Rafael Esquer

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Rafael Esquer
Rafael Esquer at Alfalfa Studio in New York City, 2021
BornDecember 31, 1966
Álamos, Sonora, Mexico
Alma materArt Center College of Design
Websitewww.alfalfastudio.com

Rafael Esquer (born 1966) is a Mexican-American graphic designer, branding expert, educator, yogi, and entrepreneur who is known for sports branding, logo design, and poster design. He is the founder and principal of Alfalfa Studio (a graphic design and branding firm) and Alfalfa New York (a lifestyle brand), both based in New York City.

Early life and education

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Esquer was born on December 31, 1966, in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. His father was a teacher, and his mother was a cattle rancher. Until he was 8, his family lived in farming villages around Álamos where his father set up and ran elementary schools.[1] In 1974, the family moved to Huatabampo, Sonora, a city of 70,000 people on the Gulf of California. Esquer completed elementary and high school there. At 19, he moved to Mexico City to study photography at the Coyocán School of Photography (1987-1988) and to begin his university education at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (1988-1989). In 1989, Esquer took a break from his studies in Mexico City to learn English in Los Angeles, California. He enrolled at Los Angeles Trade–Technical College (LATTC) and in 1992 received his Associate of Arts with honors in Commercial Art.[1] He did not return to Mexico City. Instead, with encouragement from his professors at LATTC, he applied to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he was accepted and awarded a scholarship to continue his study in design. He received his Bachelor of Fine Art with distinction in Graphic and Packaging Design at Art Center in 1996.[2]

Career

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After graduation in 1996, Esquer worked as a graphic designer at Rebeca Méndez Communication Design in Altadena, California. In September 1996, he moved to New York City to begin work as a graphic designer at Poppe Tyson Interactive. He has lived in Manhattan ever since. In 1997, he joined RadicalMedia as an Art Director, and worked in its Communication Design group for 7 years, rising to Creative Director. His group at RadicalMedia won the National Design Award in Communication Design from the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in 2004.[3][4][5]

Esquer left RadicalMedia in 2004 to open his own design firm, Alfalfa Studio. He selected the name "Alfalfa" as a reference to his childhood in Sonora, Mexico, where alfalfa is widely cultivated for grazing and fodder. Esquer said, “As a farm boy, I would feed my family’s cows with it. So, the name is a general reminder of where I come from, but also a specific reminder of that boy who dreamed that anything was possible, whose dreams were as fresh and green and nourishing as alfalfa.”[6]

For more than 20 years, Esquer has run Alfalfa Studio as a small, independent agency, creating enduring work in sports, arts and culture, hospitality, entertainment, and government. In its early years, the studio was on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District followed by many years on Centre Street in SoHo. In 2019, Esquer moved it to Convent Avenue on Sugar Hill in West Harlem. His philosophy has remained unchanged: Make the idea clear and simple, the design surprising and beautiful.[7] His clients have included Paramount, Brookfield Properties, New York City Football Club, Booz Allen, Darden Restaurants, Open House New York, Guggenheim Partners, Ford Foundation, Museum of the City of New York, Goethe Institut, Kate Spade New York, The Glass House, Björk, Amphibian Stage, Repertorio Español, the Houston Rockets, The New York Times Magazine, Nike, AIGA, International Flavors & Fragrances, Target, Scholastic, El Museo del Barrio, the Government of New York City, and MTV.[8]

Selected works

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Sports branding

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New York City Football Club original badge

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In November 2013, Esquer was hired by New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and its parent organization, Manchester City Football Club, to create the original club badge for NYCFC.[9][10][11] On March 10, 2014, NYCFC announced that two of Esquer’s badge designs (one shield-shaped, the other circular) would be put to a public vote by NYCFC fans.[12][13] Claudio Reyna, Sporting Director of NYCFC said, “Thanks to the work of Rafael Esquer, we feel that we have two designs that truly represent our Club and our City, and we’re excited to see which badge they choose.”[12] On March 20, 2014, Tim Pernetti, Chief Business Officer of NYCFC, unveiled Esquer’s circular badge as the winner and the official club badge.[14][15] A video and photos of the unveiling ceremony were posted online by Major League Soccer and NYCFC.[16][17][18]

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In 2002-2003, Esquer designed the new logo and typeface for the Houston Rockets in collaboration with Eiko Ishioka, who designed the new uniforms.[19][20][21][22]

