A few things about how I think...
I get it. I really do. I believe "culture eats strategy for breakfast" (-Kevin Plank) and I have the research to prove it. I was very fortunate enough to be asked to speak at South By Southwest in 2016 and talked about this as it relates to design, fandom, apparel and influencers.
While leading design over a decade in sports and entertainment, over the past 5+ years I have been tasked with bringing an annually, sometimes multi-annual print, digital, TV & radio broadcast campaign to life by having an in-depth understanding of how each form of media speaks to a different subset of audiences and how each platform can be driven for a strategic purpose. By first understanding the pulse of our core demographics and then working closely to plan media, this two-punch combo is a key element in capitalizing on the integrated effectiveness that each media vehicle has on one another. A pivotal ingredient in transforming a great creative campaign into a strategic visual operation. One that begins to tell a story from the living room screen and is then supported by the social second surface. From the every day commute to the moment of entry into the venue environment, and then subconsciously channeling a collective excitement which ultimately hits the pinnacle when a fan stands to their feet and engages in the interactive in-game/event experience - even further continuing to influence the journey home through takeaway and retail materials. This allows us to speak not only to consumers, but to circles of influence and multi generations…because I believe that it all matters, at every stage. Through my hands-on involvement in every media platform, I have driven a team of extremely talented creators to unite under one vision, assembling a unified visual language, combined with one communicated voice. Each making the other stronger and holistically changing the way our brand affects a fan culture and manifest a brand lifestyle. Through this creative orchestration we have been able to shape fan behavior - ultimately impacting and reaching marketing and sales goals year after year, regardless of the product on the field. It is all about the positioning and emotion. This is how we are defining a culture.
I currently work, live and play in the great city of Houston but you can also find me online here...
Twitter #chrisdavidgfx
Instagram /chrisdavidgfx
LinkedIn /chrisdavidg
Thanks for visiting the site - ps I love espresso coffee - cheers!
//cdg
SXSW Sports Speaker & Mentor
Fashion Over Fandom: Design & Style Driving Sales
Creative Mentor
Major Level Creative CONNECT | Pro Sports Design Conference
Creator & Founder
Houston Astros | Major League Baseball
Creative Director & Marketing o9Strategy
Houston Dynamo | Major League Soccer
Senior Creative Designer & Marketing Lead
Makers of Sport Podcast // Episode 42: Chris David Garcia, Creative Director, Houston Astros; Founder, MLC Connect
Sport Creative Podcast Episode 6 // Preparing Like A Champ For MLC Connect 2018 With Founder Chris David Garcia // #creativessocial #mediasports
Just Get Started Podcast Episode 12 // Excited for everyone to get to know this extremely talented designer and visionary in the creative space...
Astros’ World Series Title Gives In-House Design Team Wealth of Projects // By: Tim Newcomb // Chris David Garcia, the director of creative services for the Major League Baseball World Series champion Houston Astros, was warned that winning the title would create a workload level unrivaled in his previous years with the team…
ThreadX, San Diego // There’s nothing quite like the passion of a die-hard sports fan, but even so, young sports fans are starting to believe that style, design, illustration and colors (i.e., individual expression!) take precedence over traditional messages and basic logo design. This panel of major-league sports merchandisers — representing the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Wilson Sporting Goods — will talk about the transformation in purchasing and promotional trends around team merchandise and player influence.
The Art Institute Houston, Speaker - Very thankful to get an opportunity to speak to students & faculty this week at @artinstitutehou // these guys and gals were super engaged & hungry // one of them was actually hand lettering in the front row my entire talk...was gnarly! 🤙// gave away a book & everyone got a @mlcconnect creative motivation sticker - heck, someone in the bottom right of the pic slapped it on their red water bottle asap - so cool // S/o to @joesergon for the 📷 & to @mattjdaniel for coming out // you guys even got ovation, lol ;)
Fashion Over Fandom // The sports consumption habits of millennials — projected to reach more than 75 million by 2028 and surpass baby boomers as the largest living generation in the US — are rapidly changing, but the area seeing the biggest transformation is purchasing trends around team merchandise as these young sports fans are starting to believe that style, design, brand and color of gear, along with individual expression, takes precedent over allegiances to teams or players. This panel takes an in-depth look into the fashion over fandom behavioral shift. // #sxsw #SXsports
Art Institute of Houston - Creative Talk // Decided to post a three second version of my @artinstitutehou talk >> ok, so it’s actually just the chapter titles but pretty proud of this new talk // it covers the championship content my team and I output including all sorts of sports design and content gems // also hand lettered the titles myself thanks to all the daily inspiration from @roxydomz // ps: one of my last slides was completely dedicated to my creative squad - literally included a team photo and I went through each one of them, shared their names and what their talents are (many!) // so blessed to work with such incredible talent // anyway, always down to share my creative failures and learning experiences…
Grace Creative & Media Team Night // I believe anytime someone listens to your #story, it's an honor // this week I had the good fortune of sharing some #creative #brand #culture#communication #strategy with the folks @gracehumble // this group of creative people embody #service and #purpose & #passion // #occupation + #vocation // I truly have become more #wiser by listening to their stories and sharing our #creative#struggles together, real #design#transparency // let me encourage any creative #designthinkers to run towards the #uncharted // #opportunity has a shelf life…