Kendrick Kidd

Be nice, work hard and make the magic. That is how Kendrick Kidd lives his life and it seems to be working out for him. An Art Director by day and freelance Graphic Designer by night, Mr. Kidd’s focus spans illustration, branding, packaging, apparel, lettering, and typography.

His work is playful and fun, yet masterfully executed. He has created for mega clients, such as American Horror Story on FX, ESPN Magazine, WIRED UK, The Hollywood Reporter, Billabong, and a wide range of breweries across the United States.

Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, when Kendrick isn’t working hard, he is being a father, a husband, and trying to fit in a morning surf or skate session. The perfect combination of design, family and real life is what makes a day’s magic for the incomparable Mr. Kidd.

Q. Kendrick Lamar or Anna Kendrick?

Kendrick Kidd Design LogoKendrick Lamar. No real reason (laughs). No offense to Anna, they both share very good names, but as a performer and artist I like Kendrick Lamar better.

Q. If you could have a beer with any fictional character, who would you chose?

This was really fucking tough! I gave it a lot of thought. It could be a million characters. There’s obvious answers. I am very big Star Wars fan, and it would be great to sit down with Yoda or Obi Wan and throw back a pint or two. I thought about Han Solo, but I feel like he would talk about himself the whole time. But I put that aside, and took it to the context of what character would I have a beer with today’s, more contemporary shows. The Hound from Game of Thrones! He would kick back, maybe insult me, maybe try to kill me, but it would be an interesting conversation.

Q. What brand/kind of toilet paper do you use?

Bold City Beer Can Label Design by Kendrick KiddI would have to ask my wife, but I am pretty sure my bum says Charmin.

Q. What’s the best thing you’ve ever found at the beach?

That would be the surf. I have never found any treasures or sharks’ teeth, but showing up to the beach when you don’t expect swell and there is swell, and no one else is in the water is the best find.

Q. When was your last skate slam?

Real Skateboards Design by Kendrick KiddLast slam was about 6 months ago and probably the worst slam in my life. I take my son to Kona Skatepark on the weekends, very famous, oldest operating skatepark in the nation. I try to take him a couple times a month on the weekends. In the street section that includes this quarter pipe that has good vert on it, and you get a ton of speed off it, but it faces the shady side of the park. I went at this wall when it was completely in the morning shade and had a ton of dew on it, and the back of my board slipped out on me. I literally crushed my skull on the concrete. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet, but it scared the shit out of me. Falling when you are an old person is completely different than when you are fifteen or sixteen. I was in shock.

Q. Have you ever seen a ghost?

No, I think.

Q. If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done?

Jacksonville Beach Design by Kendrick KiddI’m gonna go with trespassing. The place I surf at on a regular basis backs up to a naval base, which is pretty heavily guarded by people with machine guns, but there is also a jetty that creates great, clean surfing conditions. If you get to the beach early enough in the morning, you can kind of sneak on base from the beach side by surfing close to the jetty. So every once in awhile you get angrily ushered back to the civilian side of the park by an armed guard talking down to you like you are about to get thrown in prison.

Q. In your opinion, what is the most unexpected thing about having a kid?

I had an idea that it was going to be awesome to be a dad, but I feel like I was completely unprepared for how much love you have for your kids. It is overwhelming…to the point where you look at them across the room and you well up because of the love you have for them. I used to see other people who have kids and I thought I got it, until you have a child. That love comes from the center of the chest, and it just surprised me at how big it can grow.

Q. Do you have any nicknames, if so what are they and where did they come from?

Oh! This is a good one. In general, in the later part of my life, no, but my family calls me Ken, which freaks people out at work. They’re like ‘Who the fuck is Ken?’ It’s hilarious because I am used to both. That said, I have a silver dollar-sized birthmark on my back, and in high school my friends called me Skid, and I would get razzed about it on a regular basis. I’d like to think I took it with a grain of salt, but it definitely bugged me to be referred to in tandem with a skid mark.

But wait, there's more....
The Complete Series of Interviews

Marty Neumeier

Tarentino or Scorcese?
Chad Makerson Michael

Chad Michael

What cologne did you wear when you were younger?

Chalk & Brush

How do you feel about cargo pants?

Reyna Noriega

Q: Would you travel to Mars?

Tyler Spangler

Beavis or Butthead?
Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman

If you were in a font family, what style would you be?

Kevin Cantrell

Boomerang: The app or the tool?

Ariel Wilson

Q. Who’s Your Favorite Dad Bod?

Lauren Peters-Collaer

Q. What gives you goosebumps?

Luke Tonge

How are your nunchuck skills?

Mari Andrew

What noise does your spirit animal make?

Matt Curtis

If you were in a heist movie, who would be your assembled team?

Robert Fisher

What can you see from your window right now?

