Ricardo Alvarez Cruz | RAC DESIGN

Ricardo Alvarez Cruz |  RAC DESIGN

1. How do you define the Tijuana-San Diego region?

Beyond the fact that we are divided by a physical border, in terms of sociocultural, economic, and commercial interaction, there is a dynamic that allows for exchange, communication, and an interrelationship between Mexicans and Americans to become more than a possibility.

We don’t just share a border, but also a way of thinking that is open, forward-looking, and dynamic, as well as a form of daily interaction for an array of reasons, whether commercial or recreational. As Mexicans, we cross the border every day, thus receiving a never-ending flow of visual messages through graphic design or advertising, many of which are in Spanish or bilingual.

We acquire products and services like any other citizen of San Diego does, and that opportunity also shows up in the reverse direction. More and more Americans cross the border to build a life in TJ. We are sister cities. TJ-SD is one region.

2. How do you define your own work?

I believe in professional work that is based on creative processes that allow me to reach solutions to specific problems of visual communication or formal solutions for other areas of design like architecture, interior design, object and furniture design, sculpture, etc.

My work is based on a profound understanding of the client, in order to discern their needs and to find the best solution possible for them. As much as possible, I try to base my work on the simple but foundational principles of design, and in that way to find a starting point to unleash creativity, achieving concrete solutions that allow me to employ an endless array of possibilities and applications, and thus achieve brand projects that endure over time.

Whenever possible, I use elements or references that have to do with our own culture, but always with the idea of elevating them to another level. I’m very proud of our country, our people, our culture, our artisans and the enormous capacity of Mexicans to create a different world.

Without a doubt, it is crucial for me to work as a team to be able to access a wider vision and a broader range of possibilities, so as to obtain the best possible result and the highest levels of development for all collaborators.

I am passionate about design across the board.

3. How is the geographical context of the Tijuana-San Diego region reflected in your work?

I’ve had the good fortune to have clients on both sides of the border, including clients who have their own businesses on both sides. Some clients look to carry out projects on just one side of the border, while other clients look at both San Diego and Tijuana. Another set of clients are from San Diego and are interested in attracting the attention of the huge Mexican market.

Working just for Mexican clients is not the same as working for Mexicans and Americans at the same time; working for both gives us a range of experiences and learning opportunities that enrich our own experience of design. We can influence that universe of people in thousands of ways through our work as designers.

Ricardo Alvarez Cruz

Ricardo Alvarez Cruz

Born in Tijuana, B.C. Mexico in 1959

  • 1977-1979 Design of Human Settlements, UAM-X, México, D.F.
  • 980-1984 Design for Graphic Communication, UAM-X, México, D.F.
  • 1985-1986 Postgraduate Degree in Graphic Design by Allgemeine Gewerbeschule, Basel, Switzerland.
  • 1986-1988 Worked as Art Director in Gilardi, M.W., México, D.F.
  • 1989 He returned to Tijuana, where he has developed an endless number of Graphic Design projects, especially in Branding.

Some Customers: Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery, Blockbuster, Sony, Telcel, Jack in the Box, CESPT, Camino Real, CETTO, URBI, GEO, Coca Cola, Megaprint, Tijuana City Hall, Museum of the Californias (CECUT), MCI, Family Bargain Center, San Diego PADRES, to name just a few.

Founder of and Creative Director at: IMAGRAF Graphic Design and Communication, ALVAREZ, HODOYAN Y ASOCIADOS Publicidad, THE AD MACHINE in San Diego, CA., EIKONS Diseño y Comunicación Integral and RAC Design.

He has been a graphic design teacher and has given conferences in several Schools and Universities in Mexico and the USA.

    Also developed in other areas of design and the arts such as:
  • Artist and Sculptor since 1983.
  • Designer and Producer of Furniture and Objects since 1989.
  • Interior designer since 2014.

He lives and works in Tijuana, B.C., as a multidisciplinary designer under the RAC Design brand, an integrating company of Design Services, which covers the areas of Architecture, Interior Design, Design and production of Furniture, Graphic Design and Art Projects. .