Meet our creative team: the eyes and ears behind anything and everything involving design, graphics and branding. The creative team is responsible for all graphic design projects, rebrands and visuals for us and our clients … let’s face it, we’d look pretty boring without them!
When she’s not working on her latest interior design project or baking decadent desserts for our Tampa office (thank you!), Chelsea is nose to the grindstone, designing our social media graphics, working on visuals for our next whitepaper and coming up with branding inspiration for large-scale projects. She’s always strapped with a fresh idea and never fails to find the creative aspects in anything she does. Want to get on Chelsea’s good side? Buy her a nice dinner and turn up the Amy Winehouse.
Q: Why did you want to work at KM&A?
I wanted to be a part of a team that is growing and to be a large part of that growth. Joining KM&A has given me change and constant movement within my day-to-day.
Q: What has been your favorite project thus far and why?
The KM&A brand refresh has been … refreshing. I had a great time putting together our existing elements and elevating our presence using a little creativity.
Q: Which graphic design program is your favorite and why?
Adobe Illustrator! I have always had a love for Illustrator because it’s ever changing, I can input all my ideas within it easily and vectors are the absolute best creation for design. Being able to scale your ideas as large as a billboard (or bigger) without any distortion at all? That’s pretty amazing.
Q: Where can we find you when you’re not working?
I’m usually home watching a good movie, working out and designing the interior of my house.
Q: Which designer inspires you the most and how do they influence your work?
This question is hard for any artist to answer. I have many periods of inspiration based off moods and current events. A couple of my favorites are below.
- Steve Harrington is a painter who creates art like a designer by using clean lines, colorful imagery, incorporating his work into tangibles and sculptures. He’s incredible.
- Ryan Putnam is incredibly inspirational because he is constantly experimenting with multiple mediums while maintaining his own style. He is a designer, a potter, a printer, a photographer. An “experimenter” of all trades and quite successful at doing so.
As our graphic design go-getter, Calvin is a creative genius and a dab hand at Adobe Illustrator. In between sips of a Peach Pear LaCroix, Calvin is designing blog graphics, editing social media visuals and coming up with the next great rebrand idea. His curious nature and graphic design skills make him a creative concept aficionado, exceeding client expectations and growing the bottom line. On the weekends you’ll find Calvin adding to his record collection, squeezing in a few podcasts or hanging out with his cutie corgi, Wally.
Q: Why did you want to work at KM&A?
I was attracted to KM&A because I was ready for a challenge in my work. I wanted to work in an agency that I could tell was nimble and always challenging itself. I was ready for a position where I had the opportunity to wear multiple hats, quickly jumping into new and exciting projects and learning more about the world of marketing in general. I could also tell that KM&A was made up of badass people, and I wanted to absorb a variety of information and skillsets from them (and of course have a cocktail with the team at happy hour).
Q: What has been your favorite project thus far and why?
My favorite project so far has been working on the brand guide for Big Bear Biscuits (which the world will be seeing much more of very soon). While presenting the guide to their team, one of their members actually began to cry and said, “it’s just so amazing to see someone gets it.” It was an inspiring feeling to not only know that I absolutely understood their story and brand, but also to help bring life to something that was important and personal to them. Bringing someone to tears (in a good way) has been a top moment in my design career so far.
Q: Which graphic design program is your favorite and why?
I’ve always been an Adobe Illustrator junkie, but lately I’ve been challenging myself to work more in Photoshop (since I had less experience and didn’t understand it as well), and I’ve learned so much about the program. I’ve been amazed by how powerful Photoshop is and what you can accomplish in it when you understand the software. It’s been my go-to program lately.
Q: Where can we find you when you’re not working?
I’m probably hanging out with my dog and listening to a podcast! (99% Invisible is my favorite podcast about design). Also, I’m always looking for more opportunities to learn about physical art forms and techniques to try and expand my design mind. Recently I’ve taken a pottery class with friends, and I’m about to start a letterpress class!
Q: Which designer inspires you the most and how do they influence your work?
Cristoph Niemann (@abstractsunday on Instagram) is one of my favorite modern designers. He is a master of wit and simplicity. From his work, I’ve learned to look for bold and surprising images that can be found throughout daily life. His work always shows me that the best designs come from having fun with designing.
Now that you’ve met our talented creative team, you should be feeling inspired to get out there and create. Don’t forget to connect with Chelsea and Calvin on LinkedIn!
