Forty-Eight At Forty-Eight Awards
One List. One Man. One Interesting Take.
Why count to 48, when one will do. For 2025, we're cutting through the clutter and falling behind the design tips and laughter of one man, with just enough satire to keep things interesting.
2025 SPONSORS
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Each year, the editorial board of the highly exclusive, totally real, and not-at-all-made-up Forty-Eight at Forty-Eight list scours the country for the brightest minds, boldest talents, and most resilient spirits who also happen to be—by sheer coincidence—48 years old.
This year, one creative stood out: Christopher Jordan. Designer, baseball romantic, reluctant trend-watcher, and purveyor of shock-and-awe one-liners that make dinner parties slightly uncomfortable but infinitely more fun.
Christopher’s career path hasn’t followed the neat, glossy trajectory of a design annual spread. Instead, it’s been a winding road of detours, resets, and breakthroughs. The kind that doesn’t just build a résumé—it builds character.
Let's jump in.
2025 CREATIVE HONOREE
Christopher Jordan
Designer, Creative Leader, Passionate Collaborator
Unemployed but Freelancing as Christopher Design
From Frisco to Sactown
The Shortlist
Making this list must feel like a milestone for you. How does it feel to be stepping into this new chapter, both personally and professionally?
Christopher: Something tells me this list is fake. But hey, it's always nice to be recognized.
Damn, 48. Well, it's not quite 50, and I definitely wasn't thinking of 48 being a poignant year in my life or career. But alas, here we are. Life has thrown some tough punches recently. Last year, in a span of 4 months that started in March, I lost my mother, my mentor, and my job. It’s the trifecta nobody bets on. Not to mention losing my step-dad five months later. I suppose that was life saying, "hey buddy, time to reevaluate some things." Looking at 48 to 49, I'm focused on having a positive outlook. It does feel more and more like a major reset but one that is requiring me to focus on the things I care about. Not trying to reinvent things but needing to listen more closely. And maybe, just maybe, make it to the Forty-Nine at Forty-Nine list.
The Long Game
Looking back, what’s one project or moment in your design career that you’re most proud of?
Christopher: Well, one of my proudest moments in my career (and life) was graduating from California College of the Arts' Graphic Design Program at the wise ass age of 36. Yup, 36. Wow, just noticing the late-trending trend here. Anywho, graduating college symbolized much more than what that BFA (with high distinction, mind you) could get me. It meant that I actually could finish what I start. That I wasn't a bad student. I was a good student. That I just needed to find myself. I was in and out of community college since 18, and it only took me another youthful life cycle to get back on track.
Who the heck is Al Collins?
Origin Story
Every “under ___” list loves a good origin story. How did you first get into design, and when did you realize it was more than just a job?
Christopher: It’s my senior year of high school. 1995. I was the editor for the Running Warrior, my school’s newspaper. I was laying out the paper on a Macintosh, designing cool things, and even getting a chance to write articles. The librarian—who doubled as the newspaper’s advisor—was the first to tell me graphic design was a thing. You can get paid doing what you’re doing now, she said. She even helped me find a design school: Al Collins Graphic Design School in Tempe, Arizona. Who the heck is Al Collins? Turns out it was a legit school, and he was a legit designer. I told my mom about it, and she encouraged me to go. She said, “why not?” “If it doesn’t work out, you can come back home.” I didn't end up going. I stayed and hit the Bay Area JUCO circuit hard.
Fast forward to 2007. I was working for a small credit union handling debt collection (another story for another time), and I got noticed for some of my creative projects I worked on as part of an employee committee. I was encouraged to interview for a role with marketing. After some smooth talking, I got the job, and that sort of spring-boarded me into design. Lots of direct-mailers, posters, and brochures. Oh, and door hangers. Then I got cocky. When they refused to give me a raise for my newly reinvigorated talents, I came in the next day with my two-week notice. I got rid of my apartment, moved in with family, and went back to college with renewed focus: design. Sometimes pettiness is the best career strategy.
Surviving Industry Shifts
The design industry has changed a ton over the last decade. What shifts have you noticed, and how have you adapted?
Christopher: Print was declared dead. Several times. However, my first job out of college was working steadily and heavily in print projects—books, catalogs, wine labels, packaging. UX was hot in the early 2010s, but it didn’t bring me joy. There was a disconnect to the tangible things in the design world that I came to love—ephemera. I loved paper, the smell of ink, the feel of gold foil, looking at mechanical type, you know, the romantic side of things. Now? The field is flooded with gurus, coaches, tutorials pushing generative AI workflows, and soulless sameness. Dang, that sounds and looks brutal in print.
