Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Martinez.
Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Alex Martinez, I am the Founder and Creative Director here at DeepSleep Studio. How I began and got here is a pretty lengthy story but in short, I was a self-taught graphic designer, I loved pushing pixels and designing things. I used the computer as a creative outlet. Back in the early 90’s I got put to the test by a friend of mine when he asked me to create a flyer for a rave he was doing. Soon after that it became a word of mouth thing which quickly pulled me into nightlife work. I was doing some design work for Ultra four when I was told to stick my name on a flyer. It was roughly around 4-5am when that happened, and couldn’t think of a name. I heard my little brother and parents snoring away in their rooms and told myself I need some DeepSleep. I typed the name up. I gravitated to the characters and said “Fuck it, DeepSleep Studio it is”. Soon after that work poured in and I began building my design side hustle while I went to New World School of the Arts. How I got here has a few twists and turns.
Throughout the years a lot of good decisions were made and many more fantastic bad decisions were stumbled upon. I say “fantastic” because those road bumps taught me a lot about my character and helped shift things to where they are today. About ten years ago I teamed up with my childhood friend Jorge Marquez and together we opened our doors. So what was once my design moniker name became our agency. People that I worked with in nightlife eventually became restaurant owners, hotel managers and so forth. Those people supported us and trusted our work. Through persistence and passion one project led to another and here we are today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
You have to be creative to run a creative agency. The road to any independent agency is never filled with marshmallows and rainbows. I would say that some of the struggles have been building the DNA of the agency. The team, it takes more than being a great designer to be here. In contrast, in the beginning it was also hard to find the right clients. I speak in behalf of the team but essentially we want to work with design leaders and company leaders that understand that design and branding at large is beyond the identity and symbol. So, we get really really excited when we get opportunities to work on brands that allow us to flex on what we do. Nowadays we find people coming to us and simply letting us to use their project as a blank canvas. I feel that’s a total compliment and a testament to the work that has been put in throughout the years.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Here at DeepSleep I tend to spearhead the creative projects we work on. As a brand and Interactive designer some of our most recent projects that I am personally favorable of is the website creation we did for 1st.com in which we won a Webby Award on. Winning a Webby was always on my bucket list and I’m proud we came out shining. Also, most recently BUBUSAN. I took Bubu under my wing and nurtured that project back in March of 2020 when the whole pandemic was announced. One year later we brought it out to the local market and so far it’s been an abundance on compliments on our work there more so I’m excited for some of things we will be doing with that brand. You can see that we like to play in many spaces from a large corporate identity in Thoroughbred racing to a local sushi restaurant brand that has the opportunities to go national. We simply like to play. I am passionate about crafting a story and supporting that with visuals. Often you will find me rolling up my sleeves getting my hands dirty on the projects we work on. I enjoy the intersection of leading teams and working with other creatives as well. What sets me apart from others? Hmm. Experience and being able to adapt. I think also being a person that “gets it” from the jump.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with us by simply reaching out, I’m always keeping an eye out on young and veteran designers’ people that I can foresee working with. But no one will ever see you unless you get in front of them.
Contact Info:
- Email: Alex@deepsleepstudio.com
- Website: https://www.deepsleepstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepsleepstudio/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepsleepstudio
Image Credits
Peter Vahan Ruben Cabrera Chorale Miles
