Five Questions with Jorge Baeza Illustrator of The Bun

Five Questions with Jorge Baeza, Illustrator of ‘The Bun’

“Thank You for 30,” a recently launched campaign thanking UTEP President Dr. Diana Natalicio for her 30 years of service to the �山�ּ�, features a simple, striking take on her iconic bun hairstyle.

The illustration – seen widely throughout El Paso – is the work of Jorge Baeza, a program advisor and lecturer at Woody L. Hunt College of Business. For Baeza, being given the opportunity to express gratitude to a woman many UTEP Miners look up to was a no brainer.

Below, the Woody L. Hunt College of Business checks in with Baeza, his career as an artist and what inspires him when he creates.

How long have you been an artist?

I’ve been an illustrator since the age of 4 (according to my mom) and I have worked in the graphic design field since the late 90s. Although graphic design has not been my full-time job the majority of these years, I have worked independently the entire time – which is what has allowed me to work with Lucasfilm, Topps, Pearson Education and most recently the Dummies brand at Wiley Publishing, among others.

What’s your approach to design? Is there an influence you draw from?

Like other designers, my visual approach derives directly from the information I receive and the crowd it’s targeted to – so my style needs to be flexible in that regard. However, when I have complete freedom I tend to work with simple, bold shapes and I also try to use a bit of humor whenever possible.

I always start a project doing research on the topic at hand. This is a phase that I particularly enjoy because I love to learn new things and I read a lot, so I try to immerse myself in the content as I look for elements of the information that somehow “click” with my personality or the things I care about. Once that connection has been made, it becomes easier for me to visually articulate the graphic message. It’s lots of fun!

As a designer I’ve always loved the work from Saul Bass and other midcentury artists. Contemporary designers that I admire the most would be Von Glitschka and Dan Draplin. As an Illustrator I would say Stan Goldberg, Bruce Timm, Genndy Tartakovsky and Mort Drucker/Tom Richmond from MAD Magazine.

How were you approached to create key art for the “Thank You for 30” campaign?

Frank Duran, the Director of Creative Services at �山�ּ� Communications, was already familiar with my style and was kind enough to consider me for this task. It was one of the quickest, easiest creative processes I’ve worked on recently. I believe Frank called me up one afternoon and the morning after, Gris Campos – who is a formidable designer at �山�ּ� Communications – provided me with some reference pictures. I worked on it during lunch time that week and boom! We made it happen. There were no corrections or suggested modifications. It was a speedy process.

What inspired your interpretation of Dr. Natalicio’s iconic bun hairstyle?

That’s easy: Chuck Jones’ work at Warner Bros. Animation. His line is simplistic but also stylish and humorous. I really enjoyed working on it.

How do you feel about your artwork being chosen as the main image for UTEP’s “Thank You for 30” campaign?

Humbled and, well, thankful. Although it does feel nice to see my work around campus, talking to people about it and listening to their feedback, those things can’t be compared when it comes to paying tribute to a lady that has profoundly inspired so many of us for so long. When does one have a way to express gratitude in your own way – your own style – to someone who has done so much? I feel honored to be able to do that and I certainly hope that Dr. Natalicio has liked it. It truly has been a labor of love.

Jorge Baeza is a program advisor and lecturer at The �山�ּ� of Texas at El Paso’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business. To see more of his work online, visit and follow him on Instagram at:

Show your appreciation for President Natalicio's service, dedication and commitment to our �山�ּ� and region through a gift of any amount at .

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