How This All Started

Tony Avila attended the The Art Center, Tucson, AZ. Completing an 18 month intense program in Commercial Art including production, design, illustration, and computer graphics. It was a great experience and it really helped him prepare for the fast paced word of commercial art.

After moving back to California Tony started on some freelance projects and eventually landed a job doing some digital imaging for Albert’s Studio a photographic lab in Visalia CA. From there he moved down to Bakersfield California working for Photo Works also doing digital imaging. During this time he brushed up on his photographic skills, something that he always wanted to pursue.

Shortly after he was hired by Jostens Printing & Publishing where he worked in the Art Department creating book covers for both schools and commercial projects. During this time he also started working for the Visalia Times Delta in both the News Room and the Production Department, creating editorial illustrations for the News Room and was used in the Production Department to produce ads and was utilized for his strong production skills. His productions skills were also utilized by Jostens where there was a vast amount of different printing procedures, such as using spot colors, setting up embossing dies and die cuts on covers.

During this time Tony started freelancing on the side in both graphic design and photography, working on print jobs and web design. His dream was to have his own design studio to graphic design and photography. So in August 2001 he started Avila Graphic Arts his own business. During this time he started teaching part time as an Adjunct Instructor teaching beginning Adobe Illustrator class at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA. On March 23rd 2007 Tony left Jostens Printing and Publishing after a decade to devote all his time to his graphic design business and photography business.

In early 2010 Tony started thinking of rebranding to Avila Studios, because he was planning to expand more in to the field of multi media. Seeing where electronic publishing is going do to mobile and tablet devices, he started working with video and audio. In 2014 Avila Graphic Arts will become Avila Studios and start a new era of interactive design.

This famous quote from Lao Tzu a mystic philosopher of ancient China, was an inspiration to me when I left my job as a graphic artist at a publishing company after a decade to pursue my dream. Enjoy the site.
Tony Ávila