A senior graphic design student at Winthrop University, was recently honored as the recipient of a scholarship from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) following the organization’s Giving Gala in December 2018.
That student, Catalina Zalvana Olvera, said this scholarship is for students who come from a diverse background who care about the community and want to work towards bettering it. Not only does the scholarship help students with tuition-related financial needs, it also allows them to receive recognition for their designs.
Two months before the scholarship application due date, one of Olvera’s design professors, Jason Tselentis, recommended that she apply for the scholarship. However, she did not submit or even begin the application until 10 minutes before the deadline. Then a voice in her head said, “Do it anyway.”
“It’s a little bit about believing in myself and that I’m actually good at something,” Olvera said. “I thought, ‘you know, maybe I can win, maybe not, but there’s a chance.’”
While she has an unmistakable passion for her craft and a desire to continually improve it, Olvera’s journey to excellence in design has not been without its uncertainties.
As a child, Olvera had a natural instinct for drawing. Her family encouraged her talent throughout her childhood, and she tested the waters of design as a high school student.
“I put my foot in graphic design while in high school, and I was just not good at it,” Olvera said. “I was so not confident about it in high school, and I really think that’s where I still am at the moment.”
Her success thus far as a designer can be partially attributed to only the continual encouragement of her parents and home community. As Olvera was preparing to begin her undergraduate journey, her parents consistently maintained that they would support her as long as she was doing the best she could in her chosen path of study. While she attempts to establish a career path, Olvera said her parents have not withdrawn or lessened their support of her efforts. Although she has not made a decision about where her designs will take her post-college, she revealed that her main goal and desire in life is to support those around her.
“To help people in any way, especially coming from a a Hispanic community of immigrants, has been a really big motivator that helps in design and problem solving in general,” Olvera said. “I just want to be in a position that offers truth, honesty, and loyalty to the client.”
Growing up in a Hispanic culture has impacted Olvera’s art. She seeks inspiration in the family-based, connective, community-centered atmosphere it possesses. As her journey through college has progressed, Olvera has found incentive in “the beauty of so many things in nature, in how people interact with each other, in the beauty of family.”
There are several professors at Winthrop that Olvera has found quite influential during her time as a student. Two of these professors truly stood out as being exceptionally impactful in not just her academic career, but also in her life. The first is Jason Tselentis.
“If we are trying to solve a problem, he really tries to help us look beyond the obvious,” Olvera said. “He is incredibly supportive and he really cares about the next generation of designers. He really gets down on the students’ level.”
Not only does Olvera see Tselentis as master of graphic design, Tselentis has a high regard for the work of his diligent pupil.
“What I appreciate about Catalina Olvera’s design process is how she approaches the work from a conceptual angle first,” Tselentis said. “Formal elements, such as type, image, and color, are important to her, but she solidifies the message before getting into aesthetics. At all times she’s driven, working hard to make her vision, and the client’s vision, a reality.”
The second professor that has been a great inspiration to the young designer is Jesse Weser. Olvera believes Weser exudes brilliance and is an inspiration as a successful woman in the graphic design world. She pushes her students to do more than what they think they can, instilling in them a desire for individuality in their craft.
“She is as tough as any male professor,” Olvera said.
Olvera places a special emphasis on the concept of community with relation to her life and to her designs. She finds beauty in it whether it is the community she grew up in, or her community at Winthrop. The designer finds herself motivated by the camaraderie among her fellow students.
“We really help each other. If we see another student down, or they can’t figure something out, then other students will step in,” Olvera said, “It’s a small campus, but it’s a mighty campus.”
During summer 2018, as well as over the winter break, Olvera worked as an intern at graphic design studio, Byfarr Design, in Columbia, South Carolina. While designing everything from wedding invitations to logos and branding for local business, she found confidence at Byfarr. Surrounded by the all-female design team, Olvera saw unquestionable evidence that a woman has the ability to own and run a successful business.
“Working at Byfarr Design has taught me that women today really can do that,” she said.
Interning at Byfarr has also motivated her to design and build a unique font, used exclusively in her designs.
Olvera hopes to inspire the future generations of graphic designers, especially those coming from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, through her story and through her award-winning designs.
“I would say [to upcoming designers] that you have to work hard, and honestly just be unique,” Olvera said. “Be honest to yourself and be who you are.”
