Glenn Batuyong / The SWC Sun
Andy Lorenzano (right) credits former Southwestern College Professor David Quattrociocchi for inspiring and challenging him to develop his art and his identity.
George Olarte and Andy Lorenzana have built successful careers in graphic design, working with major brands like Vans, Play Station and Honda. As their careers have grown, both continue to carry the influence of South San Diego with them, bringing pieces of the South Side’s culture and creativity into their work.
For Lorenzana, growing up in the South Bay shaped his art.
“It was in the ’80s and the ’90s where gang activity was active throughout the South Bay, whether you were a gang member or a civilian, it was all around,” he said. “You could try to avoid it, but at the same time, it was hard to avoid. You could get swallowed up in it, be a victim, or you fight back. My part in it, I chose to fight back and stand up for myself.”
He and his friends were often viewed differently by people around them.
“We were looked at as a gang, a lot of times we were beaten up, pushed around and put in predicaments that felt like, ‘Oh, well, maybe we got to do something’,” said Olarte. “The pressure was pushing us into another gang. It was just self-protection and trying to find our own identity.”
Though they were surrounded by a chaotic environment, they still found a way to express themselves.
“Where I got to be creative was on the streets, with spray paint or with doing flyers.” Olarte said.
Lorenzana found a similar escape. Watching his cousin Glenn draw, create graffiti lettering, and make flyers pushed him toward graphic design.
“That was something that was on the side, that was an escape from the craziness of the things that were going on all around me… we used to go and do graffiti pieces on walls, but I didn’t know that we were able to make a career out of it,” he said.
For Lorenzana, art also helped pull him away from the life surrounding him.
“That was the door that kind of opened up everything and kind of helped me transition out of that life,” he said. “Probably kept me out of jail. Probably kept me out of bigger problems.”
Olarte’s path to college came after a difficult time of his own.
“I just got out of juvenile hall,” Olarte said. “I got a GED (General Educational Development), and, that allowed me to go to college.”
Both eventually enrolled at Southwestern College, where they hoped to turn their artistic talents into a career.
“We were in some of the same classes with a professor named Mr. Quattrociocchi, and he was a big inspiration to us,” said Lorenzana. “We were pretty much wild out there.”
For Olarte, David Quattrociocchi’s graphic design class paved the path to his future career.
“It really opened my eyes to what graphic design could be,” he said. “I had no idea what I wanted to do, but when I left this class, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”
Quattrociocchi connected with them because he understood how to speak to students who came from their background.
“He had kind of a street swagger about him too,” Lorenzana said. “He spoke to us on a level where if you want to excel in this, you’ve got to get with the program and know that there’s other folks you’re going to be competing with for higher positions. If you ever wanted to be successful in this, you would have to develop these skills.”
Their former professor was right, Olarte and Lorenzana went on and became successful artists working for major companies.
Olarte worked on projects for Bakugan and Sony PlayStation, while Lorenzana built a career working with companies and brands including Vans, Pony Shoes, One Industries, Rockstar Energy Drink, Monster Energy Drink, Honda and Yamaha.
