KrinkNew York, NY
Oct 2017-Apr 2019
Krink is a leading art supply brand for a wide range of artists and applications founded by graffiti pioneer KR aka Craig Costello, who is known for originating the drip style with his original ink formulations. Krink continues a history of graffiti and street art innovation through their products and collaborations with brands such as Nike, KITH, Moncler, agnès b. and Stance just to name a few.
As the sole graphic designer, I was responsible for all imagery and design collateral. I worked directly with my boss Craig making product and packaging tech packs, designing new products and accessories, photographing and retouching product/studio photos, handling all aspects of print production, managing the website and online store, designing and sending email/social marketing campaigns, and … curating the office music selection.
Craig’s pursuit of perfection made him a challenging boss, but I felt a kinship in our shared extreme eye for detail and type A mentality. Working with him left me with more valuable skills than any of my past jobs because he cared deeply about quality and held the design work to such a high bar. I’m so grateful for my time at Krink!
ProjectsNike x Krink
In our collaboration with Nike, we created a custom pack of K-71 & K-75 Markers and pad print designs for Nike’s debut customization lab at ComplexCon, which were available for visitors to customize Air Force 1s.
All images below retouched by me unless otherwise stated.
We created two more sets of custom markers for Nike’s House of Innovation makers’ lab in SoHo and another set for the following year’s ComplexCon.
Kith x Krink
In our collaboration with Kith, we created a t-shirt and sweatshirt design in three color ways each as a part of the Kith Monday Program.
Photos shot and retouched by KITH.
Stance x Krink
In our collaboration with Stance, we created a custom sock design and K-75 Paint Marker label, housed in a custom box featuring the classic Krink 877 Silver.
Bearbrick x Krink
We created a design for a collectible Bearbrick based on Craig’s classic drips, which ended up being challenging creating a pattern for a shape.
Photos shot and retouched by Ben from Krink.
Brooklyn Museum x Krink
In our collaboration with Brooklyn Museum, we created a t-shirt design based on Craig’s work with the classic K-42 Paint Marker.
Tool Fool Collection
We created a collection inspired by Craig’s favorite catchphrase, “Don’t blame the tool, blame the fool”, which included a shirt design in three colorways, ruler, and beer koozie.
Product Design
We often added new products and accessories to the store, requiring not only designs for the actual products, labels, and packaging, but also photographing/retouching and marketing the finished product.
Steel Collection
We created a limited run of top quality powder coated steel utility products, including a toolbox, small storage box, and catchall tray in the iconic Krink 877 Silver and later in classic black.
During my time at Krink, I had the opportunity to spearhead the new website design. I worked with Craig and out-of-house coders to implement my new designs. My primary goal was to reorganize our single-page site into sections using drop down navigation. I also simplified and streamlined our shop design and product pages.
Website Redesign
Studio Visits
The Krink studio had regular visits by many different kinds of artists, primarily those with graffiti and street art backgrounds. It was my job to retouch the images from these visits and create blog posts on the site as product usage examples.
Zines
We created zines featuring Krink history and Craig’s work, staying true to the history of DIY zine-making while maintaining Krink’s minimalist style. These required archiving and retouching photos and artwork true-to-life, as well as layout and production (and of course final product photography and marketing).
Archival Photo Retouching
Part of my responsibilities required retouching photographs of old Krink memorabilia, Craig’s artwork, or books that featured Krink/Craig. It was of utmost importance to maintain the integrity of the colors while keeping within Krink’s strict photography and branding guidelines.