Beat Baudenbacher

What’s the last thing you apologized for?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Paul Woods

Paul Woods

What is the best board game to flip over in anger?
Designer and Illustrator James Olstein

James Olstein

Would you rather drown in coffee grounds or cat hair?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Victor Melendez

Victor Melendez

Where’s the strangest place you’ve peed?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Courtney Macca

Courtney Macca

What’s your uncle’s name?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Anna Laytham

Anna Laytham

How do you feel about sandwiches made with the ends of loaves of bread?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Johnnie Cluney

Johnnie Cluney

Have you ever eaten something in a bathroom?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Julieta Felix

Julieta Felix

How many bugs do you think you’ve killed in your life, whether by accident or on purpose?

Brian Van Gogh

What’s the last thing you licked?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Randy J Hunt

Randy J. Hunt

If you started a cult, what would you make people wear?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Jennifer Heuer

Jennifer Heuer

Do you think a world with adorable puppies on every corner would get annoying after a while?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Syd Weiler

Syd Weiler

If animals could talk, which do you think would be the rudest?

Kendrick Kidd

What kind of toilet paper do you use?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Lola Landekic

Lola Landekic

How many tabs do you have open on your desktop right now and what are they?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Shogo Ota

Shogo Ota

What is one thing Idaho and Japan have in common?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Jordan Scott

Jordan Scott

Would you allow Jeff Goldblum to tattoo you?
Andy J Miller of Creative Pep Talk answers Dumb Questions for Smart Designers

Andy J. Miller

When was the last time you kissed someone on the hand?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers with Josh Higgins

Josh Higgins

Q. Do you have any pet names for Mark Zuckerberg?

Amy Nicole Schwartz

If you were two kids in a trenchcoat, would you want to be the head or the body?
Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister

Would you rather ride in Air Force One with Trump or in a tank with Putin?

Christopher Ayres

How good are you at giving driving directions in California?

Chris Costello

Do you ever hold your pee too long while drawing?
Dumb Questions with Joshuan Taylor

Joshua Taylor

What Disney princess would you want to be?
Dumb Questions for Smart Designers - Jared Erondu

Jared Erondu

Someone you just met has food stuck in their teeth, do you tell them?

Zac Petit

At what age did you get to second base? And where did it occur?
Nicole Jacek Dumb Questions for Smart Designers

Nicole Jacek

Whose hair would win in a fight, yours or Donald Trump’s?
Dan Cassaro Dumb Questions for Smart Designers

Dan Cassaro

What was your mom’s last Tweet?

Cap Watkins

Man grooming, yes or no?
DanielleEvansHeadshot

Danielle Evans

If you had to make a slogan with raw oysters, what would it say?
Darren Booth Designer

Darren Booth

Who would you rather have escort your wife to a party, Ryan Adams or Ryan Reynolds?
Lauren Hom

Lauren Hom

What is your favorite flea market find?

Mikey Burton

What would it take for you to move back in with your parents now?

Gavin Strange

What was more painful, taking a bad skate slam or designing your website?

Becky Simpson

Do you own any domain names you don’t use?

Craig Frazier

Would you rather wake up for a day as Daniel Craig or Frasier Crane?

Mackey Saturday

What is the strangest rewards program you are a member of?

Sara Blake

Are you of the old school mindset, do you hand sketch everything first?

Jess Boonstra

Harry Potter or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or The Da Vinci Code?

Jeff Rogers

Tell us a personal story about glow sticks or hot sauce.

Chip Kidd

Who would run the country better, Donald Trump or The Joker?

The Heads of State

What do you think of the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot? Be honest.

Scott Allen Hill

What was the most inopportune time you broke, lost or forgot your glasses?

Timothy Goodman

If Donald Trump asked you to draw something on his Mexico border wall, what would you draw?

James Victore

Can you invent a clever bumper sticker slogan? We may or may not steal it.

Veerle Pieters

Since you never have had a boss before, would you rather have David Brent (The Office) or Gordon Ramsey (Chef) as your boss?

Gui Borchert

What do they write on your cup at Starbucks when you tell them your name is Gui?

Don Clark

What is your favorite show to watch with your kids on a Saturday morning?

Harvey Shepard

Would you rather shovel snow or go to a Nickelback concert?

Tad Carpenter

What’s your favorite children’s book?

James Flames

Who would you love to have design the poster for your 40th birthday party?

Jessica Hische

Can you give us an example of one thing you wouldn’t want your Momager to handle?

Steven Heller

You’ve interviewed a ton of people. Is there one person in particular that you haven’t that you’d want to interview?

Sara Blakely

What would your first thoughts be if you were asked to write Grease 3?

Josh Brewer

Elton John or Phil Collins?

Ashleigh Axios

If you’re going on a road trip with President Obama, what kind of car would you drive?

Matthew Manos

How do you feel about the term Millennials? Be honest.

Jean Jullien

If you had to get trapped for a month in one city’s subway system which would you prefer, NYC or London?

Bradford Shellhammer

Since your name sounds like that of a superhero, what would be the name of your arch nemesis?

Jon Contino

Would you rather be the brand manager or general manager for the Yankees?