Meet Nicolas Vasquez | Co-founder & Creative Director at VACO Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicolas Vasquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicolas, how do you think about risk?
In my career risk has been a major driving force for growth. From the beginning it was a risk to forgo the traditional route as a recently graduated architect and opt to start VACO with my business partner. A life of art, design, and storytelling, founding a creative agency like VACO seemed like a perfect match for my creative aspirations. That’s not to say that it was an easy decision. It was a choice that meant putting aside architecture, my masters degree, what I had worked so hard for for the past 5 years. Ultimately, betting on myself and starting something new opened a world of opportunities that have allowed me to create in an array of creative fields from graphic design and animation to filmmaking and Installation design.

I see risk as a necessary part of growth and success. Taking risk is usually directly linked to new opportunities and in its absence no real change happens. It’s a risk to take a chance on yourself and start a new business, or to pitch a “crazy” idea to a client, or even to say yes to something you’ve never done before, knowing you will figure it out in the process. However, it is these risks that can unlock dreams and make them realities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My love for making art and design started from a very young age. Growing up my mother was a big inspiration for me. One of my earliest memories is of me sitting next to my mother as she built an architectural scale model. She would give me cut-outs of cardboard and paper for me to play with. I would sit there and glue them together and create new shapes and textures. This love for making things developed into clay, painting, digital art, and it continues to evolve with new mediums like 3D rendering and AI.

I followed in my mother’s footsteps to pursue a Masters in Architecture. Freshman year at FIU (Florida International University), I met my business partner Kevin Arrieta and we bonded over our interest in art and design. I thrived in architecture school, and learned new ways to think and new tools for design and art. We began experimenting with different creative outlets using our new skills, from graphic design and photography to 3D modeling and murals. We decided to found VACO, a multidisciplinary creative studio that would bring together these creative disciplines we are so passionate about. .

I think what sets VACO apart from others in the same field, is our ability to bring an idea to reality in all mediums. For example we can create a beautiful brand with great design and graphics, then also create images and videos that complement that brand. Furthermore, we can design the brick and mortar space or pop-up of this brand to bring it all together into the physical world. Our background in architecture and continuous collaboration with amazing creative professionals has allowed us to work with both local and global brands at the highest capacities.

I’m very proud of all the amazing work I’ve made with my team. I feel very lucky to be able to work in such diverse projects and give them my creative touch. Projects like an award-winning film for the city of North Miami, to 360-degree brand identities for local restaurant concepts, to collaborations with international brands like BMW and Lululemon.

I’m very exited to continue developing VACO in our new creative space in Little River. We’ve developed this space to be a physical representation of our values. A space for multidisciplinary collaboration and creative expression. I’m looking forward to continue to work with great people and brands and create beautiful work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I really enjoy visiting museums so I would take them to Superblue, Pamm, and the Rubell Museum I would pair that with spending some time outdoor, maybe Fairchild Gardens or Oleta State part. If they never been to Wynwood I would show them that area as well as Design District.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my family for inspiring and encouraging me to pursue a creative career. Shoutout to my business partner Kevin Arrieta, Co-Founder of VACO Studio, we created this vision together and continue to develop it every day. Shoutout to all our network of talented creative professionals that we are in constant collaboration with and are a huge part of VACO.

Website: Vacostudio.com

Instagram: @vacostudio and @nic_vas

Facebook: Vaco Studio

Youtube: VacoStudio and VacoMusic