AJ Camara
AJ Camara
Designer / Creative Director / Founder of Acquired Aesthetic.
New York, NY
www.acquiredaesthetic.com
instagram @acquired.aesthetic
instagram @ajxcamara
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I help creative businesses connect with larger audiences and deliver maximum impact, through building strong brand image and memorable web experiences.”
I’m living the slashie lifestyle, practicing creative direction, web design, brand identity & strategy, UX & UI design, apparel design and frontend development.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
As a lifelong artist, I've always had plans to use my creativity as a vehicle to the life filled with creative expression in a variety of formats. Growing up, I was always in art education programs, eventually leading me to major in Illustration in college.
I later dropped out of college to pursue business endeavors. Over a span of 5-7 years I started a number of creative businesses, from a clothing brand to an online magazine to selling e-commerce templates.
I then joined a startup as a senior web designer, working my way up into a leadership role, giving me the opportunity to facilitate amazing work from a talented team of designers. Over the past decade, I’ve published books on branding, created resources that have helped kick-off more than 10,000 businesses, been involved in launching over 3,000 websites, and have produced products that have been sold all over the world.
How do you stand out in your field?
I’ve developed proficiency in a wide range of creative skills, from illustration to front-end web development. You could call me a unicorn or a full-stack designer. I think this all comes from my background in art and entrepreneurship, through which I developed most of my skills. I’m now able to use this to my advantage throughout my career journey.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I’m currently creating cool things at tech startup BentoBox. Working with hospitality groups who own several restaurant properties has been exciting and challenging.
Through my design studio Acquired Aesthetic, I’m developing some dope brand identity for fashion brands.
I’m also mentoring aspiring designers and creative business owners, and love hearing great news about their progress.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I’m into a modern or contemporary aesthetic, for everything from my web design work to my fashion style and apartment design. I tend to enjoy using a minimal color palette while still maintaining a bold vibe through use of scale, contrast and texture.
The visual identity I’m building for my design studio, Acquired Aesthetic, represents this pretty well!
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I’ve grown to love interior design. I apply it on a personal level, in the design of my apartment and workspaces, but I wish I could exercise it at a larger capacity and engage in it for business. Still working towards a way to make that happen!
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
I’ve got a lot of things I want to do and often feel that I don’t have enough hours in the day or days in the week! The feeling of never being “done” or not quite having “free time”, and the need to make every second count. I think this stems from setting a really high bar for myself.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
A sales specialist to assist with generating leads & closing deals. A consistent system for acquiring new business is essential to the growth of any company, and having that coverage enables me to focus more on creative development and execution.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
At a certain point in my early twenties I was operating four businesses at the same time (with the help of a business partner). Four! This made for an extremely hectic workflow and I ultimately spread myself too thin. I'm glad I went through this experience, but I would have told myself back then to focus. Focus on what I was most passionate about, most profitable doing and, most importantly, willing to stick with for the long haul. I think this could have been a game changer in the trajectory of my career, but at the same time I have no regrets because I'm still happy with where I am today.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
I’m very curious to hear personal anecdotes from some top agency founders on the subject of business development. Their process for building relationships and partnerships, client acquisition, scaling, etc. The keys to growing a multimillion dollar design company
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I’m always on the lookout for challenges, and would love to rebrand a company that has been around for a while and needs to be revived, whether for the purpose of reaching new audiences or dramatically boosting sales.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
My ideal client is a creative company, whether it be a fashion brand or art gallery, with an appreciation for good design.
My ideal job involves completely building or revamping brands from start to finish– everything from the logo marks to the furniture and decor in their spaces.
My ideal collaboration would be with a publication like Architectural Digest, a decor company like CB2, a clothing brand like Zara, an art vendor like Twyla, or an artist like Cleon Peterson (just named almost everything I like to put it out into the universe ha!).
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
My typical branding projects range from $2,000 to $9,000 and web design projects from $3,000 to $15,000. The rate depends on the business and their specific needs for the project.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Feel free to get in touch by email at info@acquiredaesthetic.com
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Surround myself with good design. Art, books, magazines, furniture, decor, fashion.
This member profile was originally published in March 2020.