Sixto-Juan Zavala is a designer, illustrator, researcher, & story-teller. Specialising in environmental & identity graphic design, he helps deliver memorable immersive experiences. 

Photo by Kiron Ward

PROFILE
Sixto-Juan Zavala (he/they) enjoys working with multimedia deliverables, including print, digital, environmental graphics, and spatial design. He is practiced in producing unified campaigns with attention to detail as well as an overall vision. Specialising in experiential design, Zavala has helped to deliver memorable immersive experiences in retail and cultural sectors. It’s important to him to learn, grow, and share knowledge through  research, experimentation, and collaborating with peers and educators. He has worked on complex and delicate subject-matter with sensitivity and empathy. Zavala is a proponent for diversity, inclusion, and centring the under-represented. There is an influential role in design to empower underserved communities and help give them voice and agency. In the wake of the climate emergency Zavala uses his work to encourage discussions around ecology and biodiversity. This often results in a focus on plant life and site-specific research. Zavala is based in London and works with clients the world over.


SERVICES
Design: identity, narrative environments, display, maps, typography, editorial, art direction.
Illustration: digital collage, pattern design, illustrated type, pen & ink, brush & ink.
Research: story-mapping, emotional mapping, story shapes, LGBTQ+, queer ecology, queer botany.
Learning: talks, panels, workshops, consultation.

EDUCATION
MA in Narrative Environments from UAL: Central Saint Martins, with distinction
BFA in Communication Design from Texas State University, summa cum laude

RECOGNITION
Spatial Practices Program Prizes, London, UK, 2021
Spatial Cultural Equity Award Winner

MullenLowe NOVA Awards, London, UK, 2021
Nominee
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Photo by Fikayo Adebajo

QUEER BOTANY
Zavala founded Queer Botany in 2020. Inspired by the theoretical lens of queer ecology, the project studies connections between queerness and plants through story-telling, design, and events. Queer Botany has worked with Chelsea Physic Garden, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Wellcome Collection, Barbican Centre, The Royal Parks, and other organisations. Zavala was interviewed by Ella Braidwood at The Guardian about queering botany along with artist Jeffrey Gibson and writer Irene Reti. Read the article here.

Photo by Fabian Villa & Steven Casanova

ESSENTIALS CREATIVE
Zavala is a member of Essentials Creative collective, acting as an Art Director. Essentials Creative is a collaborative group of applied artists who come together to work on art installations and special projects. They produce multi-media experiences, which often incorporate photography, fashion, graphic design, video, lighting design, and projection. 

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