Gabriela Rivera

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

I am a senior pursuing a BFA in Design with a focus in printmaking. I work for a San Antonio, Texas based sausage company as a full-time graphic designer and it is as funny/fun as it sounds. I changed my major 5 times and eventually dropped out before I finally realized what I wanted to do. I took a few community college courses in “Communication Design”, learned the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator and I was HOOKED!

But, It wasn’t until I came to UT Austin that I was exposed to the world of printmaking, something I had never had the opportunity to explore before. I started to realize how much of my designs stay in the digital world.

Now, my main goal as a designer is to encourage others to continue to bridge the gap between “old” and “new” by showcasing the possibilities. Like taking a poster design that sat in a digital folder for 2 years and bringing it to life by means of screen printing!

In my free time I love hiking with my partner, going to museums with my siblings, and experimenting in the UT Design print shop.

WHAT ARE YOU READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING?

I currently have King of the Hill, Abbott Elementary, or the Office on repeat while I work on projects (comfort shows). I listen to KUTX radio and mix it up with a bit of Black Sabbath, Megan Thee Stallion, George Strait or the Hidden Brain podcast.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD?

In the letterpress world, I admire Dafi Küne. He is a Swiss designer/letterpress printer who loves to experiment with analog and digital techniques to produce incredible posters! I also admire the poster work of Vance Kelly and Dave Kloc, the printmaking of Eva Stalinski, and of course the designs/entrepreneurial spirit/mentor mentality of Aaron Draplin.