MJ Balvanera is a graphic designer based in Los Angeles, CA and CDMX, Mexico with a focus on brand and publishing.

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Currently heading Impresos Mexico, building brand at UST, teaching at Snap Design Academy, and playing at Objetos Mexico.

I’m a Los Angeles-based graphic designer originally from Mexico City, with a deep-rooted passion for the intersection of design, publishing, and branding. With a master’s degree in graphic design and nearly a decade of experience across print, web, self-publishing, and branding, I specialize in creating designs that extend beyond aesthetics to actively shape culture and identity.

My work has brought me together with organizations such as the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Feminist Center for Creative Work, collaborating on projects that emphasize social awareness and artistic expression. In 2019, I founded Co—Conspirator Press to uplift underrepresented voices, addressing intersectional feminist issues and challenging systemic inequities through the power of publishing. My projects include award-winning artist catalogues and impactful designs for clients like the Pomona Museum of Art.

I’ve also spent much of my career working with brands to build digital marketing assets, from ads, illustrations, brand books, to websites. My path has lead me to work with some of the best in-house teams in the industry as both a freelance graphic designer at DoorDash, and as part of the team at Our Place and Jinx.  


Clients


Mural
DoorDash
Jinx
Our Place
fatty15
Byte
Jinx
ICA LA
SALIMA Magazine
Feminist Center for Creative Work
Omnivore
Content Object
Kilter
Truecar
TedXPasadena Women


Lectures and Teachings


→Snap Design Academy  (2025) Faculty

→USC Roski (2022) Lecturer

→Otis College, Undergradate Graphic Design (2022) Risograph Workshop & Lecturer

→LACMA | LA Print: Edition 11 — Activist Graphics (2022) Co-Host

→AIGA work/less workshop (2021) Co-Host

→CCA | California College of Art and Design Adjunt Professor (2021)

→BIPOC Design History Incomplete Latinx Stories of Diseño Gráfico (2021) Lecturer

→Abierto Mexicano de Diseño (2020), Guest Speaker

→CCA | California College of Art and Design (2020) Design Lecture Series Lecturer

→Serious Business (2020) Guest Designer

→Wendy's Subway (2020) Commual Care for Liberation Co-Lecturer

→Otis College, Graphic Design MFA, Summer Workshop (2019), Design Week Workshop Host

→Otis College, Graphic Design MFA, Mexico City Workshop (2019), Workshop Co-Host
©2025