We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kevin Kemp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kevin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
If I was to start over today, what I would do differently is figure out a specific art form that is trending and growing with the times and figure out how I can become proficient in order to stay ahead of the curve. Rather than trying to master a variety of different skill sets. Just focus on one that will not only benefit future clients. But my craft as a progressive designer as well.
Nowadays, when you tell someone you are a graphic designer, it seems they feel that you are a master of all design skills. So I always find myself trying to learn new skill sets. Whether that is web design, technical illustrations or video editing. I find myself trying to be able to offer services that I may or may not have mastered yet. I feel that if I was to start over, what would be beneficial for not only myself but to people I may be working with down the road. Would be to focus on one advancing art form, master it, and have that as my service that I can offer to future clients. Alleviating the stress of trying to juggle multiple artistic skill sets.
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.
Growing up, I spent most of my youth outdoors. Skateboarding, snowboarding, going to the beach, building things, getting into trouble. The normal lifestyle of a kid growing up in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Being introduced to the skate scene really sparked my interest in creating art. I was always inspired by graphic tee’s and skateboard deck designs. As long as I can remember, I’ve been drawing in a sketch book. I wasn’t introduced to the world of graphic design until towards the end of high school. Quite frankly, I did not even know much about graphic design and digital illustrations until then. My college years is when I truly started to pursue a career in that field. Prior to that, I just knew I wanted to do something within the art realm. I just did not know what that may be.
After graduating from college, one thing I had in mind was that I wanted to help local businesses. And the only way I knew I could help would be from a creative perspective. Helping them out with whatever design challenge there business may be facing. Whether that be rebranding or digital/print material that would benefit there business. I started seeing a good amount of business that could use a refresher in terms of there storefront appearance or there products they provide to customers. So I thought to myself, I could help with that.
After many years of various graphic design projects, I’ve picked up a handful of other services I provide to my clients. This includes, custom illustrations, web design and print/digital marketing campaigns. I found these individual skill sets benefit one another and are typically services that clients are looking for. After completing courses in web design, I learned how successful certain business have become just by the development of there website and how there SEO is optimized. So that pushed me even further to take my website development to the next level and to be able to offer web design as a service to future clients.
What I feel sets me apart from others is my transparency with a client and being able to get personal with them. Getting to know them and trying to understand there goals and intentions. That way, I build a relationship with them rather than just seeing them as another project or paycheck. My goal with every client is to provide work that exceeds there expectations establish a long term relationship with them, and good rapport so they refer me to others who may be in need of my services.
What I am most proud of is my growth as a designer. For the longest time, I was never satisfied with a project. Always spending to much time to try and make it perfect. But people cannot wait around forever for their project. So I started to plan out projects more carefully and manage my time better in order to complete the project in a more timely manor. Trying to keep in mind that, if its perfection you seek, you may spend a life time looking for it. So I’ve tried to implement that to all aspects of my creative services.
What I want potential clients to know about me is that I care about your design project just as much as you. I take every project to heart and strive to make it better than the last to exceed your expectations. In doing so, it helps me grow as a designer. Even if it is a project that I am not familiar or have experience with. I still accept the challenge because it helps break free from my comfort zone and tackle new challenges. And I think that is important for all creatives out there. To get out of your comfort zone to help yourself grow as a designer. It may be hard and challenging at first, but afterwards you will feel a sense of accomplishment in knowing that you decided to say yes to the project instead of passing it up.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After graduating from college, there was not many design job’s out there. Or most of the jobs required years of experience, which I did not have. So instead of just waiting around for a job, I figure I would just start reaching out to businesses myself to see if they needed any graphic design work done. And low and behold, they did. So instead of just waiting around for that golden opportune job that we all dream of. I decided to take it upon myself to start finding my own clients. That was the initial start of my entrepreneur path as a designer.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Taking advantage of free online networking resources has been an important part that I wish I had done more of earlier on. Also, meeting other successful creative individuals to work with through a mentorship. Learning from them on how they navigated the creative space and became successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kevinkempdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevin_kemp7/
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/kevinkempdesign