2002 Winter Olympics uniforms

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In 2001-2002, Esquer collaborated with Eiko Ishioka on designs for Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics uniforms for Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and Spain, manufactured by Japanese sportswear company Descente.[23][24][25][26]

Civic branding

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In 2004, Esquer designed the Made in NY logo at RadicalMedia for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting.[27][6][28][29][30][31][21]

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In 2002, Esquer designed the NYC311 logo and branding for the launch of New York’s comprehensive city government information and services call center.[23][32][29][33][34][21]

Music packaging, posters, and prints

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"The Passions of Rafael Esquer" lecture poster by Graphic Designer Rafael Esquer for his presentation at the Louisville Graphic Design Association in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Passions of Rafael Esquer. Poster for Esquer's presentation at the Louisville Graphic Design Association in 2009.[35]

Teaching

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School of Visual Arts (SVA), Division of Continuing Education, New York City.[48][49]

École Intuit Lab. International Workshop, Poster Design. Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, India.[50][51]

Publications

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Preface, “The X Factor of Sports Design.” Win Out: The Best of Sports Graphic Design and Branding. Wang Shaoqiang, ed. Hong Kong: Sandu Publishing Co, Ltd., 2019.[52]

Selected group exhibitions

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Design Journeys: You Are Here. AIGA National Design Center, New York, 2010.[53]

Björk Retrospective. MoMA, New York, 2015.[54]

AMPL!FY: Advancing the Front Lines of Social Justice. MAD: Museum of Arts and Design, New York, 2017-2018.[55]

Chain Reaction: An International Print Show Featuring Two-Wheeled Artwork. Design Museum of Chicago, 2018-2019.[47]

