Diversity Chair
Julio Martinez was born in Mexico City. Throughout his education and cultural transition to life in San Francisco, he has maintained a deep interest in art, design, culture, education and community—and how those elements impact each other. He has over ten years of experience working on a variety of design projects.
He started his career at Pentagram, working on a broad range of projects including branding, print, packaging, exhibit and web design. He has worked extensively as an independent designer, with a special interest in community-oriented organizations. He is also an avid illustrator, and often uses that interest to enrich his design work. Since 2007, he has been a principal and creative director at studio1500, a design firm in San Francisco that focuses on brand development and building collaborative relationships with clients large and small.
Over the course of his career his clients have included the Computer History Museum, PARC (A Xerox Company), the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Magnes Museum, SF Indiefest, Logitech, Symantec and Red Herring Magazine, among others.
Julio received a BFA in Graphic Design from San Jose State University, where he is currently a lecturer in the Department of Design.