Jason Medrano '18

Jason Medrano | Visual Communication Design | Class of 2018

Since graduating early with a BFA in the School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State, alum Jason Medrano ‘18 has been utilizing his design experiences to make meaningful change.

Growing up in the west side of Cleveland to a Guatemalan family, Medrano recalled the tight-knit bond that his family has.

“A big part of a Latino background is rooted in communication and not being shy,” Medrano said. “For instance, at family gatherings my mom would tell me to say hi and greet everyone there, even if I did not know them well. From a communication standpoint, there was no level of shyness. I'm one of five siblings, so just being rooted in family and tradition, that's something that I carry a lot."

As a result, Medrano aims to incorporate elements of family and tradition in all aspects of his design work.  

“Through traditions and values you bring an impact of change” Medrano said. “During my design process, I think about how we can impact a project in ways that are enlightening and inclusive.”  

In addition to these values, Medrano’s interest in design stemmed from communicating visually impactful messages to others.  

“I was interested in exploring the arts and seeing how I can integrate that in a more effective way such as problem-solving,” Medrano said.  

"Just knowing how those little incremental changes really shapes the the experience, that's how I go about my design. Just asking how else could we impact this project in ways that are enlightening and a little bit of surprise."

Visual Communication Design Major

Medrano began his design career at Cuyahoga Community College where he received his Associate of Arts in 2015. Shortly after, he enrolled at Kent State and began working toward his Visual Communication Design Degree. And while he was here, Medrano made it his mission to take advantage of every resource and opportunity available, as well as establishing important connections. 

“I just started talking to students in my class,” Medrano said, following his mother's advice from years ago. “Making these extensive connections ultimately made a challenging class a little bit easier to get through." 

Medrano also made it a goal to become involved with organizations such as the Spanish and Latino Student Association (SALSA) and intern with IdeaBase and Glyphix.  

“Connecting with people, in my program and with people in SALSA, it made my day start feeling a little more like home. Working at IdeaBase allowed me to become an inclusive designer where I think about the process early on and let people join along the way,” Medrano said. “It also helped me think about how we could make small but big impacts for our clients.” 

Medrano also credits the rigor of the VCD program for shaping him as a designer and person.  

“In the program here, I was challenged to own my penmanship, presentation skills, level of craft and story telling through design,” Medrano said.  

VCD faculty members such as Ken Visocky O’Grady and Jillian Coorey additionally challenged and shaped Medrano as a designer. 

“When it comes to executing smart design solutions," Medrano said, "Professor Visocky O’Grady set a high bar for the level of design and made sure that his students were communicating properly.” Professor Katila emphasized the importance of trying again no matter what and to always come up with new ideas, Medrano added, "'Fail fast, fail often,' was what she used to say."

After graduating from Kent State, Medrano would start his first job at University Tees as a graphic designer. Shortly after, he would take a position as a design consultant with JumpStart Inc. Today, Medrano works as a senior designer at Little Jacket, a design firm based in the Cleveland area.  

When asked about giving advice to students who are navigating their job search post-grad, Medrano shared these insights. “The key is to put yourself out there to connect with more people,” Medrano said. “I reached out to my professors, professional organizations, colleagues and online mentors as a post-grad. Each connection led to new opportunities to explore.”
 
Medrano also had a message of encouragement for students who may be facing imposter syndrome.  “Don’t be hard on yourself if you see your other colleagues or other people get big internships,” Medrano said. “Getting your career started can take time. Introduce yourself first then follow-up with an invitation for lunch, or a request to have an office visit. Everything really does have a timeline.”  

Aside from his design work, Medrano continues to advocate for young designers.  “I participated in an alumni panel with IdeaBase where I shared my experiences and gave key insights to students,” Medrano said. “Anytime I can help students and listen to or address their concerns like resume’s, internships or just general questions, I’m there.” 

Medrano has also participated in VCD Alumni Critique Day to guide students through their work. "It's refreshing to see past projects and how designers have taken it a step further. I enjoy the opportunity to discuss with them how we can expand the work in big and small ways that impact the story," Medrano said.

Overall, Medrano hopes to continue making significant contributions to his clients and is eager to keep his advocacy going in all aspects of design.  

“I couldn’t be more grateful in knowing that design is the vehicle that allows us to make these impacts,” Medrano said.