IdentificarX, Celebrating ArtCenter's Latina/e/o/x Alumni Community. Art Center College of Design, 2024.[56]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sudbanthad, Pitchaya (September 1, 2008). "Design Journeys: Rafael Esquer Biography". AIGA. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  2. ^ Anderson, Carolyn Gray (April 25, 2014). "New York's Newest Icon, Rafael Esquer (BFA 96)". ArtCenter, DOT Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  3. ^ "2004 National Design Award Winners". Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  4. ^ Shustack, Mary (October 21, 2004). "At Cooper-Hewitt, winners by design". The Journal News (White Plains, NY). pp. 1E – 2E. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  5. ^ "Accession 05-236, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Education Division National Design Awards Files, 2000-2004". Smithsonian Institution Archives. 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Butler, Andy (August 11, 2014). "Interview with graphic designer Rafael Esquer of Alfalfa Studio". designboom. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  7. ^ "About Alfalfa Studio". Alfalfa Studio. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  8. ^ "Alfalfa Studio/Clients". Alfalfa Studio. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  9. ^ New York City FC (February 12, 2015). "Welcome to the Club, Episode 1, The Badge". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  10. ^ New York City FC. (February 12, 2015). "New York City FC lifts the lid on the birth of a new club: Watch episode 1, The Badge". New York City FC. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Win Out: The Best of Sports Graphic Design and Branding. Wang Shaoqiang, ed. Hong Kong: Sandu Publishing Co, Ltd. 2019. pp. 6–7, 204–205. ISBN 978-988-79475-4-7.
  12. ^ a b New York City FC (March 10, 2014). "Vote Now: It's up to you, New York". New York City FC. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (March 10, 2014). "New York City FC announce final badge designs, which do you like best?". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  14. ^ New York City FC (March 20, 2014). "New York City FC Official Badge". New York City FC. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  15. ^ Schwartz, Peter (March 21, 2014). "Schwartz: A Badge Of Honor For New York's Newest Team". CBS News. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  16. ^ Major League Soccer (March 20, 2014). "New York City FC Badge Unveiling". YouTube. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  17. ^ New York City FC (March 20, 2014). "New York City FC made MLS history tonight. The countdown to kick off rolls on". Facebook. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  18. ^ New York City FC (March 21, 2025). "Our distinguished badge designer, Rafael Esquer". Facebook. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  19. ^ Logo Design (in English, French, and German). Julius Wiedemann, ed. Köln, Germany: Taschen. 2015. pp. 12–19. ISBN 978-3-8365-5634-7.
  20. ^ "Merit Award, Graphis Logo Design 6 competition, the NBA's Houston Rockets". Graphis. 2005. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  21. ^ a b c Graphis Logo Design 6. B. Martin Pedersen, ed. New York: Graphis. 2004. pp. 120, 194, 243, 248. ISBN 978-1-931241-19-9.
  22. ^ "Work/Brand Development/Houston Rockets". Alfalfa Studio. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Landa, Robin, Gonnella, Rose, Brower, Steven. (2007). 2D: Visual Basics for Designers. Clifton Park, New York: Thompson Delmar Learning. p. 166. ISBN 978-1418011604.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "Olympic cross country skiing uniforms, Japan". ArtCenter. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  25. ^ Chen, Aric. "Descente's Superhuman Olympic Suits". Graphis. Jan/Feb 2003 (343): 19, 21.
  26. ^ a b Rutnik, Alixandra (March 12, 2012). "Eiko Ishioka: The Boldness & The Brilliance". The One Club for Creativity. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  27. ^ Small Studios. Jianping He, ed. Victoria, BC, Canada: Page One Publishing. 2009. p. 54. ISBN 978-9812458230.
  28. ^ Oliver, Katherine (March 13, 2015). "Building a Brand with Local Pride: How film and tech helped revitalize New York City's economy". Medium. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  29. ^ a b "All Work/City of New York". RadicalMedia. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  30. ^ "Work/Brand Development/Made in NY". Alfalfa Studio. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  31. ^ "Silver Award, Graphis Logo Design 6 competition". Graphis. 2005. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  32. ^ Iezzi, Teressa (2003). "Dial-a-Complaint Campaign". Creativity. Nov 2003: 65.
  33. ^ "Work/Brand Development/NYC311". Alfalfa Studio. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  34. ^ "Gold Award, Graphis Logo Design 6 competition". Graphis. 2004. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  35. ^ a b "The Passions of Rafael Esquer". Courier Journal (Louisville, Kentucky). April 12, 2009. pp. I-3. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  36. ^ "Alfalfa Studio". Communication Arts. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  37. ^ "5 Novel, Subversive + Unforgettable Works by Latinx Graphic Designers". AIGA Eye on Design. September 21, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  38. ^ "Björk "Coccon" CD". AIGA Design Archives. 2002. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  39. ^ "'Cocoon' by Björk". The People's Graphic Design Archive. 16 March 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  40. ^ "Björk "Cocoon" CD, Rafael Esquer and @radical.media, 2002". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  41. ^ "Chavela CD packaging". Communication Arts. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  42. ^ "Get out the vote posters sponsored by the AIGA". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  43. ^ "Modern Design Midcentury to Today, p24-25" (PDF). International Arts & Artists. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  44. ^ "Merit Award, Graphis Poster Annual 2015, the Iconic New York Poster". Graphis. 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  45. ^ "New York. R. Esquer". David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  46. ^ "London. R. Esquer". David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  47. ^ a b Staugaitis, Laura (November 28, 2018). "Chain Reaction: An International Print Show Featuring Two-Wheeled Artwork". Colossal. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  48. ^ Murg, Stephanie (December 17, 2007). "Hablas Diseno?: SVA to Offer Courses in Spanish". AdWeek. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  49. ^ Quito, Anne (July 27, 2022). "Talking With 'Curious Story Lab' Host and SVA Alumnus Michele Washington". School of Visual Arts. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  50. ^ École Intuit Lab India (2020). "Iconic Mumbai, A Graphic Anthropology: Rafael Esquer at école intuit.lab". YouTube. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  51. ^ Techno India University (September 13, 2024). "Iconic Map of Kolkata: A Student-led Tribute to the City's Essence". Techno Times. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  52. ^ Win Out: The Best of Sports Graphic Design and Branding. Wang Shaoqiang, ed. Hong Kong: Sandu Publishing Co, Ltd. 2019. pp. 6–7, 204–205. ISBN 978-988-79475-4-7.
  53. ^ "Design Journeys: You Are Here". AIGA. 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  54. ^ "Björk Retrospective". MoMA. 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  55. ^ "AMPL!FY: Advancing the Front Lines of Social Justice". Museum of Art and Design (MAD). 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  56. ^ "IdentificarX, Celebrating ArtCenter's Latina/e/o/x Alumni Community". ArtCenter. 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
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https://www.alfalfastudio.com/ https://alfalfanewyork.com/