By Design: Kalika Yamada on the Importance of Tapping into Your Creativity by Taking a Break
Kalika Yamada is a creative at Minneapolis-based advertising and branding agency MONO, where she helps to develop brand identities through designs created for print and out-of-home advertisements. Kalika has worked for clients such as Sam’s Club, American Red Cross, Yes Way Rosé, BinaxNOW, L'OR Coffee, Libby Bubbled Wine, Rythm Cannabis, and Fortra Cybersecurity. In her free time, Kalika enjoys kayaking with her Corgis, propagating plants, and thrifting for vintage furniture.
LBB> Tell us about your current role and design specialism(s).
Kalika> I am a creative at MONO and work to help clients develop brand identities for print, digital, and out-of-home advertisements, like billboards or bus stations. I primarily work on advertising, although I get the occasional opportunity to design merchandise, which is super dope. I’ve gotten to design a cool ‘High-Ideas’ journal for Rythm and paint a pair of funky boxing gloves that were a gift for another client. Both projects consisted of conceptualising and sketching, then applying their brand guidelines in an interesting way.
LBB> What drew you to design in the first place, and how has your design career evolved?
Kalika> My dad has always been a very creative person, from doodling on restaurant napkins to hand-carving custom longboards for my brother and me. When I was little, my dad would hand-draw banners for friends' parties. He would stencil out goofy cartoon characters and bubble letters and let me colour everything. My father has always inspired me to design, so when I went to high school, I had to take every art class I could. During that time, I even created my own at-home jewellery business as a side hustle, allowing me to explore my crafty capabilities more. After graduating high school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in graphic design. I moved to Minnesota to start my undergraduate education at Concordia University, where I obtained my BFA in Graphic Design.
LBB> What aspects of design do you get really nerdy about personally?
Kalika> I get really nerdy about weird illustrations, funky typography, and the intricate layers that go into a design. I will look at a piece and wonder what kind of brush made a scaly texture or admire how someone turned the counter within a letter into an eyeball. It’s the weird, unexpected decisions made by the artist that remind me why I love design, and my attention to tiny details makes its way into my design process as well.
LBB> There are so many new design tools out - what tools do you like to use and why?
Kalika> I love my Apple pencil–sketching has never been easier with the endless tools that programs like Adobe Illustrator and Procreate offer. But when I’m tired of looking at screens, I like to switch to classic pen and paper, watercolour painting, or designing artisan jewellery. It’s important for me to try new things and explore different crafting techniques; it keeps me from getting creatively burnt out.
LBB> What are the most persistent misconceptions about your particular design specialism that you see across the advertising and marketing landscape?
Kalika> A common misconception about ad design is that a product’s logo should be at the forefront of a campaign. Although I agree that it is essential to have a logo, it should not be the most prominent aspect of an advertising campaign. In my opinion, a logo is meant to serve as the chef’s kiss – the sprig of parsley garnishing your steak, the pickle on the side of your BLT, the cherry atop your milkshake – it makes the 'meal' taste better, but no one’s mad if it isn’t the main course. Also, when it comes to billboards, less is more. A driver has three seconds to read something while going sixty miles per hour. Nobody has time to memorise a phone number on the highway; switching lanes is stressful enough!
LBB> Accessible design is an increasingly prominent topic - From your experience, what are the most challenging facets of accessible design? And what does best practice in accessible design in your particular design specialism look like?
Kalika> I think a ground breaking way to reach all audiences in accessible design would be to create more interactive experiences that can entice our sense of smell, touch, and taste rather than solely relying on vision and sound alone. Think of a science museum, for example – I have many memories of walking through the museum and being able to touch, taste, and smell different interactive exhibit experiences. Learning how to leverage our senses would benefit any industry seeking to connect with more members of our global community.
LBB> What design controversies or challenges do you find trickiest to navigate, or do you find yourself thinking about most frequently?
Kalika> With the current controversy about Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking over creative career roles, I can’t help but think about how AI will play a role in design. As someone who often has to comp a lot of mock-ups, AI is a great tool when you need to work quickly or create something unimaginable. On one hand, I am in awe of the technology; on the other, I can understand the fear of AI stealing mine, as well as others' artwork. But the world is so old, and artists have been 'stealing' from each other for centuries. Unfortunately, truly original ideas don’t really exist anymore. AI works on autopilot, but the human brain, the real emotions and decisions that come with it, are irreplicable.
LBB> What are some of your favourite creative design solutions inspiring you?
Kalika> Feeling stuck when working on a design is inevitable, so I often like to temporarily reprieve my stress by doing something totally different. Sometimes, I will go for a walk, play with my dogs, or even take a shower. Giving your brain a break to regroup will help you create a worthwhile and influential design rather than a burnt-out edition. I sometimes get creative inspiration from dreaming or, weirdly enough, rummaging through the dollar section at Target. These are the moments when the design solution I have been looking for goes from the edges of my brain to my conscious mind.
LBB> Which design projects have been the most satisfying to work on throughout your career and why?
Kalika> The most satisfying projects I have worked on are always the side-quests, where I am given complete creative freedom to design as I see fit. A few years ago, MONO asked me to paint a ninety-foot mural in our office space with the sole parameter of ‘Just have fun with it.’ I like to refer to the piece as ‘The MONO Jungle.’ Our office on the 10th floor has the best view of the entire city. Inspired by Uptown Minneapolis, I designed the mural to add a little extra colour and fun to our space. The whole thing was painted entirely with Crayola washable paint, which was no easy feat on a glass wall.
LBB> What’s going on at the moment in design that’s getting you particularly excited?
Kalika> Despite the controversies surrounding AI, I am truly excited to see how it will empower creatives over the next few years - especially with work. I remember when the AI website Astria first hit the scene and the number of hours I spent inputting prompts to see what whimsical version of myself it would spit out–it did not disappoint! Professionally, I can see that AI will blend positively in the creative-design industry by helping creatives make great work quicker. This is already happening; Adobe has been slowly introducing AI into some of its applications, making the process of comping and designing a little easier!
LBB> Who are your design heroes, and why?
Kalika> My design heroes are all illustrators. Shar Tuiasoa is the founder of Punky Aloha - she makes retro-tropical illustrations of Hawaiian women living their best lives. The ocean scenes and the bright colours that she uses make me homesick. Another design hero is Jack Soren, known for his funky graffiti muralism that speaks to my soul in ways that make me want to become a full-time muralist. My final hero is Andreea Dumuta, who believes every day is Halloween, which is represented in her work. Andreea’s unique style is weird - which happens to be my middle name.
LBB> Thinking of people at the beginning of their careers, what advice would you give them for navigating this constantly changing field?
Kalika> My advice for any creative beginning their career in design is to remember to take a break and go outside. There is nothing worse than staring at your computer for eight hours straight. As an artist, I know that mundane work sucks your creativity away. So go outside and touch some grass! Always keep your creative juices flowing by taking care of your needs first.
