At Canales & Co. we pride ourselves on our small, nimble and talented team.

We’re excited to continue our Meet the Team series, a way for you to get to know our team better, with our talented Designer - Denver Gravitt.

Where were you born? What do you like most about your hometown?
Midland Texas. I loved going to minor league ice hockey games and seeing the gopher village at the airport.

What’s one of your favorite hobbies to do in your spare time?
Obsess over my excessive number of houseplants

Whats one C&C project you thoroughly enjoyed working on? Why did you enjoy it?
Friends n' Family Salsa. Really cool local product; I was pushed a lot during the process and the end result came out great.

What is your favorite aspect about working at Canales & Co?
The true family atmosphere and coworkers that push me creatively.

If you had to pick one destination to travel to based on the inspiration it provides, where would it be and why?
I would love to experience European cathedrals - the artistry and attention to the smallest detail combined with centuries of history is fascinating to me.

How did you decide to begin your career in Austin?
For the creative community, distinct personality, and FOOD.

Who would be your dream client to design for?
Branding for a NBA or NFL team!

When did you know you wanted to be a designer?
In elementary school, when I carved a lion head on a pumpkin one fall, and my small school wanted to use it as their logo. They still haven't paid me.

Were you born in Denver?
Nope. Never been.

It’s been some time since our last blog post! We have been incredibly busy here at Canales & Co. and are looking forward to sharing more exciting updates with you.

Thanksgiving is here and we are so thankful for our clients and all those that support us. At Canales & Co. we pride ourselves on our small, nimble and talented team. We are thankful each day for the drive and energy they bring to the table.

To help you get to know our team better we are kicking off our Meet the Team series - starting with one of our designers, Nathan.

Where were you born? What do you like most about your hometown?

“I was born and raised in El Paso, TX before moving to Austin for college. I miss the mountains most of all, and the way the desert air smells after a heavy rain.”

What is your favorite aspect about working at Canales & Co?

“I love the people I work with. Everyone is laid-back, but driven and ambitious as well. We all genuinely care about each others growth and well-being, both in and outside of work. The office space is pretty dope too.”

How did you know you wanted to change profession from fine arts to graphic design?

“I've always had a love for design, but never thought of having a design profession until after a few years of working in the fine arts industry. I wanted to set myself on a path where I could explore new creative avenues, while continuing to support my main goal of becoming a fine artist. I'm also hoping to open and brand a pinball arcade/bar someday, and my experience at Canales & Co. will be crucial in doing just that I'm sure.”

What is your favorite thing to do in Austin?

“I really enjoy swimming at Barton Springs, just as the sun is rises in the morning. There's nothing quite like sipping a hot cup of coffee after a cool dip in the pool.”

What are resources you go to for feeling inspired?

“I like to hoard books on art, design, and architecture. Even spending time just browsing through bookstores is inspiring, I try and do it as often as I can.”

Do you have any advice for professionals considering a switch in professions?

“Be patient and give yourself some grace. Growing into a new profession takes time and isn't easy, but believe in your work and you'll get there.”

If you had to pick one destination to travel to based on the inspiration it provides, where would it be and why?

“I would travel to Mexico City to experience all the fantastic food, fine art, and amazing architecture the city has to offer.”

Whats one C&C project you thoroughly enjoyed working on? Why did you enjoy it?

“I've had a blast designing merchandise for Tecovas. Their southwestern brand aesthetic totally fits my design vibe.”

What’s one of your favorite hobbies to do in your spare time?

“Someday I'll be a full-time fine artist, so I try to paint as often as I can”

It doesn’t feel entirely accurate to say things are going “back to normal” at this point in the coronavirus crisis. But we’re starting to take some tentative steps away from the more intense season of shelter in place, so we want to take some time to let people know how things have changed at Canales & Co. over the past several weeks – and what’s kept us going.

On March 17, Canales & Co. officially went remote. Gabe and Denver started working from home, while Jose and Christina switched off between work-from-home and working solo in the office on Reese. As of today (Monday, May 11), that’s still the arrangement. Transitioning to home office setups has gone smoothly, but this season hasn’t been easy – our clients have been hurt by an unpredictable market, and we’ve hurt with them.

At the same time, we’ve been consistently amazed at the tenacity of the companies we have the privilege of working with. For example, Cape May Brewing Co. has adapted to a changing economy, serving as innovators in the Northeast by aggressively pursuing beer delivery when tasting room traffic dried up. Remedy has embraced their role as a healthcare provider in new ways, expanding services through existing channels and opening up new ones (including a new outdoor HQ in Sunset Valley). And William Chris Vineyards, one of our newest clients right here in Central Texas, brought us on board to design a wine label to help them raise funds for the Texas food service industry as restaurants all over the state struggle with reduced traffic.

We’re not sure when we’ll get back to the office. Working from home has gone well, and we wouldn’t want to do anything to put our people in danger (or, to put it in the words that have become the official slogan of the coronavirus season: “We’re taking this day-by-day out of an abundance of caution”). We’re one of the lucky companies that has been able to weather this storm relatively unscathed, and we wouldn’t want to rush back to a close working space too soon. So in the meantime, we’ll keep masking up and getting to work (from home), doing what we can to keep up with our clients’ hustle. Y’all stay safe.

Folks, this is a big moment for us: Canales & Co. has been featured in Communication Art’s 2020 Typography edition. We’ve had the honor of our work winning CA’s awards in the past, but having someone tell our story and share so much of our work is a whole new ballgame. A big thank-you is due to our clients, who have offered us the opportunities we’ve had to bring these ideas to life.

We'd also like to thank Leslie Wolke, the very talented writer who took the time to interview the team and write the article. We’re beaming with pride over our inclusion in CA, and we hope you enjoy taking a look for yourself.

CA Feature

Leslie Wolke's Website

We want to give a shoutout to one of the top talents at the studio: Christina Canales, our design leader for spaces. She’s been working quietly under the radar for the past couple of years, but now that we’ve hit our 5-year mark, we’ve decided to add her to our list of full-time designers.

We’re not just doing logos and beer cans, folks – this is a move that brings us even closer to being the one-stop design shop we’ve wanted to be for years. Keep your eyes open for more content from Christina, because we’re ready to show off what she can do.