From Dust to Discovery
A new testing facility at UCF is bringing the moon to Earth.
For 15 years of his early adult life, Sean Walsh ’12 called Central Florida home. He worked here, went out with friends here and earned a B.F.A. in graphic art at UCF. He also left his mark here. Walsh, who moved to Greenville, South Carolina, two years ago, now comes to Orlando with the wide eyes of an exploring visitor, the difference being that he can fix his eyes on very personal, very familiar sights.
“A few weeks ago, I came down for a meeting and I made a point to go see the The Packing District sign,” Walsh says. “That was a highlight.”
Anyone who drives near College Park knows the sign. Its iconic neon letters tower over the corner of Princeton Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail as if they’ve been entrenched at this very spot for generations. That’s exactly the impression Walsh had in mind when he began to design the sign in 2021.
A collage of the Packing District sign on Princeton Street and Orange Blossom Trail.
“You don’t see a lot of working neon signs in Central Florida anymore,” Walsh says. “The goal with the design was to make it crowd-pleasing and modern, but with a vintage look that pays homage to the history of the area as a major center for the citrus industry.”
Before coming up with the unforgettable look, Walsh pulled inspiration from classic photos and old orange crate labels.
“It might be the coolest project I’ve ever worked on,” he says, “but it’s hard to say because I’ve had the privilege to work on a lot of cool projects in the area.”
He can see those cool projects by simply traveling around Central Florida. His work heightens specific moods for businesses while also producing instant memory lanes for anyone who sees them — including himself.
“Most of these projects have been collaborations with owners of small businesses,” Walsh says. “It’s always an honor to see them because I remember being a fan of these businesses before I ever did any work for them.”
He can cruise along Curry Ford Road and see his hand-drawn illustrations that make patrons of Pizza Bruno feel like they’ve entered a classic bootleg pizza joint.
An example of Sean Walsh ’12’s work is the Pizza Bruno box design.
Over on Mills Avenue, he can stop at Death In The Afternoon where he created a logo, cocktail menu and illustrations to set the establishment apart as a French Absinthe den — not an everyday bar. For anyone who doesn’t know what a French Absinthe den is, walk inside.
“Everything is subtle and crafted,” Walsh says. “It feels like a discovery.”
Along South Street, he can walk into Whippoorwill Beer House and see his familiar murals on the walls. “The owner wanted to combine the feel of a ’70s beer parlor with unique nods to Central Florida wildlife — but with no predictable alligators. I went with a mosquito and lovebugs, which is definitely different.”
When a friend of Walsh opened a nail salon in College Park, she asked if he could design distinctive visual cues that merge girly with edgy. “She liked the rock band Slayer,” Walsh says, “so I created an artsy riff with that in mind.” The marriage of snakes with shades of pink have helped brand Pinkie Orlando as a salon unlike any other in Central Florida.
Whether he plans it or not, Walsh can simply get caught up in traffic and see the unmistakable designs he created to spread the message about the Orange County Library System program called Local Wanderer. The cultural pass opens doors to dozens of local museums, theaters, zoos and botanical gardens. Walsh’s illustrations for the program can be seen online, on tote bags and on car magnets.
“We wanted to make it fun and approachable at a glance because it’s such a great program for families,” he says. Walsh used playful eyes in the illustrations — on fish, on oranges, on bugs, tucked into plants, eyeballs everywhere. “When you see them, you instinctively want to know more. They’re different, and different is good when it works.”
“Different” is a good description of Walsh’s art and the way he turned it into a career. It all started in the bakery of a Whole Foods Market, making cakes and scones. When an opening came up to create in-store art, he shifted over to that role where he could use his raw skills to draw chalkboard-style signs for merchandise and customer engagement.
“The signs changed from day to day, so people weren’t sure if they came from a corporate template or if they came from an actual person,” Walsh says. “It was me.”
Three years later, he figured he should use his Bright Futures scholarship before the funding expired. He enrolled at UCF to learn the nuances of graphic art and applied them to a growing portfolio of local businesses. The original Foxtail Coffee in Winter Park called on Walsh’s talent to help differentiate its menus with his hand-scrawled touches before the business expanded across Florida and three more states.
“It’s humbling to think my designs might help people instantly understand the story of a business,” Walsh says. “When I come back to Central Florida and see those designs — those stories — I still can’t believe I got to be a part of them.”