Ryan always knew he wanted to pursue a career that let him push his creative skills and ideas every day, but he didn’t want to be a starving artist. And unlike most art school kids, he had a passion for marketing.
Designer by trade and creative problem solver by nature, he joined the ranks at Up&Up after graduating from the University of South Carolina with a goal to inspire and influence others through design. He brings fresh energy and innovation to his creative work for clients like the University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina, Marian University, and Mount St. Mary’s University.
Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending quality time with his wife Kayla and their dogs, Harley and Parker “Snacks” Davidson, as well as finding the bumpiest trails to test the limits of his Jeep on.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- How Ryan turned a love of drawing and art into a career in design, and why he feels passionate about working in the design space
- How Ryan found his way into higher education marketing, and how it led to his current position with Up&Up
- How Ryan recognizes that problems may appear similar between higher ed institutions but require different creative solutions
- Why listening during the intake process has been the key to Ryan’s ability to help his clients solve problems
- How Ryan and his team stay current on today’s trends to more effectively market to young adults, such as integrating popular app elements into website redesigns
- How Ryan helps clients maintain authenticity and keep their brands from getting lost in the visual identity they are developing
- How Ryan uses visual elements such as fonts and background textures to aid in telling the institution’s story
- Why giving yourself time for trial and error and experimentation is important to understand what will work for you
- How the storytelling aspect of video requires an understanding of your audience and authenticity, and how to best execute the use of video
- What suggestions Ryan has for institutions for how they can prioritize projects for maximum impact
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