Chris Carls

About

Chris holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois, and Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Arizona. He’s the Art Director at Tucson design and print firm, Cirrus Visual, where he’s been for almost 25 years.

He’s also an Adjunct Professor at Pima Community College where he teaches Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. Chris is an Adobe Community Expert and is also on the Adobe Illustrator Pre-Release team – testing new features and engaging with developers, marketers and other users from around the world.

As a local community leader, he stays busy by hosting monthly creative events, presentations and workshops. He gives regular talks and tours to emerging creatives of all levels and is committed to inspiring others with his endless creativity. Public speaking is a passion – returning to TenWest in 2026, CreativePro Week in 2025, Creative Mornings in 2024, and Phoenix Design Week in 2023, 2024 & 2025 (and many other events).

In his limited spare time he enjoys long rides on his mountain bike and shreds the local skatepark, then he jumps back onto the computer to play in his favorite Adobe software.