THE PERSON BEHIND THE DIGITAL STUDIO

Hi, I’m JJ.
I make brands feel seen.

I’m a lettering artist and designer who turns the heart behind small businesses into visuals people can actually feel.

My story

Creativity has always been how I connect.

Long before JJ Typography was a studio, lettering was how I made sense of ideas, feelings, and the world around me. It’s how I coped with my dyslexia as a child. I loved that a word could say one thing while its shape told an entirely different story.

Today, I use that same curiosity to help founders translate what makes their work special into an identity that feels honest, expressive, and unmistakably theirs.

I’m not here to make you look like everyone else. I’m here to help you look more like yourself.

What guides my work

Design with a whole heart.

01

Feelings first

Before the logo, palette, or perfect letterform, I want to know what you want people to feel when they see your business. What’s the vibe?

02

Made with you

The best work comes from collaboration—not disappearing behind a curtain and revealing a surprise.

03

Human on purpose

I leave room for texture, personality, and the tiny imperfections that make something memorable.

But undeniably yours. 

absolutely no AI artwork  made in this design studio.

My Approach to Design

I merge bold lettering, emotionally resonant illustration, and community-rooted storytelling to create work that is both visually striking and strategically grounded. Using tools like Procreate, Adobe Suite, and Canva, I craft design solutions that prioritize beauty, clarity, accessibility, and emotional connection.

I have background in Ethnic Studies that deeply informs my creative process. It has intentionally shaped my lens to continue to center inclusion, identity, and cultural awareness. Whether I'm collaborating with grassroots organizations, helping a brand define their visual identity or building brand systems from scratch, I approach every project with intention, playfulness, and a commitment to social impact.

Design, for me, is a practice of care. It’s how I transform ideas into visuals that move people bridging strategy with soul, and creativity with purpose.

a few things that make me, me.

  • I’ve always been heavily intuitive, and I’ve gravitated toward lettering since I was a kid. I was coping with my dyslexia before I even knew I had it. I was lettering before I even knew what it was called, all so I could slow myself down from jumping all over the page and actually focus.

    Through that experience, my love for drawing letters deepened. I began challenging myself to manipulate different letter shapes and create new styles with markers and paper. When my curiosity grows, my creativity and skill grow right along with it.

    Outside of one graphic design class in high school, I’m fully self-taught through trial and error, plus YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram 😅.

    I’m a fast learner and I’m not mentally bound by the restraints of what should be. I’m way more interested in creating what could be.

  • I’m a proud granddaughter of 4 Filipin@ immigrants. I was born and raised in San Diego, CA, where I live now. I grew up taking lots of road trips up and down the CA coast to visit family.

    I lived in the Bay Area for 6 years for college at SF State, where I studied and taught Ethnic Studies and earned my degree in Asian American Studies. My style is heavily influenced by hip hop culture, social movements, my own lived experiences finding my way back to myself, and what I’ve witnessed along my own journey of self-discovery. All of that has led me to believe that my art has been, is, and will always be political. To me, that depth is what leaves so much room for the details that make it beautiful.

    I have hella gratitude for the connections, relationships, and partnerships I’ve cultivated in the Bay Area and Sacramento over the years. They still heavily inspire and influence my work, style, and values. Catch me traveling up to NorCal for work often.

    1. My favorite artist of all time is my Lolo (grandfather) he raised me to believe everyone has an inner artist, and the folks who don’t identify as artists just haven’t found their medium yet.

    2. I love learning about astrology, numerology, Human Design, and tarot.

    3. I have a serious art supply addiction with a special interest in alcohol and acrylic markers.

    4. From nature walks to new cafés, and shared sunsets to deep conversations, I stay rooted in practices that nurture creativity, connection, and joy.

    5. I always need something to draw on to help me focus, whether it’s a notebook, sketchbook, or iPad, plus colored pens in case an idea hits. I also love color coding things to help me understand them.

    6. I co-founded and co-own a wellness company called The Art of Becoming LLC, inspired by my own self-love journey and wanting to share the tools I gained through my own journey, past and present. It’s an extension of the world I want co-created.