September 25, 2019

Meet Isaac Brooks a designer in Buckhead

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Brooks.

Isaac, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had a huge interest in art and design. I definitely was one of those kids who was always drawing pictures growing up. When I was young my mom would go to the Barnes n’ Nobles bookstore a lot, she would be in there for hours but I never really complained because I loved being in the magazine section. All the dope magazines were full of cool ads and photography that just brought me to a strong place of appreciation for that type of thing. I would try and recreate some of the ads and design layouts with that old Microsoft program “Paint”. It was the closest thing I had to a design program. Skateboarding and hiphop were some of my teachers too. Like hiphop, skateboarding was from the streets and evolved through the creativity and perseverance of the riders. I always felt a connection with that. When I enrolled at SCAD, all I wanted to do was graphic design. I wanted a chance to play a part in the creative process of dope content. It’s what inspired me growing up.

My friend Aaron referred me to a small design company he was working for, and I joined their team soon after graduating. Since then, I have matriculated to Coca Cola and had the opportunity to work with brands like Powerade, Sprite, and Smart Water. While I was at Coke, I starting interning as a designer at Cam Kirk Studios around September 2018. My friend Katrina had an appointment there and invited me to go with her just because. I was excited to go because I had always seen the studio on social media and thought it was a much needed creative space for Atlanta. Now I work as the designer at the studio and get to work close with Cam on his brands and vision. It’s a strong group of solid creative individuals so being apart of that team is a blessing.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Some of the biggest struggles have just been making sure you stay on top of your game. Growing and learning yourself as a designer, the process of learning your strengths and weaknesses and feeling motivated enough to strengthen the weaknesses. Life can throw a lot at you at the wrong time, making it easy to give up or feel discouraged about your progress. But when you want it bad enough you just take the hard times as training or boot camp for what you’re setting out to do. Everything is a training process and training is never easy for anyone.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about IB the Designer – what should we know?
I’m a designer and photographer. I picked up photography as a hobby because I would use so much of it in my design work. I learned that design and photography go hand in hand. But more recently I started designing skateboards which takes up most of my free time now. Growing up, skateboarding was one my avenues of expression in creativity so I enjoy designing my own graphics. It’s one of the things I’m passionate about so it never really feels like work.

If I had to be proud of one thing, it would be just how far I’ve come. It’s nothing major and there are still tons of goals I’ve set out to achieve but just knowing how things were to how they are now. I have a lot to be thankful for. Keeping that positive attitude prepares me to take on whatever’s ahead.

I would say what sets me apart from others is my raw passion and love for design. Going to SCAD, I really learned what being a graphic designer truly means, and how personal it can be. I was taught how to stay in the box and how to break out from it. It feels like I’ve cultivated some sort of esoteric connection with design over the years of my career. So when I work I always have a reason and purpose for everything.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have tons of mentors and family members who deserve credit for my progress. I couldn’t even name them all. The most obvious one would be God. I don’t take anything for granted and a lot of the things I have now I prayed for, so He gets credit overall. My sister Jahnetta has been my biggest fan, hypeman, therapist lol, etc. She plays a big role in my life and I feel more than blessed to have her as my partner in crime.

Contact Info:

Website: www.IsaacBrooks.com
Email: work@isaacbrooks.com
Instagram: @ibthedesigner

Image Credit:
Buggs, Nadia Anochie, Brooklyn Lowe

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