Crysta Dela Cuesta

Crysta Jewel Dela Cuesta (she/her) is a Filipina-American multidisciplinary artist and designer from Los Angeles, California. Working primarily in graphic design, craft, painting, and photography, Crysta’s creative practice is about play, exploration, and human connection. She is passionate about collaborating and building a community with fellow creatives and like-minded individuals and experimenting with various media, themes, techniques, and visual styles that allow her to effectively communicate and engage with a wide audience.

Crysta holds Associate Degrees in Graphic & Multimedia Design and Studio Arts from College of the Canyons and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art with an emphasis in Communication Design from California State University Northridge. She is a Snap Design Academy alumna and a Royal College of Art Graduate Diploma alumna. Through the partnership of Snap Inc. and the Royal College of Art, Crysta has received a full-ride scholarship to pursue her Master’s Degree in Visual Communication at the RCA.

In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, go to exhibitions, travel, listen to music, and, eat and enjoy different types of food.

FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER Los Angeles, CA + London, UK | 2016 - Present

• Clients include: Valley High, The International Girls Academy, eCosmetics, Frosty Queen, A Splash of TLC, and Community Extension Programs
• Collaborated with company founders and staff members to develop brand
• Use Adobe Creative Suite to produce social media graphics and other digital and print marketing collateral
• Occasionally art directed photoshoots and used own photographs to post for promotional materials

ETSY SHOP OWNER/OPERATOR AND DESIGNER

BT Scents | Los Angeles, CA | December 2020 - Present

• Grew profitable online business during COVID-19 pandemic
• Use Adobe Creative Suite to design specialty air fresheners and print and digital marketing collateral
• Stay current with market trends to determine optimal pricing of goods to capitalize on sale growth opportunities
• Maintain friendly and professional customer interactions
• Regular vendor at fan events and art fairs to sell products and make connections with hosts, customers, and fellow business owners

SNAP STORYTELLING ACADEMY COACH

Snap Inc. | Los Angeles, CA | May - August 2021, April - August 2022

• Mentored Los Angeles-based community college students interested in marketing, brand strategies, design, and communications in a hands-on 8-week summer academy hosted by Snap Inc., LA-Tech.org, and Next Shift Learning for two consecutive summers
• Assisted and co-led class sessions, workshops, and fireside chats with academy instructors, Snap Inc. team members, and volunteers
• Managed Zoom meetings, Slack channels, and Notion pages

ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART | London, UK

MA, Visual Communication | 2022 - 2023

Graduate Diploma, Communication (Distinction) | 2020 - 2021

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE | Los Angeles, CA

BA, Art (Communication Design) | 2019 - 2022

GPA: 4.0

COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS | Valencia, CA

AA, Graphic & Multimedia Design | 2016 - 2019

AA, Studio Arts | 2016 - 2019

GPA: 4.0