Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendall Lord.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kendall. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I didn’t know that I wanted to be a designer. I had always been curious about people, our environment, and the stories and art we make to connect the two. I dreamt of being a creator — a novelist, a filmmaker, an architect, a songwriter or, perhaps, even an entrepreneur. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, although that doesn’t really tell the whole story. I chose to major in English because it allowed me the flexibility to explore a lot of different creative courses: architecture, behavioral psychology, post-modern film, figure drawing, creative writing, etc…
After college, I got a job working in operations at a San Francisco-based tech startup. It was there that I met Danny and Dan, two designers in charge of creating our new company’s brand. As I watched over their shoulder, I glanced into the magical world of design as they created logos, user-flows, and wireframes. I wanted in.
A few months later, I enrolled in design classes at my local community college and things started to click. It felt so natural and exhilarating to learn about complementary colors and Bauhaus typefaces. Then serendipitously, I met my future employer, mentor, and friend while I was volunteering at a design conference. I joined Jen at her branding studio and I became a designer.
Early on, as a designer, I had the dream of creating my own studio that focused on working with change-driven companies. I wanted to work with people that were trying to do business in a different way — a kinder, more responsible, more human way. So in mid-2019, I decided to take the leap and start my own human-centered creative studio, Fika.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I began to struggle with anxiety and depression when I was around 11 years old. I had transferred to a new elementary school and was having difficulty making friends, finding my voice, and sleeping. This dark cloud stayed with me on and off until college when it became a category four storm.
That depressive episode — as hard, dark, and terrifying as it was — did have a silver lining. Life and how I operated in it was a new reality. My world looked different, colder and more intense, but it was through that intensity that I discovered confidence with the creativity inside me. I reconnected with art. I grabbed oils, pastels, charcoal, ink — the messier the medium the better — and I began to draw myself out of depression.
I don’t know if I would be the person I am today without that category four storm. I don’t know if I would have reconnected with art and had the courage to call myself a creator. I don’t know if I would have found the courage to see two designers working next to me and say, “Hey, I can do that too”. The mind is a powerful thing, sometimes a powerful and dark thing. But there can be clarity in the darkness and for me, that clarity was to create.
Fika – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Fika is a word that I have felt a connection to ever since I first heard it. I love the word — the way it sounds, how it looks, and most importantly, the meaning behind it. Fika is a Swedish custom that consists of taking time – no matter how busy you are – to slow down, relax, and share a warm beverage and a tasty baked good with a friend, by yourself, or, perhaps, even with a stranger.
Good design requires Fika. Good design requires us to pause, reflect, take a step back and make sure that we are asking the right question to solve the right problem. Design requires Fika and creating a better world requires Fika. I believe that design can make the world a more just, healthy, and sustainable place. Through design, we can create clean oceans, zero carbon emissions, and sustainable farming. My company’s mission is to work with and amplify brands that believe in creating this type of world.
Meet Fika, A creative studio that provides intentional and inclusive design, branding, and strategy for companies that want to make a difference for good.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am most proud of my journey to finding and creating Fika. I grew up close to the ocean and it felt like my second home. I would spend hours in the water. After sunset, as the sea turned from amber to eggplant, I would hide under the waves as my mom would yell at me from the shore. Just one more wave, I would say to myself, and then I would dive under another.
The ocean gave me Fika. I was shy, introverted, and thoughtful as a kid and I felt at peace in the sea. I liked to move, think and imagine and the beach provided the perfect playground for that. Sand was a great building material when mixed with saltwater. Seaweed could be used to reinforce sand structures or crafted into a costume, and there were always new games to invent in the waves.
This connection with the ocean throughout my childhood really shaped my interests in sustainability and climate change as an adult. My deep love and respect for nature were some of my strongest motivators for creating my creative studio, Fika. A place where I could partner with dreamers and change-makers who were creating solutions to save our precious earth.
Contact Info:
- Website: fikamade.com
- Phone: 8583536502
- Email: kendall@fikamade.com
- Instagram: @fikamade
- Facebook: @fikamade
- Twitter: @fikamade
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