Designs to Spice Up Your WorldDebra Valencia, a visionary artist, designer and entrepreneur with a passion for world travel, artisan traditions and popular genres, has branded a modern style uniquely her own. The Debra Valencia™ brand take a fresh approach to creatively blending florals, paisleys, geometric and decorative motifs in a distinctive sense of style. Her signature look is artistic, lively, vibrant, colorful, vivid and imaginative. She is inspired by craftsman of cultures from all over the world, including textile arts and architectural ornamentation, as well as pop art, fashion and everything vintage. Like a talented chef whose fusion of unexpected ingredients turns an ordinary dish into an extravaganza, Debra mixes and matches elements to create signature designs that bring color, style and beauty to everyday life. Debra has licensed with over 50 manufacturers in gift, stationery, textiles, home décor, fashion accessories, bath/body, and cosmetics. She is passionate about building her successful brand by expanding it further into the lifestyle market.
The BrandDebra Valencia surface designs are a creative blend of geometric and organic patterns mixed and matched in interesting color combinations, all with a distinctive sense of style. At its core, it stands for timeless style that transcends culture, language or age. The brand reflects a fresh and imaginative approach to the creation of contemporary classic patterns that are chic and sassy, yet fun and lively. Mixing stripes with florals or colorful images on plaid, each collection distinctively captures the essence and personality of the brand. Debra mixes and matches elements to create rich designs spiced with style and color.
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Professional Recognition
Debra’s expertise includes creating distinctive branding, packaging and product design for globally recognized companies in a variety of industries. Gift, Home, and Stationery: Esprit Bed & Bath, Karen Klein Candles & Spa; Toy: Hasbro, Playskool, Milton Bradley, Swingset Press, Herrington Teddy Bears, and CowParade; Entertainment and Hospitality: Disney, Hard Rock Cafés & Hotels International, The Cheesecake Factory, MGM Grand Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Luxe Hotels Worldwide, Costume Designers Guild and Leonardo DiCaprio; Publishing: Book design for artists including Mark Ryden and Liz McGrath, museums, galleries and a variety of travel, business, children and trade book publishers.
Debra founded greeting card company, Vida Valencia, in 2006. The company features a line of pop-up cards specifically designed to hold gift cards. The Vida Valencia catalog with over 130 items is currently licensed to Jillson & Roberts. Products received accolades in the press for ingenuity and design innovation including Greetings Etc. January issue feature story and cover as the Top Trends of 2007 as well as Best of Show at National Stationery Show in the same year.
Debra's design work has been featured in publications including Time, Interiors, HOW, Print, ID, Communication Arts, Identity, Abitare, Process Architecture, Greetings Etc., Gift & Decorative Accessories, Giftware News, and the definitive book, Women in Design 1900–2000. She has received numerous awards from the AIGA, STA and other professional design organizations.
Debra is a published author with her first title Sewing Pretty Bags: Boutique Designs to Stitch & Love, launched in 2015 for Fox Chapel Publishing. Since then she has authored a dozen craft titles with more on the horizon. For more information, visit the publishing page of this site.
Debra founded greeting card company, Vida Valencia, in 2006. The company features a line of pop-up cards specifically designed to hold gift cards. The Vida Valencia catalog with over 130 items is currently licensed to Jillson & Roberts. Products received accolades in the press for ingenuity and design innovation including Greetings Etc. January issue feature story and cover as the Top Trends of 2007 as well as Best of Show at National Stationery Show in the same year.
Debra's design work has been featured in publications including Time, Interiors, HOW, Print, ID, Communication Arts, Identity, Abitare, Process Architecture, Greetings Etc., Gift & Decorative Accessories, Giftware News, and the definitive book, Women in Design 1900–2000. She has received numerous awards from the AIGA, STA and other professional design organizations.
Debra is a published author with her first title Sewing Pretty Bags: Boutique Designs to Stitch & Love, launched in 2015 for Fox Chapel Publishing. Since then she has authored a dozen craft titles with more on the horizon. For more information, visit the publishing page of this site.
Dedication to the Arts
A believer in giving back to the arts and thankful for being blessed with her creative talents, Debra donates her time and art services to many organizations. She served on the Board of Directors for five years for Collage Dance Theatre, a site-specific dance company that brings performing arts to the streets of Los Angeles and other cities nationwide. She designed many of their posters, invitations, website and fundraising promotions from the beginning of her career to present day.
Debra supported SEE-LA, Sustainable Economic Enterprises of LA, an organization that supports local farming by bringing fresh produce to seven Farmer’s Markets around Los Angeles and teaches healthful nutrition and cooking to elementary school children. She designed the logo, signage, menus, marketing materials and interior for The Farmer’s Kitchen, a permanent facility adjacent to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, promoting local farming and nutritional education.
An avid architectural fan, Debra has designed numerous architectural tour guides for the Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the country, dedicated to the recognition, preservation, and revitalization of the architectural and cultural heritage of greater Los Angeles.
Debra supported SEE-LA, Sustainable Economic Enterprises of LA, an organization that supports local farming by bringing fresh produce to seven Farmer’s Markets around Los Angeles and teaches healthful nutrition and cooking to elementary school children. She designed the logo, signage, menus, marketing materials and interior for The Farmer’s Kitchen, a permanent facility adjacent to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, promoting local farming and nutritional education.
An avid architectural fan, Debra has designed numerous architectural tour guides for the Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the country, dedicated to the recognition, preservation, and revitalization of the architectural and cultural heritage of greater Los Angeles.
