.
I would do anything I could that involved the use of my hands to make art. “Making” is something innate for me. This love for art eventually led me to attend Cal Poly, where I earned my BFA in Graphic Design. Along the way, I tagged on a minor to give myself a deeper understanding of print applications. I couldn’t just let my work stay digital— I had to understand where it was going to end up. What can I say, I’m a touchy-feely kinda person.
While in college, I got the rare opportunity to study abroad on a ship. There’s nothing like learning out on the open ocean, traversing the South Pacific. I got to experience a new part of the world and made many friends along the way. This experience helped me broaden my outlook on life, which continually helps me think outside the box with design. Plus, I have a memory bank of art and design from around the world to help me draw from for inspiration.
One summer break, I asked for a job at a print shop in Berkeley, where they specialized in handmade letterpress wedding invitation suites. I got to learn how to run the letterpress, and soak in the process from client meetings, proofing, printing, assembly, and it was even my job to ship the orders out. It was a dream come true as I am always yearning to use my hands and inject the analog into the digital world we live in. This experience helped me learn a high-level printing process, which I carry over to Tickyboom.
My next step after graduation was to work for a non-profit ministry here in the Bay Area. I designed shirts, flyers, and any collateral to further this their brand and communications. It was super fun, and I had more freedom to manage my projects and creative output, which was very lifegiving. I also functioned in a leadership capacity outside of design, which made it such an incredible experience.
Tim and I started Tickyboom after we did a bunch of our friends’ wedding invitations. It was enjoyable as I got to flex my hands-on print and paper skills and make some fantastic wedding invitation suites. Running Tickyboom has been a fun and challenging adventure.
I am always trying new projects that involve me using my hands. I play with clay, sculpey, paper, watercolor, and build with wood. And there’s nothing quite like a pandemic to make me learn how to sew a quilt for my son. I love learning new techniques and skills online and hope never to stop learning new art forms.
Tim & Nicky have a son named Milo. He brings great joy into their lives.
