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Walter "Wall-E" Barraza

Walter "Wall-E" Barraza looking at the camera, beard, mustache, short black hair, glasses, black shirt and jacketB.F.A., 2006, Communication Design
Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, WALO, Dallas
Website: WALO Creative Inc.
Instagram: Walo_Inc.
LinkedIn: Walter Barraza

WALO Creative Inc. is a Dallas-based independent idea and design shop. Throughout his career, Barraza has helped build brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Samsung, Sonic Drive-Ins, Miller Lite, and most recently with WALO brands that include Jarritos, 7-Eleven, Reliant Energy and Karbach Brewing’s Ranch Water.

Some of the accolades Barraza has been fortunate to receive throughout his career include several national and international awards with multiple Best of Shows. But what he is most proud of is creating an agency culture that puts people first and brings diverse minds together for the greater good.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello. I’m Walter “Wall-E” Barraza, co-founder and chief creative officer at WALO, a Dallas-based independent idea and design shop. Throughout my career, I’ve helped build brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Samsung, Sonic Drive-Ins, Miller Lite, and most recently with WALO, brands that include Jarritos, 7-Eleven, Reliant Energy and Karbach Brewing’s Ranch Water. Some of the accolades I’ve been fortunate to receive throughout my career include several national and international awards and multiple Best Of Shows. But what I’m most proud of is creating an agency culture that puts people first and brings diverse minds together for the greater good. Before opening WALO, I was on creative teams at The Richards Group, Dieste, Gallegos United, and Lopez Negrete Communications.

What is the idea's origin for your business; what is the backstory?
WALO was founded in 2014 with a clear vision of truly valuing our people because they push the agency forward with their thinking and fearlessness. WALO is an advertising and design agency born with the philosophy of GUTS, SOUL & PLAY. Do it with GUTS. Do it with SOUL. And don't forget to PLAY. Those are the three main ingredients I've found in everything I have pursued and achieved professionally and personally. I infuse it into every project, big or small, that WALO takes on. It is the foundation on which the agency’s culture is built, and every team member that joins us embodies those three things and has taken an oath to help mold and evolve it.

What if you hadn’t chosen an art- or design-related career? What do you think you might be doing?
I’ve always been fascinated by creativity in all aspects of life. In my spare time, I dabble in many things like illustrating, woodworking and playing the violin, but what I do the most is classic car restoration. I enjoy restoring original details on cars and making subtle changes to the existing design that make the viewer feel like it was originally designed that way. Undoubtedly, this is what I would be doing if I hadn’t gone into advertising.

Did you participate in an internship or apprenticeship while you were in college? What lessons did you learn there that have proven helpful in your career?
Regarding your career post-college, there is no substitute for experiencing the world of work vs. learning about the world of work. I was fortunate to have had two internships before graduating, and the lessons I learned from each served my journey well. The importance of a strong and clearly defined agency culture was the top lesson I learned. If I was going to invest a tremendous amount of my time in an agency, I wanted to ensure the people were valued and treated well versus being a number that contributed to the bottom line. I wanted to ensure everyone was considered equal, regardless of their title or seniority. You can learn a lot about an agency based on how they treat interns.