We recently had the chance to connect with Krista Bayer and have shared our conversation below.
Krista, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I feel like this question is meant for someone to toot their own horn, but I’m going to flip it a bit.
With over a decade of experience in design and 6+ years in marketing, I have a unique perspective on how creativity and strategy work hand in hand. I know that good design isn’t just about looking great; it’s about driving the right reaction from the right audience.
With my experience comes a sincere passion for my craft and a work ethic. That means sometimes I am up well into the night to meet a deadline if the week was busy but things need to be accomplished by a specific day.
That being said, I’m also aware that my knowledge is not endless. I have no shame in asking for help or guidance in areas that are not my expertise when it comes to helping a client make the right business choice for themselves. Because of this, I have many connections throughout the greater Denver area with other specialists in areas such as Meta advertising, Ai + SEO, and more.
All of that to say, I would hire myself not just because of my skills, but because of my tenacity. My ultimate goal with every client is real impact for their business, and I don’t stop until that’s achieved.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Krista and I’m the founder of KB Creative Company LLC, a small Denver-based design studio that focuses on strategic design + marketing integration for small to medium-sized businesses.
I was born and raised in NJ before relocating to TN with my family in middle school. Since then I’ve lived in KY, again in TN, and now in CO with my amazing husband and our cattle dog mix, Snoop.
Since being introduced to design in high school, I went on to graduate from Western Kentucky University with my Bachelors in Graphic Design and a Business Administration minor. I have worked in industries ranging from real estate to fashion, law, foodservice, holistic health, fitness, cannabis and more in both print and digital spaces.
I love working with my clients to create marketing materials that enable their business to excel.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My husband has always been my biggest supporter. He knows my long-term goals and dreams, sees how hard I work, and he’s always the first one to back me up when I decide to go for something.
When I left my corporate job back in March of this year, I did not know what was next. My 5-10 year goal had been to start my own business and work remotely in design/marketing so that my husband and I could travel the world, however, life had other plans.
When the corporate job came to an end, I felt really lost for a hot minute. A month or so later during dinner, my husband told me “you have the experience and the skills you need to start your own thing. It may have been a 5-10 year goal before, but now it’s an immediate goal. I’m here for you, give it your all.”
He saw my drive, my passion, and knew that if I had the support system I would thrive running my own business and working with clients that I truly believed in. Now, every day is an adventure with the work that I get to do and the people I get to meet, and it makes me so incredibly happy.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
When I first left corporate I felt very lost as to what the next step in my career would be. AI has been slowly taking away creative jobs for a while now, and I really had to do some research as to what my career trajectory looked like, and if I needed to pivot for long-term job security or not.
After a few weeks of looking into different industries that I enjoyed, researching the pay for positions that I felt I could be a good fit for, and even considering going back to school for an entirely different career altogether, I finally stopped and had a “coming to Jesus moment” where I thought back on the reason that I got into design in the first place: my love for the field.
I knew going into this career wasn’t going to be the most lucrative thing I could do, or the easiest, but it has always been something I genuinely enjoy doing and learning more about. Something that causes me to lose track of time when I’m in the middle of a project. Something that still makes me squeal with joy when I discover a new trick or solve a new problem.
I decided then and there that I would put all my eggs into the basket of marketing myself and searching for work as a full-time freelancer, and since then my business has taken off.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
“Artists don’t make money.”
I was told from the start of my graphic design classes in school that “Artists don’t make money.” Artists DO make money IF they are consistently learning new skills, keeping their portfolios up-to-date, and networking with others in their field. I really can’t stress the importance of networking with those in the industries you’re interested in working in enough since, especially now, a good bit of hiring is done either internally or through company connections.
“AI is coming to take our jobs”
Times are changing – AI is here to stay. There are many artists who are very anti-AI, however, I truly believe that being a “good designer” means keeping up with all of the changes that are happening in our industry. The more you fight these changes, the more out of touch you’ll be. I use AI integrations to speed up my current workflow – whether that means using AI to help generate extra captions for a company’s social media posts given their brand voice, extending a video that I’m working on in Premiere using AI to put together an advertisement, or generating a new vector image in Illustrator. It’s so important for designers to make AI work FOR them, not AGAINST them.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes. No matter if a client appreciates my work or not, I always put my best foot forward. I have a type-A personality, and it is so incredibly important to me to create work that I am proud of, even if others don’t voice it. I know it’s my best work, and that’s what matters to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thekbcreativeco.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-bayer-06b363135/