As an older student entering the workforce in 2014, my competition was tough. But the constant has been that I try to stay true to who am I and what I want. I’ve worked a lot of jobs throughout my life. My experience isn't just the summary on my résumé. The hope is that employers see me for the person I am, not just the ROI my skill set brings. By the way, my KPI achievement game is strong.
Why, Always Start There
Your work often sits at the crossroads of strategy, storytelling, and visual identity. How do you tie it all together?
Christopher: That’s a lot of design-speak. To answer your question though, I always want to stick to the truth. I want businesses to focus on their why. Sounds cheesy, I know, but without that, everyone is chasing the bottom line while losing their soul at the same time. There will always be a new product or service. What separates them is the why: why it matters to you, to your audience, to the world. That’s the thread I like to pull on. Everything falls into place from there.
Lessons for the Next Generation
What advice would you give to younger designers starting out in today’s shifting industry?
Christopher: Don’t get hung up on trends. Designing is about creation not imitation. Build a support system—a personal board of directors, something that Bret Ledbetter writes about in What Drives Winning. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on but tell you the hard truths. People from your inner circle that you trust. And stop comparing yourself to others. The only person you should compare yourself to is yesterday’s version of yourself.
Inspiration is everywhere, but only if you’re there for it.
Signature Moves
If someone were to describe your design “signature,” what would it be?
Christopher: Clean an simple. Oh, and white space. Lots of white space—embrace the space, I like to say. I lean into Swiss design often, I love how typography can do the heavy lifting, geometric shapes are awesome, and I love grids and systems. But I also love breaking that grid. What’s that saying, you have to learn the rules before you can break them? That’s my sweet spot.
On Inspiration
Where do you find creativity when you’re not behind a screen?
Christopher: Movement. Conversation. Urban hikes to a brewery, deep chats with people, semantic debates with Maron, hipster coffee shop people-watching, and sketching ideas in my head. Inspiration is everywhere, but only if you’re there for it.
The Next Chapter
What kind of role excites you most moving forward?
Christopher: Mentorship. I want to manage, coach, inspire younger designers. I coached softball for 15 years—it’s in my DNA to be part of a team. To push people to be great. And I want to keep designing, putting in the work. Creating beautiful things. I also want to keep working with small businesses to help them be great. Not again. Just great. That's ... yeah. Never mind.
Worth Sharing
Finally, what’s something unexpected about you?
Christopher: I love a good shock and awe. Think Howard Stern meets Seth Godin. Saying what everyone else is thinking but won’t say. Short and sweet. Sometimes crude, sometimes out of left field, always to make people laugh, always positive. Maron doesn’t love it, but hey—it’s who I am. I’m just a boy, looking at the world, asking them to like me.
The Forty-Eight At Forty-Eight
The 2025 Forty-Eight at Forty-Eight has been brought to you by Christopher Design, derived from the mind of designer, writer, and all around know-it-all, Christopher Jordan, and 100% made up out of sheer envy of never being considered for a something-under-anything list. The Q and A was inspired by my original essay, 45 Lessons at 45 that was never published.
I'd like to thank my main chatbot confidant, G, for putting up with my rants during this interview. Thanks for editing out the nonsense. Also, I promise that this is all my original content. All em-dashes were placed by me—seriously. See, that was just me. I've been using em-dashes for, like, ever.
ABOUT
Christopher Design is an independent design studio and creative consultancy based in the heart of Midtown Sacramento. Christopher Design currently has their client book open for new business. We're looking for inspirational projects born anywhere. If you're a local Sacramento business or organization, and you're looking for some creative help, please reach out. Let's grab a coffee at one of my latest fave spots, Chloé Cà Phê + Roastery. That Coconut Matcha Cloud is the stuff fluffy dreams are made of.
For more, visit christopher-design.com, follow @christopher-design on Instagram, and connect with Christopher on LinkedIn.
Words and passion by Christopher Jordan. © 2025 Christopher Jordan. Interviewed and editing assist by ChatGPT. OpenAI © 2015–2025. Illustrations provided by Wix Media and my Studio Plus Plan. © 2006-2025 Wix.com, Inc.