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

Hi Mustafa, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea to start my own Art and Design Studio dates back to my early childhood. Some of my earliest memories of artistic expression started around the age of five years old. I credit two of my Uncles, who I consider master painters. My Uncles Melvin and Calvin influenced my early creative fervor for visual arts. My canvases were coloring books and Crayola crayons were the medium I used. It all came natural, truly a gift from the Creator, the Most High.
Throughout my adolescence I was always drawing, coloring and painting. As I grew into my late teens and early twenties and I would hand draw logos, typefaces and t-shirt graphics.
I started selling my ‘Abstract Realism’ paintings in the late 90s in the southeast region of the US. I commissioned a small Black owned art gallery in Jacksonville, FL to frame my artwork and an art promoter based in Orlando helping me get my work out to the public. I thought I was going to be ‘Black Picasso’ but in reality I was becoming a starving artist. So I made a conscious decision to pivot from abstract painting to focus on graphic design in 1999.
In 2000 after a conversation with the head instructor of digital design at the University of Maryland, I was granted permission to work out of their creative computer lab. I taught myself Adobe Creative Suite applications and continued to fine tune my design skills. In 2002, I attended a graphic design senior portfolio review at the Art Institute of Washington DC to gauge where I stood in regards to individuals graduating with a BA degree in graphic design. Instructors loved my work but challenged me to create a better identity for myself. Which led to me to create ‘United Colors of Design’ logo that was eventually published in LogoLounge’s “Master Library Series, 3000 Shapes & Symbols Logos” Rockport Publishers.
I attended another senior portfolio review this time at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003. My work was seen my the Dean of the college and he granted me permission to take continuing education coursework at the college. Over the past 20 years I have enjoyed a life of freelancing and contract work. I’ve lead print and digital design projects for many mid-size companies, startups and non-profit organizations. I’ve always been very creative and I have been able to compose designs that are vibrant and colorful but modern and aesthetically pleasing.
So it’s been a lifelong creative journey that has led me to startup and run several of my own creative design studios.
1. Mustafa Horton Art & Design Studio – All freelance graphic design work from mid-size companies and startups to non-profit organizations.
2. United Colors of Design (UCD) – A creative studio that embodies modern, minimalistic and aesthetic design in the graphic, digital, industrial and architecture design disciplines. UCD will host a monthly speaking series titled “Leadership in Design” that invites some of the worlds most talented and influential creatives from different design disciplines.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I coined the phrase, “Abstract Realism” back in 2000 to explained the kind of artist I was striving to become. Abstract expression with realism impression explained my art designs 20 years ago. My first company was named ‘Abstract Realism Art’, with a tagline, “Unique. Distinct. Art.”. I have always prided myself on:
1. Being self-taught (autodidact) artist/designer
2. The ability to use a variety of mediums to create a piece of artwork. Whether it was oils, charcoal, pastel chalks or color pencils and colored markers
I wanted to show people my versatility as an artist and when I pivoted from artist/painter to graphic designer I kept this mindset. I started freelancing as a graphic designer in 2001. I created logos, flyers and brochures for small companies and startups. I also made sure to push the creative envelope with a number of self promo projects. As I began to build a portfolio of work I knew I needed to attend portfolio reviews to gauge my work up against graduates from art and design colleges.
The first I attended was in 2002 at the Art Institute of Washington DC. I was already a very confident, however, the feedback I received was inspiring and that I was on the right path. A year later I attend another portfolio review, this time at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Instructors praised my work including the Dean of the college. In turn he granted me admission to the continuing education program for publication and advertising design. I thought I was on my way and it wouldn’t be long before I would be hired by an ad agency or a in-house design team.
Nope…year after year, application after application and nothing but rejection after rejection. I never let that stop me or demoralize me, my passion and love for art and design, kept pushing me to never give up. I kept freelancing, designing, drawing, painting and studying the work of great designers and design firms.
Some of my earliest jobs were in retail sales, I even interned one summer with JCPenny Co. in the men’s dept. So during those trying years I worked retail sales and I eventually was hired by IKEA, the home furnishings giant. I worked with them as a Sales Manager, Project Manager and Country Contract Sales Manager for a total of six years in North America, Riyadh, KSA and Dubai, UAE respectively. I also worked in the Education sector in the Middle East for Cambridge University Press but never lost focus on the goal. I kept building my portfolio of design work even while living abroad.
I returned back to the States in 2011 after living abroad for six years. I’m originally from Denver and that’s where my family lived for the next five years. Again, I never lost focus on my goal and I was determined to make it work graphic designer.  After five, years in Denver and a bunch of freelance work and still getting rejected by companies, I took a position as an office manager in Dallas, TX with a small educational publishing company. Over the next two years I was honored to work with several global relief and develop non-profit organizations in graphic design. I designed annual reports, direct mailers, digital designs, social media ads, email blasts and even exhibition display booths. That experience was definitely a blessing in disguise and help me really polish my design portfolio.
In 2018, I finally got my opportunity when Randal Weeks, owner of Aidan Gray Living hired me as their full time graphic designer. Shortly after I arrived I was tasked with the creative direction and graphic designing for the launch of Aidan Gray’s collaboration with Diane Keaton home furnishing line, Keaton Industries. Randal and Diane were so impressed with my work that I was flown out to attend her launch at the High Point Furniture Market in High Point, North Carolina. This definitely was one of the high points in my professional creative career.
Some lessons learned over the years:
– Observe with beautiful patience throughout the journey. Things don’t always come to fruition when you want them too but be ready when the opportunity is presented.
– A daily does of compassion and persistence can help overcome the challenges of life. Always believe in yourself regardless of the circumstances.
– Failures are life lessons that you learn from and use as motivation to go forward.
– Take calculated risks without being reckless.



Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Some of the places to visit/see in the DFW metroplex:
– Dallas Art District:
1. Dallas Museum of Art
2. Klyde Warren Park
3. Crow Museum of Aisan Art
4. A variety of Restaurants
– Nasher Sculpture Center – Dallas
– Deep Ellum: Experience the Arts & Culture + Dining – Dallas
– Noodle Wave Restaurant: Offers some of the best Thai food in the metroplex – Richardson
– The Habor at Rockwall: On the eastern shore of Lake Habor – Rockwall
– Perot Museum of Nature and Science – Dallas
– National Videogame Museum – Frisco
– North Park Mall: Dallas Luxury shopping
– Coffee Houses: Pax and Beneficia – Las Colinas; 1418 Coffee – Plano; Funny Library Coffee Shop – Dallas; Murray Coffee – Dallas


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several individuals and institutes I’d like to shoutout. First, my mother, Bobbie Horton and her brothers, my uncles, Melvin Randle and Calvin Randle. They were the ones to instill a love for visual arts in me at such a young age. Maryland Institute College of Art for granting me admission for coursework towards an Advanced Certification in Digital & Graphic Design back in 2003. Bill Gardner, Founder of Logo Lounge for selecting my logo to be published in “Master Library Series, 3000 Shapes & Symbols Logos” Rockport Publishers back in 2011. And in 2019, Randal Weeks, Owner of Aidan Gray Living. He gave me opportunity to showcase my talent by hiring me as graphic designer. It was the first time in my career I worked for a company as a full-timer graphic designer.


Website: https://www.mustafahorton.com/. &. https://www.unitedcolorsofdesign.com/

Instagram: @mustafahort & @92ucd

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mustafa-horton/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/united-colors-of-design/

Twitter: @mustafahorton & @ucd92

Image Credits
Photographeena – Photographer Aleena Ahmer

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