SAY HELLO >>> KYLE@AMINORVARIANT.COM / +1 415 596 4859
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CREATIVE LEADERSHIP. CRAFTING WORK THAT AMPLIFIES MEANING
EVOKES EMOTION
& ENHANCES UNDERSTANDING.
NEW BUSINESS PITCHES / 360º CAMPAIGNS / LIVE ACTION / WEB SITES / UI / UX / DIGITAL MEDIA / MOTION GRAPHICS / EXPERIENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS / SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS / ANIMATION / BRANDED CONTENT / CREATIVE STRATEGY / GRAPHIC DESIGN / BRANDING & IDENTITY SYSTEMS / LOGOS /
GRAPHIC DESIGN / ART DIRECTION / CREATIVE DIRECTION
WORK
Multi-disciplinary creative leadership. Crafting work that amplifies meaning, evokes emotion, and enhances understanding.
I operate as a strategic creative partner for brands looking to define, refine, or radically rethink how they show up in the world. Whether launching a new initiative or evolving a legacy identity, I guide projects from concept through execution—delivering work that connects emotionally and performs strategically.
With a deep foundation in design and a curiosity across disciplines, I bring structure to complex challenges and clarity to brand expression. My experience spans industries and mediums—from global defense to grassroots education—always tailored to context, always grounded in meaning.
The process is adaptive, media-agnostic, and focused on finding the most effective way to tell the story—whether that lives in digital, physical, editorial, or experiential formats.
My work has been recognized by AIGA, the Art Directors Club, and the Webby Awards, and published in The One Club Annual, Lust by James Victore, Print Magazine, Wired, The New Republic, and the ADC Annual.
CLIENTS
COLLINS
BBDO
JWT
Grey
R/GA
TBWA/Chiat/Day
Saatchi
Mekanism
Method Studios
Publicis
MTV
The Barbarian Group
Droga 5
HUGE
Grand Army
Red Antler
Manifest
Taxi
The Martin Agency
M&C
VMLY & R
Wunderman-Thompson
Fallon
GMR
VERA
Havas
Helo
Spring Studios
ME
I grew up immersed in youth culture—punk rock, art, and skateboarding shaped how I saw the world. After high school, I moved to San Francisco in 1997, just before the second wave of the internet hit. I was living with a pro skater, and together we were hired as “Cool Consultants” at a startup. I’d always been drawing, taking photos, and assembling visual ideas, but this was my first real introduction to graphic design. I was already obsessed with skate logos, rave flyers, record sleeves, and magazines. Now I was fully hooked.
I studied at the California College of Arts & Crafts, where I was lucky to learn in an environment that prioritized concept and process over trendy tools. Long before “design thinking” became a buzzword, they were teaching it.
These days I live in Brooklyn. Outside of work, I’ve run a soccer club called “First Touch FC” for the past 13 years—we play five mornings a week at 7 a.m.
I’m fairly obsessed with gardening as well as surfing and the ocean.
I spent five years teaching Typography, Graphic Design, and Senior Project at Pratt Institute.
During the Pandemic I spent 3 seasons teaching surf lessons in Rockaway.
And, I still love design.
When I worked at Collins, Brian would always ask “ Whats our North Star” at the start of each project. It’s fundamental to have an idea that you are beholden too. Something to check your work against. Something to explain your decisions and your point of view. Without it everything is subjective. For clients, and for the designer.
Every project starts with a concept. A fundamental emotion driving it into the world. A calm to arms. The connective tissue that holds it together and drives it’s media ecosystem, aesthetics and voice.
As a designer and creative strategist I find that I need restraints to add friction and focus to creative decisions at every level.
CONCEPT
PROCESS
BLUE SKYS
Information is the spark that ignites my work. As a designer, I thrive on uncovering insights—turning research into unexpected avenues of exploration. Every project comes with its own constraints, but I begin by immersing myself in the world around it: the client, the industry, the history, the trends, the visuals, the data. In these early stages, nothing is off-limits; everything is a potential clue that can shape the creative direction.
MAKE, KILL, MAKE
Armed with information, we begin to play—combining concepts with visuals. Sketches, color studies, “ad-like objects.” This is unrestrained creative time, where every exploration is valid. If we find something we love, we set it aside and make something new. These aren’t finished pieces; they’re ideas made visible. Everything goes up on the wall, and slowly, a universe begins to take shape—one that we refine into distinct groups of potential conceptual directions.
NERDING OUT
After a North Star is chosen and a design direction is set, we move into the craft of design. Grids are standardized, colors are scrutinized, type is finessed, and images are refined. There’s still room for evolution, but as details are perfected, overarching rules begin to take shape. Having a great idea is… well, great—but bringing it into the world is a challenge all its own. We take production seriously, overseeing every detail whether we execute it ourselves or work with partner vendors. From photoshoots to printing, animation to live-action direction, and digital builds, we understand production streams and ensure that every visual expression of a brand lives within a cohesive ecosystem.