Rafael Fajardo teaches at the University of Denver in three degree programs: Electronic Media Arts Design, Digital Media Studies, and Game Development. He is part of an emerging group of artists and designers who are exploring the potential of digital video games to express serious and complex subject matter. Through his collaborative, SWEAT, Fajardo has published two video games that comment on the game-like nature of (il)legal human traffic at the US/Mexico border. These games have been exhibited in Holland, Turkey, Canada, and the US.

Before coming to Colorado, Fajardo spent six years living, teaching, and working on the border between the US and Mexico. There, he challenged the canons of design education and attempted to locate a visual expression that was of the region and not imposed from outside. His students created ideosyncratic works that have been recognized for their excellence by Millia, the international competition for new media; Walt Disney Imagineering; and, MexicArte, a nationally reknown cultural space in Austin, Texas.

For over twelve years Fajardo has been investigating cultural identity and cultural representation through his visual and intellectual work. His early explorations, completed while receiving his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), garnered recognition from the American Center for Design. More recently, his critical practice has earned him recognition by I.D., The International Magazine of Design. Fajardo is on the steering committee for the AIGA Center for Cross Cultural Design, and is co-Director for Experience Design of AIGA Colorado.