Chris Sanchez grew up in Camas. After earning a degree in visual communication design, he joined Fuel as a designer and worked his way up to the Lead Graphic Designer role. Learn about his penchant for motocross and his dream of owning a lot of socks.
1. When did you start working at Fuel and what inspired you to join the company?
I joined the company in March 2016. I grew up in Camas so I was always interested as to what Fuel was after I saw they took over the old Westlie Ford building. After my first interview I felt like it was a great group of people and a great team atmosphere to work in and that got me excited to join the team. I’m glad I made the choice to join; everyone has really helped me grow as a person and a designer. Oh, and there is a keg.
2. What does a Lead Graphic Designer do?
I manage our workflow to ensure we’re getting projects done in a timely way without overburdening anyone on our team. Fuel works with over 700 practices across the country, so our team of five designers is fielding anywhere from 60 to 80 design projects every day. I also work with our account managers on special and time sensitive projects for our members. For example, we recently had a member who was doing a marketing campaign and wanted to take their designs in a new direction. I worked with the account manager to pick the marketing themes and then created custom illustrations to support the campaign.
3. Fun fact
I grew up racing motocross locally at Washougal and PIR and a lot of tracks around the northwest. When I got into school, moto got a bit expensive for me and the apartment complex was not happy with me and my roommates’ 450s in the living room and the race gas on the patio. So we got into racing mountain bikes. Now I race category 1 downhill and enduro around the PNW any chance I get.
4. An amusing experience you’ve encountered while working at Fuel
I constantly have amusing experiences at Fuel. We have a very fun team in the creative department and there is always something to laugh about. Every Friday we normally end up hanging out in the kitchen around 4 and drinking beer and talking about plans for the weekend with my team and the rest of the Fuelies. That is always a good time and makes for a good start to any weekend.
5. Speak now or forever hold your peace
I just recently bought a white Ford E-250. I hope to build it out into a camper and someday drive around the country and ride my bike in so many cool places. Also, I want to buy 365 pairs of socks so I can wear a new pair every day.