Zachary Vernon is a designer, storyteller, and educator specializing in creative strategy, branding, and illustration. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin and his MFA in Communication Design from Texas State University. He has worked at agencies big and small in both Australia and the US for clients ranging from global brands to local mom-and-pop shops and non-profits. In 2014, he started his own creative agency, Drawn This Way, where he and his husband work on creative projects for non-profit organizations, entrepreneurial ventures, and entertainment companies.
Currently an Associate Professor of Art (Design) at Cal State LA, his research focuses on creative authenticity, identity—both visual and socio-cultural—and the social implications and empowerment of visual narrative, as well as creative and innovative pedagogy. His scholarly writings can be found in the International Journal of Art and Design Education, Interactive Storytelling for the Screen (Routledge, 2021), the upcoming book Inclusive Design Values (Rockport, 2026), and in his own edited upcoming book, Personal Pedagogy: Encouraging the Individual in the Classroom (Routledge, 2026). Over the last decade, his design and illustration work has been recognized by industry competitions and awards in PRINT, Communication Arts, Graphic Design USA, Graphis, Summit International Creative Awards, the International Design Awards, and the American Advertising Federation Awards. His poster designs have also been exhibited in Mexico and published in Escucha Mi Voz: Las Manos Son Para Crear.
Zachary is also co-founder and Creative Director of thearqive.com, a digital, interactive map of user-generated LGBTQ narratives, events, and resources from around the globe. An entirely student-designed and developed website, the arqive serves as both a pedagogical tool for interdisciplinary education as well as a community resource, fighting the erasure of queer lives and histories through community stewardship. The project has won multiple awards for its design, and was also awarded a $100,000 Digital Humanities grant from the American Council of Learned Societies in 2021.