Meet Geoff Allen of FUN is OK in The Highlands

Today we’d like to introduce you to Geoff Allen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Geoff. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been a professional graphic designer and art director for almost 17 years now. As an undergrad, I was interested in painting, printmaking, and photography. At that point, I honestly had no idea what graphic design was. It was the mid-90s in San Diego and I was into skateboarding and punk rock. Luckily one of my college advisors told me about this great career where I could use all of those interests… and actually make a living.

From then on, I was hooked. I loved all of the places that design could take you. From small projects like apparel & album artwork for friends to massive retail build outs & marketing campaigns. After I graduated from SDSU with a graphic design degree, I headed off to San Francisco for graduate school. That was an incredible experience because of the energy of the city and what it exposed me to. That’s where I met Dora Drimalas. She was one of my instructors and I had created a record label as a project. She saw a similarity to her husband, Brian Flynn, in both my work and my background. That led to an internship where I worked out of their loft and was designing projects for Nike, Upper Playground and our own vintage Japanese toy magazine – Super7. After a year, Brian opened Hybrid Design and I was fortunate enough to be employee #1. I was a designer there for six years and was exposed to an endless amount of unbelievably creative projects and processes. One of the highlights was a two week trip to Japan for retail design research. That definitely changed my perspective about the need for simplicity and elegance in my design.

After San Francisco, my wife and I moved to Denver because of the wonderful blend of the city and the outdoors. I worked at a record label, a few local design studios and an experiential marketing agency. I quickly realized that I wanted more control over my schedule, my clients and ultimately my life. In 2010, I opened up FUN is OK. It took a lot of hard work, hustling and late nights to get to where I am. But I don’t regret a single bit of it. Thankfully I had the unending support of my wife, Chelsea. Without her, none of this would be possible.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wouldn’t say that it has been a “smooth” road, but I think that’s part of what makes it so rewarding. If it was easy all the time, it would be boring as hell. The hustle is actually part of the fun! Also, being challenged is really the best way to grow. It forces you to look at things from a different angle.

I think my punk rock background helped me handle a lot of those hurdles. Music has always been a source of inspiration, both creatively and emotionally.

Please tell us about FUN is OK.
When I started FUN is OK, I made a promise to myself to constantly “play.” Play with the concept, Play with the message, Play with the layout. Some people say that a straight line is the fastest way from A to B… but who the hell wants that? When you approach your work as fun, it opens up a whole new world of ideas and allows your imagination to wander. And THAT’s where the real magic happens.

I specialize in branding, identity design, packaging, and event design. That has led to some fantastic clients like Instagram, Facebook, Nike, Mountain Dew and a wide variety of craft breweries.

Years of running around on the design playground have allowed me to work with like-minded people. People who are willing to put it all on the line for what they believe in. Win, lose or draw. To help tell their story, I often combine my backgrounds in both art and design. My work has gained recognition from AIGA, Communication Arts, Print Magazine, Creative Quarterly, HOW Magazine and Event Marketer. Winning awards is great for the ego, but having happy clients is better for the soul.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
To be honest (and this is going to sound boring), I would have hired a great accountant early on. Design school does a fantastic job of teaching you about conceptual creativity, but they do a terrible job of teaching you about business in the real world.

Also, get a rock solid contract with the help of a lawyer. It’s worth every penny. I don’t start a single project without that being signed first. We all been burned by bad clients, and it hurts.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.funisok.com/
• Email: geoff@funisok.com
• Instagram: @funisok
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/funisok/

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