Marius "Zoo" Valdes

Marius Valdes is an illustrator, designer, and artist currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. He is an Associate Professor in studio art concentrating on design and illustration. Valdes received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia in 1998 and his MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005.

Since 2007 Marius Valdes and his former company, Zoo Valdes, have been recognized with awards from international and national competitions for creative professionals. He has won industry recognition for his graphic design and illustration work from renowned design publications such as HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Quarterly, STEP, and industry competitions including The AIGA's InShow and SEED Awards, and The South Carolina Advertising Federation Addy Awards in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville.

Valdes' work has been featured in several books about contemporary graphic design and illustration. Since 2007, he has had six solo exhibitions and been selected for 15 juried group exhibitions at the international, national, and regional levels. He has been selected by peer review to participate in 13 presentations at academic conferences speaking about his love of illustration and design.