We were lucky to catch up with Kyle DeSean Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kyle DeSean, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

I’m a big advocate for trades. I’m from the era when in junior high I took woodshop, typewriter, cooking, and graphic design classes. In high school, I took a course in graphic design, using a computer program called Typestyler 2.0 to digitally create art and the lab’s screen printer to make t-shirts with the logos of hip-hop groups like Freestyle Fellowship, the Hieroglyphics, and the UMCs. I decided to pursue graphic design and enrolled directly at Cal State University Fullerton. Looking back, if the school had a career counselor, I would have gone to a two-year college and transferred to a trade school specifically for design. Financially it would have a better decision.

I recently listened to a segment on NPR where the topic of college enrollment was being discussed. Instead of going to a local university, students are looking for facilities that teach specific job skills that lead directly to employment such as nursing. My oldest daughter is now a high school freshman. I ask her what fields she is interested in and we research them together. Leading up to her senior year I plan to do a yearly audit of sorts to see where she stands and how we can accomplish her career goals.

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

I lead a branding and design studio called Bullet Art Direction & Design. I specialize in creating visual identities for a range of clients in the beauty industry. My earliest interest in packaging was sparked by Sta-Sof-Fro’s packaging in the 80s (it’s still the same!). I used to wonder how the image of the man and woman with the afros was drawn and printed on the package. We had it at home and at the neighborhood barber shop. I remember being spritzed with the Hair & Scalp Spray after getting my fro touched up as a kid. Sta-Sof-Fro’s television ads, my family’s polaroids, and velvet Black love paintings became a catalyst for my future career as a designer and art director.

Twenty years in my career and I don’t have a fro to enjoy most products anymore but my two daughters and their beautiful crowns do.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My mother wanted me to become a nurse so I willingly attended courses back in 2000. After completing some prerequisite classes I was able to proudly say that I definitely wanted to pursue design. She was more than happy that I gave it a try. For her, there were so many resources for nursing education and paths for career advancement alongside other Black nurses. But for design…I have never personally met another Black designer, let alone in the beauty industry. I never let it affect me but it would have been cool to have something back then and even now.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A lot has happened in the years since I graduated. I majored in Communications with the goal of becoming an art director at a big advertising agency. The curriculum didn’t include graphic design but I took enough classes on my own so that I could be effective at creating print ad layouts. But the dot-com crash upended that path and I ended up working for a design firm called Runyon, led by Richard Runyon, who designed the original trademarks for Federal Express, Spruce Goose, Berry Crocker, and Hansen’s Beverages. It was tough there and Richard was like an unfiltered guy from that show Mad Men. I left after a year or so and worked for a hair care company in the OC called Advanced Research Labs which eventually merged with and became Schwarzkopf & Henkel. From there I happily advanced in the beauty industry and joined a few other companies before deciding to start on my own.

In the ten years of running my studio, the shift in media has forced me to adopt new offerings and strategies to remain relevant. Print has diminished and video is everywhere. I believe that designers can’t simply lead with labeled services anymore. Instead, we have to evolve from being a-la-carte providers to creative thinkers that can identify a brand’s value and help them achieve clarity, aim, and direction in its message. The future might require a pivot in the form of deliverable assets but helping to visualize a brand’s values is concrete.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bullet-ad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyledeseanjohnson/