{"id":25192,"date":"2024-10-08T03:22:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T03:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=25192&post_type=story"},"modified":"2024-11-12T17:02:33","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T17:02:33","slug":"how-a-ucf-grads-art-helps-make-local-businesses-iconic","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/how-a-ucf-grads-art-helps-make-local-businesses-iconic\/","title":{"rendered":"How a UCF Grad\u2019s Art Helps Make Local Businesses Iconic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sean<\/p>\n

For 15 years of his early adult life, Sean Walsh \u201912<\/strong> called Central Florida home. He worked here, went out with friends here and earned a B.F.A. in graphic art\u00a0at UCF<\/a>. He also left his mark here. Walsh, who moved to Greenville, South Carolina, two years ago, now comes to Orlando with the wide eyes of an exploring visitor, the difference being that he can fix his eyes on very personal, very familiar sights.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few weeks ago, I came down for a meeting and I made a point to go see the The Packing District sign,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cThat was a highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone who drives near College Park knows the sign. Its iconic neon letters tower over the corner of Princeton Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail as if they\u2019ve been entrenched at this very spot for generations. That\u2019s exactly the impression Walsh had in mind when he began to design the sign in 2021.<\/p>\n

\"Packing

A collage of the Packing District sign on Princeton Street and Orange Blossom Trail.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t see a lot of working neon signs in Central Florida anymore,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cThe goal with the design was to make it crowd-pleasing and modern, but with a vintage look that pays homage to the history of the area as a major center for the citrus industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before coming up with the unforgettable look, Walsh pulled inspiration from classic photos and old orange crate labels.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be the coolest project I\u2019ve ever worked on,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it\u2019s hard to say because I\u2019ve had the privilege to work on a lot of cool projects in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He can see those cool projects by simply traveling around Central Florida. His work heightens specific moods for businesses while also producing instant memory lanes for anyone who sees them \u2014 including himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of these projects have been collaborations with owners of small businesses,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cIt\u2019s always an honor to see them because I remember being a fan of these businesses before I ever did any work for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He can cruise along Curry Ford Road and see his hand-drawn illustrations that make patrons of Pizza Bruno feel like they\u2019ve entered a classic bootleg pizza joint.<\/p>\n

\"Pizza

An example of Sean Walsh ’12’s work is the Pizza Bruno box design.<\/p><\/div>\n

Over on Mills Avenue, he can stop at Death In The Afternoon where he created a logo, cocktail menu and illustrations to set the establishment apart as a French Absinthe den \u2014 not an everyday bar. For anyone who doesn\u2019t know what a French Absinthe den is, walk inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is subtle and crafted,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cIt feels like a discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along South Street, he can walk into Whippoorwill Beer House and see his familiar murals on the walls. \u201cThe owner wanted to combine the feel of a \u201970s beer parlor with unique nods to Central Florida wildlife \u2014 but with no predictable alligators. I went with a mosquito and lovebugs, which is definitely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a friend of Walsh opened a nail salon in College Park, she asked if he could design distinctive visual cues that merge girly with edgy. \u201cShe liked the rock band Slayer,\u201d Walsh says, \u201cso I created an artsy riff with that in mind.\u201d The marriage of snakes with shades of pink have helped brand Pinkie Orlando as a salon unlike any other in Central Florida.<\/p>\n

Whether he plans it or not, Walsh can simply get caught up in traffic and see the unmistakable designs he created to spread the message about the Orange County Library System program called Local Wanderer. The cultural pass opens doors to dozens of local museums, theaters, zoos and botanical gardens. Walsh\u2019s illustrations for the program can be seen online, on tote bags and on car magnets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to make it fun and approachable at a glance because it\u2019s such a great program for families,\u201d he says. Walsh used playful eyes in the illustrations \u2014 on fish, on oranges, on bugs, tucked into plants, eyeballs everywhere. \u201cWhen you see them, you instinctively want to know more. They\u2019re different, and different is good when it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent\u201d is a good description of Walsh\u2019s art and the way he turned it into a career. It all started in the bakery of a Whole Foods Market, making cakes and scones. When an opening came up to create in-store art, he shifted over to that role where he could use his raw skills to draw chalkboard-style signs for merchandise and customer engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe signs changed from day to day, so people weren\u2019t sure if they came from a corporate template or if they came from an actual person,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cIt was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years later, he figured he should use his Bright Futures scholarship before the funding expired. He enrolled at UCF to learn the nuances of graphic art and applied them to a growing portfolio of local businesses. The original Foxtail Coffee in Winter Park called on Walsh\u2019s talent to help differentiate its menus with his hand-scrawled touches before the business expanded across Florida and three more states.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s humbling to think my designs might help people instantly understand the story of a business,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cWhen I come back to Central Florida and see those designs \u2014 those stories \u2014 I still can\u2019t believe\u00a0I got to be a part of them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":25313,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[341,1452],"class_list":["post-25192","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-college-of-arts-and-humanities","tag-ucf-alumni","issues-fall-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nHow a UCF Grad\u2019s Art Helps Make Local Businesses Iconic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take a ride around Central Florida with Sean Walsh \u201912 and you\u2019ll see how his designs have helped shape a certain character for businesses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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