Issac Martinez, known by his artist tag Archivedotpdf and his more than 80k followers on Instagram, has been creating graphic design art since his high school days.
Working on graphics for clothing, film and music, Martinez has built himself a well-known brand, but it didn’t happen overnight. He took design classes at Spanish Springs High School, and then when the pandemic hit, he honed his budding craft on his own time.
Since then, he’s created designs for musical artists, including Kevin Abstract, a rapper, singer, and songwriter. Nothing comes easy though in the graphics field with so much competition.
Back in 2021, Martinez reached out to Abstract, who was looking for a logo. Martinez designed a few, but it never worked out. Then in 2023, after Abstract released a new album named “Blanket,” Martinez reached out once again, and this time, it worked out in his favor.
“I was able to make a whole bunch of graphics and really decide how this roll out for his new album would play out,” Martinez said.
While Martinez has lived in Reno his whole life, the 775 isn’t a hotbed in the graphic design world, making it challenging, but also more open to any kind of style.
“A whole bunch of people from a whole different bunch of places who come here and they try to bring their ideas,” Martinez said. “It's allowed me to I think be more open when I'm working with artists.”
While doing freelance work is a struggle, Martinez said it has its perks.
“I think at one point I realized it's important to keep putting out work. Even if you're not a hundred percent on it,” Martinez said.
Martinez advised those wanting to work in graphic design, acknowledging that building a portfolio is huge. Martinez also said you have to believe in yourself to have any chance in building a career.
“You might not think the work is good enough and that's gonna be embarrassing but I feel like no one's going to take that step for you,” Martinez said. “You're going to have to take it yourself.”