Today we’d like to introduce you to Crew Kinser.
Hi Crew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I guess we’ll have to go back all the way to that rainy October morning, where it all began. The moment I picked up that Ticonderoga number two pencil. The shape, the smell…. that really bad eraser….. Since then, it has been a roller coaster of graphite and erasing.
In my youth, I actually had a grandiose dream of being a professional baseball player. I would sit in class and doodle new baseball uniforms and logos for my then, and still, favorite baseball team, the Texas Rangers. I would dabble around doing that normal doodling and sketching for a few years.
So I was always a creative type, always drawing, always doodling, I just never knew or realized what could and would come of it. It wasn’t until about midway through my time at university that I started taking real art and design classes, and I have been hooked ever since.
In the “real world” I started off working at a small sign and print shop and then figured I had hit my “big break” when the Dallas Cowboys came calling. It sounded like a big dream come true. Unfortunately, it really wasn’t. After that, in what I thought at the time was a dark spot in my career, I bounced around doing contract work across various clients and industries, trying to find what it was I WANTED to do or even liked doing in the design space. I had such little knowledge of what was actually out there, I couldn’t, really see what I didn’t know.
After a few years of that, I found a more long-term home in-house at a metal supply company in Dallas. It wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination groundbreaking and sexy work, but, with such an unsexy product and market, it actually allowed for a LOT of room for imagination and creativity. We weren’t bound to SUPER STRICT guidelines, like some brands I’ve worked with. I spent about four years with them before moving to a different agency that specializes in creating bespoke in-house teams. Working there was a real treat, because I was able to bounce around and touch a variety of clients and client work. I worked on big projects for Molson Coors, Adidas, Jim Beam, Washington Spirit, Goldman Sachs, 3M, Bazooka and more.
Now I’m building my independent brand and studio, where I’m specializing in Branding, Illustration and Type Design. I’ve have the pleasure of working with a wide range of clients from real estate, to a laundromat, to coffee brands and a bunch more.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh no. I don’t think anyone has ever had THAT smooth of a road. We all have are challenges and ups and down. Even the big timers who have 32093845093489 followers on social media have had their downs. It’s not all rosy and perfect for anyone.
One of the struggles I think, was that early on in my career I THOUGHT I knew what I wanted (and to be honest, what I was doing) and when it fell apart, I thought it was over. But I persevered and kept going, kept learning, and kept trying new things. That is really the key, is to always keep that curiosity alive.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in working with smaller brands, creating bold and distinctive branding and visuals to help them stand out amongst their competitors. I like to start with the ideas that could get me fired, and then work my way back. It’s easier to tone down sometimes than to try and revamp way far down the line.
I would say a lot of people know or knew me in the sports world, I hung out there a bit, and still do. But I can cross those borders and work with anyone who wants something bright and bold (there is a reason I use neon colors in my branding)
I mainly stick to my three big buckets of branding, illustration and type design.
What I’m most proud of, goodness, that is a hard one to answer, because there are so many projects that I love for various reason, or am proud of, even the ones that didn’t make the final cut. I think one of my most recent projects that I really love, is “Stop the Presses” coffee. It’s a brand that in based on the old printing presses and newspaper thematics. I was able to get a couple of different variations of the bags in their textures, so that they’re not all the same across all the flavors, just like on the old printing presses, that nothing would be exactly the same.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think everything has some sort of risk involved. I don’t think any decision has no risk, just various degrees of risk.
I mean, what kept me from becoming say an attorney vs a creative? That is a risk (and no, I never did want to become an attorney) I think a life avoiding risk, isn’t a life well lived. But, also, taking too many risks, that isn’t the best tactic either.
For me, in my current life stage, as a husband and father, I have to weigh the risks out very carefully and thoughtfully, because my choices affect more than just me. I like a healthy amount of risk to my life. I like to forward think, and do I want to come to the end and be like “wish I had tried” or “glad I did that” I know it’s cliche, but it’s a good lens to look through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studiocrew.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiocrew.co/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crewkinser/
