Raised
by both parents with teaching backgrounds, Marilyn Prado
was trained in an early age to do her cursive writing at the age
of five. At this age, her daily routine after school was to do
her academic homework and perfect cursive writing. Some pressure
that was for a five year old! She easily got bored doing her academic
homework but when it came down to drawing figures and forms and
letters, many hours were spent doodling. "I can still remember
'til this day how my mother use to smack my hands and scold at
me for drawing instead of reading or doing my math homework. She
did this in her best intention that I would always do well academically
in school first," says Marilyn. Little did her parents know that
an artist awaits to blossom.
Marilyn
earned her BFA in graphic design and packaging from Art Center
College of Design in Pasadena, California. While studying at Art
Center she managed to freelance on the side doing traditional
print designs.
She
is currently an art director at Magnet Interactive where she led
projects for Infiniti, Powerclose, UNX, Lightyear Partners, AdColony,
and Magnet-West Neweconomy site. Along with designing web sites,
she's continued to contribute her expertise in logo design and
print in this web environment. Marilyn says, "Never limit your
capabilities. Understanding Branding is the key." Although she's
been in the web design industry for the last year and a half,
her true passion in typography, packaging and traditional print
stays afloat in her freelance projects.
Marilyn
can't emphasize enough the importance of a project process. Whether
it is logo design, web design, or traditional print design. "I
look at it this way," Marilyn says. "I'm hired as what I call
a "Design Therapist" to pick the patient's mind. My ultimate goal
is to be there for the patient and identify their problems by
simply listening to their needs and gaining that thing we call
trust. It all has to do with finding one's identity and prescribing
what's good for them for the long term not the just for the short
term. I believe that I've done my job if I've met all the criterias
based on problems that were identified from the get go. Designing
something "Timeless" is the key. " Not only should the design
be aesthetically pleasing but functional as well.
Marilyn's
Thoughts on Production:
In reference to choosing a client or a project, there's a rule
of thumb that Marilyn always abide by: There are three things
in life which we all wish we can have: love(passion), money and
time. The reality of it all is that you can't have all three all
at once. You're lucky if you have 2 out of the 3. What is more
important to you?
