Meet Kalex Shen | Brand & Packaging | Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kalex Shen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kalex, what is the most important factor behind your success?
As a graphic designer, I would say the most important factor behind my success would be being myself…and good communication. Design has become such a saturated field in the past few years with so many talented designers, so it’s important to distinguish myself from all the other designers. What I found the most helpful with that is being myself, in my portfolio I have inserted myself, my perspective, my skill, and my value into everything from my personal biography to each project description. So when I do meet with my clients they know exactly who they are talking to, and I bring the same energy to all my projects, pouring my passion and excitement for design into each. Luckily I found people who respond to what I’m putting out there, and the people who do respond have been so amazing to work with. So I would say that being myself would be what’s behind my success…for now. (And I say good communication because that’s just a given for good business that people often overlook)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being in design is not always easy, you don’t always have the most exciting projects. But what I found to keep igniting my passion is to see every project as a problem I’m solving, (a designer that also maths? crazy), and finding the most creative way to solve it. Finding my favorite parts of each project and get excited about that, the rest will come together as I go. Having the versatility to make any project a Kalex project.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have lived half of my life in the Pasadena to San Gabriel area and I still love it. When people think about LA, Pasadena or San Gabriel is not on the top of their list, but it is on mine. We have almost everything, and you don’t have to sit in the unbearable LA traffic. To start we have the Huntington Library with its many beautifully upkept gardens and museum, it’s a must-visit. Most times I get lost in nature and art for a whole day. Then if you are in the mood to window shop and grab some sweets, there’s the Old Town Pasadena, with many different shops and delicious eateries. But for some good authentic Chinese food, San Gabriel is the place to go. Not only delicious but also easy on the wallet.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out to my wonderful mentor, Stephanie Kuga, who is a partner at Meaningful Works, an amazing design studio. With the help from the ArtCenter Career and Professional Development, I was lucky enough to be paired with Stephanie for a 10-week mentorship. She has helped me so much from the start of my professional career and guided me through the uncertainty of the after-graduation unemployment time. She connected me to so many amazing designers and professionals and built me up to be unapologetically myself in professional settings. I got the chance to take a peek at what’s going on in a design studio and meet the talented team behind Meaning Works. As a plus, I also got to know Stephanie personally, who is not only talented but also an A+ person that I will cherish forever. The mentorship program might have ended, but the mentorship lives on!

Website: kalex.work

Instagram: kaleby.jpg

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalex-shen-872095205/