Arts Educator
She has served as a part-time faculty member at Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles for over 15 years. Courses she has taught in the past include Basic Design Fundamentals, Typography, Production Technologies and Professional Practice for Graphic Designers. Debra Valencia is currently teaching seminars on the Business of Art Licensing and is an occasional guest lecturer at colleges and design conferences. In Spring 2013, Debra launched a new 10-week Licensing Your Art for Royalties course at Otis College of Art + Design in Los Angeles as part of the Extension program and has been repeating the same course every semester due to popular demand. She also teaches Introduction to Surface Design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
Debra has selected, supervised, trained and mentored over 75 student interns from Otis College of Art & Design, California State University/Long Beach, Rhode Island School of Design, University of the Arts/Philadelphia, Santa Monica College, University of California/Los Angeles, Art Center College of Design and California Institute of the Arts. The students gained real world work experience and were better prepared to enter professional positions.
Well respected as a design educator, Debra has been invited to portfolio reviews for AIGA/LA, Otis Intern Program and National Portfolio Day. Debra has lectured at major institutions and conferences including Cal Poly Tech in San Luis Obispo, Harvard University, Fresh Dialogue program sponsored by the AIGA New York, Western Regional Conference of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) and Art Director’s Clubs of both Los Angeles and Washington, DC. She has served as a judge in numerous national design competitions for the same organizations.
Debra has selected, supervised, trained and mentored over 75 student interns from Otis College of Art & Design, California State University/Long Beach, Rhode Island School of Design, University of the Arts/Philadelphia, Santa Monica College, University of California/Los Angeles, Art Center College of Design and California Institute of the Arts. The students gained real world work experience and were better prepared to enter professional positions.
Well respected as a design educator, Debra has been invited to portfolio reviews for AIGA/LA, Otis Intern Program and National Portfolio Day. Debra has lectured at major institutions and conferences including Cal Poly Tech in San Luis Obispo, Harvard University, Fresh Dialogue program sponsored by the AIGA New York, Western Regional Conference of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers (SEGD) and Art Director’s Clubs of both Los Angeles and Washington, DC. She has served as a judge in numerous national design competitions for the same organizations.
Multi-Cultural Inspirations
“My collections are a reflection of my passion for traveling the world and scouring the marketplaces for interesting finds as well as a love for everything vintage. I mix and match elements in interesting color and pattern combinations to make something new.”
Inspired by world cultures and pop genres with a passion for multi-cultural traditions and travel, Valencia’s vibrant contemporary designs reflect her cultural inspiration. Debra has traveled to over 42 countries, from the fashionable style of Italy to the streets of India and the colorful beat of Morocco, Thailand, Japan, Mexico and Costa Rica, Debra Valencia weaves her artful designs into an artist’s palette. By creatively blending ethnic color into today’s contemporary tastes, colorful patterns with contemporary style emerge. She also finds stimulation from fashion genres as well as historical architecture, tiles, textiles and handicrafts from around the world.
On a Personal Note
Like her artful creations, Debra Valencia, the artist, has timeless style. Born in Washington, D.C. of Euro-Asian ancestry, Filipino father and Irish mother, Debra’s artistic talent has been passed down from generations. Her paternal grandmother, Socorro Valencia, was a fine artist as well as a skillful seamstress and gourmet cook. From the early age of five, she remembers dreaming of becoming an artist. With fantasies of far away exotic places, she would draw pictures of herself in a hula skirt dancing on a tropical island or as a mermaid swimming in the ocean. A star artist throughout grade school, Debra continued her artistic path in art college. Earning a BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia she pursued graphic design as her major, with interests in fine art, printmaking, fashion, interior, furniture design and architecture.
Debra lives in Los Angeles, California. She has one son who is an illustrator, fine artist and custom frame maker. Adamant about preserving her multi-cultural heritage, Debra maintains family trees and photo archives for both paternal and maternal families. She created a cookbook of her Filipino grandmother’s original recipes to pass on to the next generation. Debra is a frequent host who loves to cook and entertain. She finds solace in her yoga classes, walks along the beach, hikes through the Santa Monica mountains. For excitement, she is a regular in the live music scene around LA, swing dancing to music from the 1920s to 1950s.
Debra lives in Los Angeles, California. She has one son who is an illustrator, fine artist and custom frame maker. Adamant about preserving her multi-cultural heritage, Debra maintains family trees and photo archives for both paternal and maternal families. She created a cookbook of her Filipino grandmother’s original recipes to pass on to the next generation. Debra is a frequent host who loves to cook and entertain. She finds solace in her yoga classes, walks along the beach, hikes through the Santa Monica mountains. For excitement, she is a regular in the live music scene around LA, swing dancing to music from the 1920s to 1950s.
Acknowledgements
Socorro del Rosario Valencia: My beautiful grandmother, for passing on her artistic talent to me
Edward R. Valencia: My father, for teaching me to be strong, independent and a very hard worker, and being my biggest fan too
Deborah Sussman: My first employer in the graphic design profession and greatest mentor—for teaching me how to see the beautiful details in the world and incorporating cultural inspirations into my work
All my instructors at University of the Arts: For teaching me the pure principles of Swiss design, perfection and precision
My sister Cheyanne: For collaborating with me on ideas, sewing, books and trade shows — we make a great team!
My son Westin: For pursuing his career in art and carrying on into the next generation
Edward R. Valencia: My father, for teaching me to be strong, independent and a very hard worker, and being my biggest fan too
Deborah Sussman: My first employer in the graphic design profession and greatest mentor—for teaching me how to see the beautiful details in the world and incorporating cultural inspirations into my work
All my instructors at University of the Arts: For teaching me the pure principles of Swiss design, perfection and precision
My sister Cheyanne: For collaborating with me on ideas, sewing, books and trade shows — we make a great team!
My son Westin: For pursuing his career in art and carrying on into the next generation