Allan Manzano: Filipino-American Designer on Building Community, Culture, and Dynamo Design Group.

Filipino-American graphic designer, educator, and founder of Dynamo Design Group Allan Manzano built a design career rooted in community, culture, and a belief that design is bigger than aesthetics — and he did it by betting on himself after a breaking point that changed everything. In this episode of Art School Graduate, Allan shares the unfiltered story of how a civil engineering student at San Diego State who couldn't pass math became one of San Diego's most community-driven designers and educators.🎧 New to the channel? Subscribe and turn on notifications: 👉 @artschoolgraduate_podcastFrom sketching logos and flyers in the 90s, to grad school, to working a soul-crushing 50-mile commute that led to a full breakdown in 2017, to finally launching Dynamo Design Group in San Diego's South Bay. Allan's journey is a masterclass in patience, purpose, and leading with culture first.We also go deep on what it means to be Filipino-American in the design industry, the cultural concept of Bayanihan, and how it shows up in every client relationship and classroom, why he calls himself an educator first and a designer second, and what AI will never be able to take from a skilled designer who truly knows their craft.💡 If you are a minority designer, a design educator, or anyone trying to build something meaningful in the community that raised you, this conversation was made for you.🎯 This episode is for you if: You are a designer trying to figure out why you do what you do, not just howYou want to understand how cultural identity shapes creative work and leadershipYou are a design educator looking for real strategies to connect with studentsYou are Filipino-American navigating a creative industry that does not always reflect your backgroundYou want to hear what it actually looks like to start your own design firm from scratchYou care about community-centered design and what it means to design for impact over aestheticsYou are a young creative trying to understand the long game🌐 Connect with Allan: Dynamo Design Group: dynamodesigngroup.comInstagram: @dynamodesigngroupLinkedIn: Allan Manzano🎨 Follow the Podcast:Instagram: @artschoolgraduate_podcast#AllanManzano #DynamoDesignGroup #GraphicDesign #FilipinDesigner #FilipinAmerican #DesignEducation #CommunityDesign #SanDiegoDesign #ArtSchoolGraduate #DesignLeadership #DesignCulture #HumanCenteredDesign #MinorityDesigner #CreativeEntrepreneur #DesignCareer #DesignProfessor #GraphicDesignLife #BayanihanDesign #DesignCommunity #NextGenDesign