Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alex, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

My Grandfather. He showed dedication to his career while also having time for his family and friends. He was a jack of all trades and held many jobs. One of which was taking photos. The photos ranged from weddings, car wrecks (to sell to insurance companies) and NASCAR photography.

The images were beautiful, but the “behind the scenes” element really drew my fascination. In these early years of photography, the photographer had to be crafty. Weddings may have been a little easier to book. But when It came to get photos of these car wrecks, he would listen to police scanners and try to beat everyone to the scene to get photos before the scene was disturbed. Even the NASCAR photo… I remember asking “how did you get these aerial shots of the track?”. In which he replied “I got my pilots license”.

The grit of getting the work done by any means necessary was truly eye opening. Taught me too look further than the tools at hand.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Alex Brown. I am a Graphic Design by trade and artist on the side. I have always had an interest in art since I was young, as most creatives do. While deciding what I wanted to study in college, I remember think about the philosophies I learn from my grandad. I already was decent and drawing, could some what paint, and practiced screen printing. Since I already exploded these foundations of art… I decided to learn ‘computer arts’ to explore new thought process and tools.

Once I graduated I bounced around from retail and sneaker stores as I looked for an opportunity in the design world. I tested the waters and applied to various design agencies in town. After a few rounds of interviews (with nerves on 1000) and no offers, My processor told me about an internship opening up at NASCAR Inc. I decided to apply for the role. I went in the interview with a clear head and my personality in hopes for the best. Luckily that is when my story started.

At this point… I had to some skills to design. I was learning form the most talented designers in the industry. Outside of learn the ins and outs of a new sport, I also had to learn to harness these new techniques and styles. At the time I was so HUNGRY for layout, photo manipulation, and typography. At the end of everyday, I’d go home and practice a technique or tool I learned that day and create my own compositions. Not sure if some one can be addicted to the process, but I was hooked.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I came up in the infancy of Instagram. I didn’t really see the beast that the app would blossom in today. Although I have benefited in securing some client work from social media views, I wish I would have seen to silver lining of using the platform to the max. I would promote myself and art more than the graphics I have created.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When it comes to graphics. I prefer to communicate and educate. Even if it is on a low brow level. A lot of my graphics are sneaker mock ups or sneaker layouts.

An example I can think or recently… I stumble upon @keo_xmen social media page. He is apart of the graffiti group XMEN and worked closely with MF Doom on many projects. On this particular day, he posted a sketch of this Nike SB dunk that influenced the MF Doom Nike SB Dunk that released in 2007. The post was being reposted on many accounts. Interactions and comments were on all the popular accounts. I kept reading comments similar to “I would love to see this shoe in real life.” I saw an opportunity to mock up the shoe, and try making it look as real as possible. when the shoe was ready to post, I tagged all the sneaker media outlets and wrote the caption “Nike Dunk High – MF Doom | Based off @keo_xmen concept post.”

The post was shared by all the sneaker media outlets and sneaker fans were going nuts. Highlighting the talents of Keo and the history of sneakers. It gave me a great sense of community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://xelephantcreativedesign.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/xele_phant
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-brown-6403b7a5/

Image Credits
The image with the Air Max 90’s, the figure with the beanie over his head, and the copy “JUST GO NUTS” in the background was a late 2000s ad by nike. Not sure the original source… It was tricky to track down on google as is. The Illustration of the 2 figures is by my Twin Brother Jake Brown. The sketch was heavily inspired by Jamie Hewlett’s Gorillaz characters. I mocked up the image with the illustrations on the ‘CD’. All other images should be mine. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.