We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shawnda Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shawnda below.

Shawnda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I have had a few different starts and stops with how I should approach providing design services. I, initially, had a more traditional approach akin to a boutique design agency. Although the results and the spectrum of clients were positive, the business concept was always glaringly half-hearted for me. The passion was there, but I was thinking more specifically about success. The goal was to get more money and growth-oriented clients, how I monetize, and how much I could make. Although these things are essential, they are not the only point. I needed a compelling why. Although I loved design and problem-solving, did the world need another boutique design service, especially when I could be just as engaged at my full-time job? So like many, I gave up and took a hiatus from any side hustle, freelancing, and entrepreneurial efforts for around five years. Until I was fortunate enough that life tossed me a few consecutive, genuinely unique life experiences that allowed me the opportunity to start doing car restorations. I was knee-deep in my second of these restorations when I had an ah-ha moment. I noticed how much I had adopted human-centered design principles into my approach for this truck restoration.

The process was similar, and what I saw in the car community around me was a decent need for more focused attention to design thinking when approaching a restoration. The whole endeavor is problem-solving at its finest, with an excellent convergence with design. How about I tap into my education and career in graphic design, user experience design, and service design and marry them with these new experiences and knowledge? Could I design everything? This question created the fodder of which Southern Fried Concepts was formed and incited my evolution to simply being a “designer of things.” Southern Fried Concepts approaches business based less on if we have done it before, but can we? We are a multidisciplinary design service that seeks to solve complex design problems and celebrate manual tools, methods, and techniques, with the charge to deliver results that reflect each customer’s individuality and unique needs.

One of my favorite quotes is, “If you can design one thing, you can design everything.— Massimo Vignelli”. This quote embodies the spirit of Southern Fried Concepts because I believe in design that solves problems. To do this honestly may mean designing for all mediums or media. No matter the design need, be it a logo, apparel, vehicle, or more, I’m here for it and you. For example, from a workload perspective, I have a slew of varied customer work, a few logos in progress, early-stage planning for a custom motorcycle design that I am collaborating with Huhney Bee Fabrication on, and getting ready to drop a new round of shirt designs. So it is a hectic, but exciting time. It’s crazy, exciting, but somehow sustainable. The only limit is on shop space.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Getting to a place where I was genuinely ready to act on making Southern Fried Concepts a reality was an exciting journey. My background is in arts and design. I went to school what feels like a few hundred years ago and gained a Fine Arts degree in graphic design. We all leave school with lofty ideas about what our careers will look like. I was no different and had so many expectations about how I planned to change the world through design. However, life had other plans, and I came out of school as the web and digital experiences were seemingly pervasive overnight. So here I am, beginning a career with an education focusing primarily on print design, entering an entirely digital workplace. I followed the momentum and found myself rapidly launched into a career that started in web design and then almost overnight seemed to migrate again into the unknown. This next transition was into User Experience Design. Again, I found my footing, which formed the foundation my career has built upon. With each subsequent role, my career matured and evolved, but each step forward pulled me further from the things I loved most about myself and the job I thought I had chosen.

Then one day, it was like the computer was my only creative tool. I needed more and missed using my hands, making genuinely creative solutions, and, more importantly, getting my hands dirty. This was a big part of what attracted me to car restorations, and although I entered the first of these by accident, I fell in love immediately. This endeavor was such an unlock for me because it was this rare opportunity to be hands-on, problem-solve, and in some scenarios, even break out pencil and paper and sketch a solution. It was an unlikely pairing that aligned with my fine art background and professional experience and excited me to create.

Fast forward from that experience to today. I have used the wealth of learning to re-invigorate myself. Because once you start using your hands, you likely won’t stop, but in my case, I created a business to support my journey and keep me honest and continually making. Southern Fried Concepts is a multidisciplinary design service fueled by a want to create and only be limited by imagination. Subsequently, I am intentionally ambiguous in defining the specific services Southern Fried Concepts offers. At the broadest levels, I provide the standard array of offerings of a traditional design service but with some spice and soul. So logo, branding, merchandise, strategy, etc. But beyond those standard offerings is where the spirit of Southern Fried Concepts comes to life. We don’t just do traditional design. I design for the full spectrum of my client’s imagination and have done complete vehicle restoration design, down to rendering custom upholstered seat design to hand-drawn typography and more.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

At some point in my career, well before there was Southern Fried Concepts, I felt the tug of my career pulling me to this place where my designing was relegated entirely to the computer. Additionally, as many of us may experience, as I climbed the corporate ladder in ascending leadership roles, it also limits the more hands-on opportunities with the work. I was making and building solid teams, which is entirely affirming work, but still left the artist and maker in me feeling massively neglected. I missed the deliberate connection of my hand and brain working together creatively.

Getting back into the business of creation is one of the biggest motivations for creating Southern Fried Concepts. So now, as a business principle, I strive to integrate manual processes into my creative process. There is naturally a logical balance, and only some projects are good candidates for this process. However, it is a significant consideration in every client project I accept. I am seizing opportunities for hand drawing logos and typography when it makes sense and reveling in using my hands as much as possible.

Technology is evolving at warp speed, with AI popping up everywhere. Although I accept it, I actively feel the need to be a conservator of manual processes and hand tooling. Even if it means fewer clients, less profit, etc. I’m in the business of celebrating the artistry of creative trades and making.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Absolutely! Although I had my first exposure to CAD software in high school, I have sidestepped it for most of my career. I only wish I could have predicted that 3D printers would ever exist. They have truly blown my mind over the past few years and are a consideration for prototyping and how I approach restorations and product development. I was fortunate enough to participate with Autodesk Technology Centers Outsight Network, which has been a fantastic resource in providing education and support as I play catch up in learning CAD via Autodesk, Inc. Fusion 360 software. So if I could build a magical time machine, I would go back in time and drag myself, likely kicking and screaming, back to class and learn as much as possible about CAD. 3D printing has been a tremendous resource and is an area that I am entirely fascinated by.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://southernfriedconcepts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernfriedconcepts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sofriedconcepts
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawndaw/