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Design for the Arts & Nonprofits
About Den /
Arc & Type
The Story of Den.
Howdy. I’m Den Legaspi, aka Arc & Type — art director, designer, and visual storyteller.
I’ve always made things, rebuilt things, taken things apart to better understand how they work. Curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to rethink systems are central to both my creative process and the way I move through the world.
My experience extends well beyond a traditional studio practice. Over the years I’ve worked as a motorcycle mechanic, bakery worker, barista, indie music obsessive, and longtime technology geek. I restore motorcycles, tinker with guitars and vintage watches, build things by hand, and remain endlessly curious about how things are made, how they work, and how people experience them.
That combination of artistic sensibility, technical fluency, and hands-on problem solving shapes the way I approach design. I care deeply about narrative, research, visual systems, audience experience, and the small details that give work meaning and texture.
Powers for Good.
My work now focuses primarily on nonprofits, arts organizations, educational institutions, community initiatives, and individual artists — helping develop visual identities, campaigns, publications, and audience-facing experiences rooted in clarity, accessibility, and strong storytelling.
I believe design is a form of stewardship. Visual communication shapes how people experience institutions, ideas, and one another. Thoughtful design should not be reserved only for large organizations or commercial brands.
No project is too large or too small. Good work begins with curiosity, collaboration, and care.
Are you an artist, nonprofit, or business trying to make a difference in the world and need design help? Contact Me!
I have worked with the Amoeba Music, Animal Fix Clinic, artEquity, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, Arts & the African Diaspora, At the Bruns, Aunt Lute Books, Bindlestiff Studios, BirchBark Foundation, Brattle Film Foundation, Cal Shakes, creampuff Magazine, Curve Magazine, Cuyler Consulting, Divine Monkey Homeopathy, Emergence Healing Arts Studio, Family Builders, Freedom For All, FreshMeat Productions, The Garage, Gravity / Jess Curtis, Harlem Shake, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, Howard Grayson LGBTQ+, Irving Pet Hospital, Jon Sims Center for the Arts, Lamplighters Music Theater, Legal Aid At Work, liquidFIRE, McRoskey Mattress Co, Michelle Pereira Studio, Naganuma Dance, NYU (Art & Health), openhouse, Outlook Theater Project, Our Family Coalition, Palm Center of UCSB, The Perfect Sidekick, Playwrights Foundation, PBS (through Tavares Media), Queer Cultural Center, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, Queer Rebels, RADAR Productions, SAFEhouse Arts, Seaforager, Sean Dorsey Dance, Sharon Art Studio, SF Bay Times, SF HIV (San Francisco Department of Public Health), SF Metropolitan Magazine, SF Organizing Network for Education, Sarah Shroud, Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, Stop AIDS Project, San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, VOENA Children's Choir, Yerba Buena Garden Festival, and more! I was the Art Director at the California Shakespeare Theater (CalShakes) where I worked with Artistic Director Eric Ting and teamed up with Octavio Solis, KJ Sanchez, Marcus Gardley, Madhuri Shekar, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for projects. I was the Art Director at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley and collaborated with Tim Bond, Giovanna Sardelli, and Jeffrey Lo. I currently serve as Art Director at San Francisco Opera.
Why "Arc & Type"?
It’s a play on the word “archetype,” combining the language of design itself: arc and type. Derived from the Greek roots archein (“original”) and typos (“pattern”), the word archetype refers to an original model or ideal form — something foundational from which other things emerge. Arc & Type reflects an ongoing pursuit of thoughtful, intentional design: work shaped by beauty, clarity, function, and purpose.
What's up with all the stunt stuff?
I’ve always been drawn to risk, movement, invention, and mechanical problem solving. In another life — or another era — I probably would have been a stunt rider, barnstormer, motordrome racer, or motorcycle builder. That spirit still informs the way I work: curiosity, momentum, adaptability, experimentation, and a willingness to dive headfirst into complex creative challenges. Design, much like restoring an old motorcycle, often requires patience, instinct, precision, improvisation, and the ability to keep moving forward when things get complicated.
Also yes — I still love motorcycles.
After![]()
The Nitty Gritty.
Den Legaspi Resume
1
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Art - San Francisco State University, CA
2
Training
BFA in Fine Art, with a practice shaped through years of work across theater, music, publishing, public initiatives, and cultural institutions.
My approach combines visual art, typography, production craft, research, and storytelling — informed as much by architecture, mechanics, signage, and built environments as by traditional design practice.
Continued study in branding, accessibility, digital systems, environmental graphics, emerging technologies, and evolving creative tools.
Influenced as much by architecture, mechanics, signage, restoration, and built environments as by traditional design practice.
NOTE: In an every-changing "beta" program /app world NO knowledge is 100%. Adapting and learning is always a part of evolving as a designer.
Adobe Creative Cloud
InDesign / Illustrator / Photoshop/Acrobat
95%
Online Design Software
Canva / Adobe Express
90%
Adobe Creative Cloud
After Effects / Premiere / Firefly
85%
Web Design
WordPress / Wix / Squarespace / etc
90%
Social
FB / Instagram / Twitter / etc
75%
Email Campaigns & Newsletter
Mailchimp / Wordfly / Paperless Post / etc
75%
AI Use / Implementation
Chat GPT / Adobe Firefly / Nano Banana / etc
80%
Other skills include art direction, lead and supervisory experience, file protocol and archiving, photography and videographiy, project management software and apps (Asana, Basecamp, Trello, etc), online form creation and integration (Smart Sheets, Jotform, etc).
3
Tools & Platforms
Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Premiere, After Effects, Firefly), Figma, WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Canva, Mailchimp, Wordfly, Paperless Post, Asana, Trello, Google Workspace, and related publishing and production platforms.
Additional experience in photography, video, production workflows, digital systems, online integrations, and creative project management.
4
Work History
San Francisco Opera
Art Director • 04/2026 - present
Lead visual direction and institutional brand development across season campaigns, publications, advertising, and audience engagement initiatives for one of the country’s leading opera companies. Guide evolving design systems and collaborate with designers, illustrators, photographers, and creative partners across print, digital, and environmental platforms.
5
The Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
Interim Art Director / Designer • 10/2025 - 04/2026
Creative lead for the relaunch of Oakland’s historic Kaiser Center for the Arts, developed institutional branding, campaign systems, environmental graphics, and venue-wide visual communications.
6
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
Art Director • 06/2020 - 10/2025
Led visual direction and institutional rebranding for the Tony Award–winning theater company, shaping season campaigns, publications, fundraising materials, advertising, and audience-facing design across print, digital, and environmental platforms.
Directed a full website redesign and helped evolve a more contemporary and accessible visual identity across the organization.
7
California Shakespeare Theater
Art Director • 03/2015 - 06/2020
Oversaw creative direction for annual season campaigns, subscription marketing, donor communications, and performance materials for the Bay Area’s acclaimed outdoor theater company.
Developed visual systems spanning print, digital, and on-site experiences while collaborating closely with marketing, development, and production teams.
8
Arc & Type
Art Director / Designer • 2000-Present
Independent creative practice focused on arts, culture, education, and public-serving organizations. Collaborate with nonprofits, universities, and cultural institutions on identity systems, editorial design, campaign strategy, and accessible visual communications.