Mario Garcia
Creative Direction. Branding. User Experience Design.
An established expert at guiding both companies and entire industries into the digital age, Mario Garcia has been the creative engine behind the intuitive user interface and functionality of many technology solutions and new products. From branding and site aesthetics, to making sure that the voice of the company resonates across all outward platforms, Mario’s unique skill set positions him perfectly to design brand experiences that satisfy 21st century needs.
After the early genesis of the Internet—a time when few news outlets had supplemented their brands with digital counterparts—Mario was able to dominate the emerging niche in the mid 90’s and effectively bring the publication world online. Capitalizing on his early success and insight into online user engagement and experience design, Mario continued to lead brands into the digital age while serving at the helm of his own company, Garcia Interactive. For more than two decades, Mario and his firm have provided consulting on brand management, audience engagement, user experience, and interactive design for more than 300 clients worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal, The National Library of Medicine, The Miami Herald, Crain’s New York Business, JP Morgan Chase, Epson and Volvo.
Mario’s reputation for generating substantial user experience improvements precedes him. His work has been recognized by the Society of News Design, FOLIO and the Public Relations Society of America. Mario frequently speaks on the topic of transforming business through design. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, his alma mater, and led seminars on design/user experience at the prestigious Poynter Institute for Media Studies (poynter.org). In partnership with Poynter and Stanford University, Mario worked on the EyeTrac Online research project which aimed at learning how people read and absorb information on digital platforms.
After earning his B.A. at The University of South Florida, Mario went on to earn a Juris Doctor from the Loyola University College of Law. In 2013, he was presented with University of South Florida School of Advertising and Mass Communication Outstanding Alumnus award for his contribution to the industry.