How a “spoken-into-existence” collaboration between Arizona’s most visible law firm and a world-renowned local artist turned Valley Metro buses into rolling canvases.
Who says the law can’t be colorful? Historically, lawyers have been associated with white powdered wigs, black robes and gray three-piece suits. But times change, and Brandon Rafi, founder of one of Arizona’s most visible personal injury law firms, isn’t shy about showing his true colors. Now Rafi Law Group is doing exactly that, teaming up with Phoenix-based artist and designer J. Pierce on a new collection of Rafi-inspired artwork that’s bold, vibrant, and unmistakably Valley, including the cover wrap featured in this week’s print edition of the Phoenix New Times, and the Valley Metro buses you probably see every day.
Meet the Artist
An East Valley artist whose self-taught, color-saturated style draws on influences from Andy Warhol to Dr. Seuss, J. Pierce takes inspiration from the streets: music, comics, skateboarding, and more. His collaborators have included Samuel L. Jackson, rapper Rick Ross, and the Arizona Coyotes, to name a few. Pierce’s work spans canvas, murals, apparel, custom shoes, and pretty much everything you can think of. But a bus? That was still on the list.
Spoken Into Existence
Pierce had noticed Rafi’s buses and billboards blanketing the Valley for years. At some point, he told his girlfriend it would be “sick” to collaborate with the firm. And then it happened. Two days after the declaration, Pierce was gifting a pair of custom shoes to Arizona Diamondbacks’ second baseman Ketel Marte when Ernie Rivas, Rafi Law Group’s creative director, spotted the post on social media and slid into Pierce’s DMs. “Spoke that into existence, dog,” Pierce said.
Valley Boys, Through and Through
Pierce has called Arizona home since he arrived at age 16 (he’s 37 now) and that Phoenix flavor shows in the work. He studied Rafi’s ads and then let his signature visual language take over. The result is an explosion of energy: caricatures of Brandon Rafi, cacti, city buses, “Call Rafi!” callouts, and the Rafi’s Hope logo. The art is packed with a bold energy that makes people look twice.
And now, finally, his work is on a bus. For Pierce, that’s not a small thing. “I’ve always wanted to have art on a bus,” he said, “and to have it with Rafi just is like a huge blessing, because dude is already holding it down in Arizona.”
Rafi Law Group has been “holding it down” since Brandon Rafi founded the firm in 2015. With seven offices across Arizona and a marketing team—creative director Ernie Rivas, marketing director Rich Yado, and head of marketing content Gabriel Trujillo, all Phoenix locals—that has made “Call Rafi!” one of the most recognizable brands in the Valley, the firm has always understood that visibility is more than advertising. It’s community. A homegrown artist like J. Pierce is a natural choice for the bus-based artwork, coming to a street near you.
