Viva the Graphic Designer

Viva+the+Graphic+Designer

Viva the Matadors is the SB Nation Affiliate for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The alumni-run blog is the number one source for Red Raider news boasting over 20,000 followers across social media. Recently, the page has gotten an upgrade in the graphic design department courtesy of Senior Jack Pepper.

Jack, who has been a longtime fan of the page, reached out to the editors through social media over the summer and within a week of contacting them, he had an internship with the blog as a graphic designer. Jack has spent much of the last few years honing his craft, posting his designs on Instagram and to his portfolio at jackpeppermedia.com. His designs have received praise from countless people in the graphic design and sports communities including widely-acclaimed graphic designer Tony Huynh, who has done work for the Carolina Panthers and Orlando Magic among others.

“I just like making cool stuff. That’s really all it comes down to. There’s no greater meaning to the stuff I make, its just sports edits, but I’ve put a lot of time and effort into this to make it look as professional as I can.”

According to Jack, working with a brand like Viva the Matadors hasn’t been all that different from what he’s been doing on his own time but comes with some extra perks.

“It places some restrictions on me in terms of colors and textures I have to use but it hasn’t been too different from what I do on my own,” Jack said, “I just try to stay consistent with my designs to try and show them that I understand the importance of the brand. And the experience I get from working with a page like Viva La Matadors is easily worth it.”

The director of social media at Tech, Blake Zimmerman, even reached out to Jack after he started with Viva the Matadors to congratulate him on getting the job and building up a client-based portfolio for himself.