DESIGN SPEAK
working on aboalijgke
TRAVIS
KLEINER Travis Kleiner works in advertising at VML in Kansas
City, MO. He grew up in Olathe, Kansas, and graduated from the Graphic Design Program at Johnson County Community College. From there he went on to graduate from KU with a BFA in Design. His hobbies include, cooking and photography. Travis spends most time collaborating with memebers of theVML team working on how to solve problems and communicate solutions to their clients. His major clients and ad campaigns include: Southwest Airlines, Quiznos and Pet Smart.
“LIVE
BREATHE
DESIGN.”
PUT EVERYTHING YOU ARE INTO EVERYTHING YOU DO. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A DESIGNER?
DID YOU EVER HAVE FEARS THAT YOU WERE’NT GOOD ENOUGH?
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A STUDENT WHO IS ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
I really enjoy visual problem solving. Thats what first got me into design.
Of course. Design classes put you up against peers. You see how you are in comparison everyday. At the end of my JCCC courses I could see where I stood in my class, and so I choose to go on to KU for further education and refinement.
Push yourself to the edge. If you want to do advertising then you need to be willing to put the time in to solve the problems the best way. Also, all your classmates are your rivals and your friends. Compete and beat them out. But Always remain friends. Kansas City is a small city and advertising is small field within it. You are bound to work with one of your classmates, or someone they know during a career in advertising here.
DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY IN THE WORK PLACE. Get in early and knock out as much design work and communication catch up as I can before the meetings begin. Meet with people to either here about new requests, or to solve requests that are currently on our plates. Answer and write more emails. Design. Concept. Review teammates work. Wrap up any work on deadlines. Go home to family. Sleep. Rinse. Repeat.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND WORKING AT A LARGE CORPORATE COMPANY OR A SMALL BUSINESS? I recommend you find a job doing something you enjoy. Doesn’t matter if its a small or large company.
WHAT ARE YOUR LIKES & DISLIKES ABOUT WORKING IN THE DESIGN FIELD? love that I am paid to solve problems. And to do that in a conceptual and visual way appeals to me. I also love that there are always new problems to be solved, or old problems to be solved in new ways. I have worked in digital advertising for years and the problem solving always feels fresh. The only dislike, if it can be called that, would be that there isn’t a consistent schedule. Which I guess, some people would call that a like.
DID YOU SOMETIMES FEEL THAT YOUR WORK WAS GREAT AND OTHER TIMES NOT SO MUCH? I am always my worst critic. I rarely can look at my work and not see something I would like to changeor rethink. But design is always changing, so I think that is natural. Luckily there are deadlines in advertising, so there is that point where you have to let go.