When first starting out in any of the creative arts as a freelancer or sole designer; marketing is one of the biggest concerns. Getting clients, letting people know that you exist. Many of us started out and drudged through the first year or so through referrals, family and friends and exhausting every contact we have. Rarer so, is the designer who shoots to a certain level of authority and recognition in a shorter amount of time. One of those such people is Will Kay. Will Kay is a young, up and coming freelancer / fashion designer in London, United Kingdom. His name , his brand, Odd Kingdom; is now remarkably well known despite its late 2008 conception.
How long have you been designing & why did you decide to freelance / go it alone?
I have been designing for more than 5years and I decided to freelance because I have always wanted to be my own manager and act as my own motivator. I’m someone who feels naturally motivated to create things by myself.
When did you conceive the idea of Odd Kingdom? Why the name? Why the logo?
The whole concept came at college, being around so many people who were all trying to be a part of something was great, but I wanted to have my own world of creativity and voice amongst the crowd. The logo came about during my time at St Martins, where over time I began to fall in love with the power of typography. I then began by experimenting with all different sorts of type until I came across the right one that fitted.
How did you market yourself (find design work/new clients / get your name out) in the beginning ?
I bought the logo, got it trademarked I then off I went. I began by sticking my logo on every design I was involved in. In the beginning, I did a lot of promotional materials for musicians etc free of charge, this resulted in people seeing my work and my name got around with word of mouth.
How do you market yourself (find design work / get your name out) now ?
I use loads of little ways. I use flyers for my clothing / photography / illustration. As well as posting stickers around areas that I think will help increase my brand awareness. I wear t-shirts representing the brand to events and I network alot to find new work and similar minded people. It’s a bit of an assault!
What type of work do you do? (design for print, web, multimedia etc)
I do fashion, hand drawn illustration, photography, digital art and design for print.
You use images of yourself and market your persona as part of your brand; what made you do this?
Instead of say the more conventional approaches to marketing oneself. I wanted to show the audience that I am the man behind the designs and name, whether you like it or not. I want to become the brand itself. This is what I love to do, why not be fully immersed in everything I do with it?
Do you feel marketing yourself as Odd Kingdom and Odd Kingdom as yourself has helped you in those initial stages?
It worked both ways, in some of the scenes I am involved in, it worked well in attracting clients. However, moving into new possible areas and client bases, it does not work and a slightly different approach is required that isn’t as eccentric. This is why some times I don’t add my Will Kay name on designs. Different clients require a different approach!
You have received a lot of publication and exposure due to your clothing and Illustration work, what are your favourite pieces?
That’s good question, my favourite would have to be the new Micheal Jackson piece, because it stands alone from any other out there, it’s a great capture of him, and will be remembered in years to come.
What would be your perfect dream project ?
That would be a collaboration with Gucci, a whole range of clothes, bags, shoes all styled by me, promoted by me, photographed by me. Everything!
What blogs, magazines, podcasts etc do you subscribe to ?
To be honest, not many. My definite regular visits are at blogs Hype Beast, and Better Never Than Late
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to someone starting out?
Believe and motivate your self!
Where can we see some of your work (URLs, facebook group, twitter etc)?
www.oddkingdom.co.uk, twitter.com/willkay_oddking , www.facebook.com/willkay
All content © 2010 by Acuity Designs
Great interview Mel.
BTW, just wanted to let you know, I clicked on his website link and it doesn’t seem to work. Thought you might want to fix that.
.-= Design Informer´s last blog ..Wallpaper of the Week – Escape =-.
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Acuity DesignsReply:
Hi Jad, link fixed! Thanks, Will is doing really well.
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[...] Interview With Will Kay of OddKingdom – Becoming Your Brand [...]
[...] Interview With Will Kay of OddKingdom – Becoming Your Brand [...]
I am going to be adding this to my list of book marks.
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