Jose Berrio is a graphic designer and illustrator, who pursued his passion at the crossroads of music and illustration. He is born in Bogotá, Colombia and is now based in New York City. Berrio’s work features warm tones, nostalgic textures, and playful typography, adding a touch of quirkiness and delivering a memorable style.

Jose Berrio completed his graphic design education at Lasalle College Bogota. Right after that, he started his career in the advertising industry. And honestly, as a person who pivoted from advertising, I have observed this path many times and it is common all around the globe. Language changes, culture changes, and client expectations evolve, but advertising provides a reliable 9-5 job, at least from a parental perspective.

And I am delighted when someone rejects that path and decides to carve their own. Jose Berrio did that after receiving awards at Cannes Lions and Effie Awards. In 2015, he resigned from his full-time job and focused on what moves him; illustration and music-centered projects. This is my interpretation however, I sense that this is where he feels more passionate and finds greater satisfaction in the process of creation.

After making this decisive turn, Jose Berrio collaborated with numerous artists and bands, including Tame Impala, Khruangbin, Max Richter, Crumb, Chicano Batman, and Combo Chimbita. He also contributed to editorial pieces for renowned publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bon Appétit, and Forbes. Berrio’s journey is inspiring and empowering for creatives who may doubt themselves. There is a living proof right here with many other creative talents. You may find these words cliché or become tired of hearing them. However, if we consider them boring and cliché, we can still agree that it’s a viable path for any creative individual.

Jose Berrio, told to It’s Nice That, one day he got connected to Khruangbin’s bassist Laura Lee and she commissioned Berrio to design a poster for the band’s New Year’s Eve show in Houston, which required visual representations of the band members as well as references to the concert’s connection to NASA. Jose presented three sketches, each featuring a disco ball and NASA elements. Surprisingly, the band loved all three concepts and requested all of them. The resulting trio of posters created a captivating visual narrative, depicting the band up close wearing disco ball astronaut helmets, then inside a rocket beside a disco ball moon, and finally, on a disco ball satellite.

Nostalgic references, analog styles, various textures and brushes are part of Jose Berrio’s key elements while designing. However, he likes to play with hand-drawn shapes, icons, and letters and uses different materials to create collages. All of these give him a distinct style in the music industry and recognition from other artists, bands, and designers.

You can find music, nostalgia, a blend of color and typography, interdisciplinary inspiration and genuine creativity in Jose Berrio’s work. It’s always a good feeling to discover great designers. You can check his work from his website and follow him on Instagram.