Overview

Rosa Loves is hands down one of the best ideas I have seen in a while. By spending your money on a sick t-shirt, you end up helping out a real person in need. Nice job Mike!

Project Name:

Rosa Loves

URL:

http://www.rosaloves.com

Artist/Creator:

Mike Fretto

Country:

USA

Tags:

Organic Illustration Sketch Drawing Threadless Clothing Social Cause

Mike Fretto

http://www.silentcitizen.com

Biography

I first started drawing a bunch as a kid. Cartoon characters especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my specialty... and just in case you were wondering, Raphael was my favorite. As I got older I think I got more serious about art and design, realizing that I was better at it than anything else. I couldn't stop drawing and coloring and obsessing over Ninja Turtles, but at some point I got a little more serious about stuff and ended up studying Graphic Design at Flagler College. I had the best college experience. After I graduated I got a job in St. Louis, Missouri at a place called TOKY Design and Branding (http://www.toky.com). I had another great experience there with some amazing people and incredibly talented designers. After 4 months, I started freelancing, which is what I felt happiest doing. Freelance has been my only full time job since then for the past 3 years, and I'm still secretly obsessed with Raphael. I started ROSA LOVES a year ago. It's a non-profit T-shirt company that raises funds for people in need through selling T-shirts inspired by their personal stories.

Where do you work? What do you do there?

I work from a spare bedroom in my apartment near the ocean in St. Augustine Beach, FL. I am a freelance graphic designer and run ROSA LOVES.

How long have you been in this field?

I've been designing full time for almost 4 years. Whoa, time flies.

What role did (are) you play(ing) in the project?

I'm playing a lot of roles as of now since we're still really young. I do a little bit of everything. I'm primarily doing design, but I also do some administration stuff and a little bit of marketing. I drop off stuff to the post office occasionally and make silly conversation with Ann, the funny postmaster. There are so many great people that help with other huge roles for ROSA LOVES as well, whom I am really grateful for.

What was (is) your inspiration for this project?

My inspiration was because of many things... little bits and pieces of people, art, my family and friends. But mostly from what I remember clearly was being inspired from a trip I took to New Orleans in December after Hurricane Katrina. I visited New Orleans for the first time on that trip with a bunch of college students. We went there to be a helping hand, assisting people in tangible ways such as knocking down walls, gutting homes, moving trash or even simply hearing their story and being a listening ear. On that trip among the devastation, I was pretty overwhelmed trying to comprehend how we could make a difference for these people with such unfortunate circumstances on their hands. As I spent more time listening to their stories, I realized that because of the tangible help we were providing, it was allowing these people to have more options for themselves. It meant that they were now able to get from "point A" to "point B" when before our help there were stuck at "point A" with little hope in sight. The funny thing to me was that that even though we were serving in humble tasks, small acts of service we were making a huge difference in these peoples' lives. Simple small things making a big change in the quality of life for them. That's the main inspiration behind ROSA LOVES, but there have been others who inspired (and still inspire) me and this project:
Jeremy Dean (http://www.darenotwalkalone.com)
Joey Tomassoni (http://www.tomassoni.org)
This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org)
Red Shoe New Orleans (http://redshoeneworleans.com)

What is in your equipment/gear setup?

We proudly use all Apple computers. I mainly design out of Adobe apps, and we print on sweat free apparel (even though I constantly sweat) and eco-friendly inks (as much as we can).

What are some websites you visit daily?

CNN
Virb
You Work For Them
National Public Radio
Aaron Martin

Who's work do you most enjoy?

I most enjoy working on jobs that I know will have a serious, meaningful impact on something good—whether it's for mankind of any sort or the environment. I usually enjoy these projects because I know that my work is going towards something that isn't making someone richer and someone else poorer. I like the idea of using design as a way to grab people's attention to a message worth hearing, a life-giving message. Most messages out there are empty and false. Design can be used as a service to better the community around you. Sometimes it takes as much creativity to think of new ways to use design as it does to create a fresh looking design.

What advice can you share to people just getting into this field?

My advice to them would be to find who you are in design and find a mentor. The latter may come before the former, but in any case I think every designer should have a mentor. I was very blessed to be taught by one of my favorite designers, Aaron Martin (http://www.iamaaronmartin.com). He taught me a lot about how to channel my creativity through the medium of graphic design, and show me so many in's and out's of the programs. He's the shortcut king. He always still makes himself available to me if I ever have any questions or need advice. Aaron Martin is one of my favorite persons, and he's also amazing at The Robot.

The second half of what I think beginners should know is that you should strive to find your place in the industry. Be open to criticism, and take every opportunity to hear from others to refine your skills. I also would suggest to anyone beginning to understand the importance and responsibility that comes with being a graphic designer. I guess I could go on and on with advice, I just feel very fortunate to have had such a good early learning experience. Many people have helped me on the way, and I'm still constantly learning.