Ben
Rodrigues
BIO
Originally from Carol Stream, IL this Chicago land area graphic designer, Benjamin Rodrigues
has been residing in Peoria, IL for the past several years studying at Bradley University. He has
been studying graphic design as well as social media marketing and is expected to graduate in
May 2022. Originally a fine arts artist he evolved into a designer in high school where he started
taking his first design courses. While there he started his design career by designing several
logos and other designs for the fine arts department at Glenbard North High school.
Moving into college he continued his love for design when he joined the Activities Council of
Bradley University and was able to practice his craft and get more experience. Through the
Activities Council of Bradley University, he was able to get more experience and practice
through many other positions across the Bradley University campus with the Smith Career
Center, Student Activities office, and more! He also has gained professional experience through
his time interning in several companies such as Lumisource in Elk Grove Village, IL, and Spirit
Consulting in Oakbrook, IL.
Artist Statement
From a young age, I was always attracted to art and design and was always using my creativity
in everything that I did. While art was always something I was interested in it wasn’t until I
started getting introduced to graphic design that my passion for art turned into something that I
wanted to pursue. As an artist, I take a less fine arts approach and more of a focused approach on
how I can best get the message across to the viewer and the way that design communicates with
people. It is a great feeling when you can make something that can make them smile. As a
person, I have always liked to give and make the people around me feel special, and graphic
design is the perfect balance that helps bring people joy through my work.
While graphic design is my main passion I still work in various media such as sculpture. While
these more fine arts-based mediums are quite different from my work in graphic design I am still
using the same mindset and skills when approaching any project. It is my attention to detail that
helps me pay attention to detail no matter the medium. I am an artist who focuses on the
functionality of a piece instead of the meaning and emotions tied to it. Sculpture is a newer
medium that I have taken on and I find my sculptures capture little moments in life that I make
into larger-than-life pieces. One of my most recent sculptures is an ode to Studio 54 where I have
taken inspiration from the theatrical set-like decorations and wild stories that went on during its
heyday. While my printmaking experience is more inspired by very flat and vector-like shapes
similar to my graphic design work. I am currently experimenting with lithography where I am
changing the designs between prints and connecting them with imagery and theme. This
unification between my prints comes from my experience with branding in my graphic design
work.
