Meet Kenny Davis | The Renaissance Man: Graphic Design, Music Production & Technology

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

Hi Kenny, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Standards, standards, standards! I have such a respect for my craft and business owners like myself that respect what they do and how they conduct their business. Standards have set the tone behind my success it’s the driving force behind the quality of my products to the personalize customer service I provide my clients. I have such an appreciation for service providers who will tell me, “Hey that’s something I don’t do but let me connect you with someone who can delivery on what you are looking for”. Smart business owners understand that the best client is a repeat client! Building client trust and having a business process that they can understand and believe in goes a long way. The business process side vs the creative side in business is not always fun and you will see some business owners not thrive in this area. Set yourself apart, truly care for what you do and how you do it. Tame these area  services can then fly high and you will always be ready for any opportunity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My love for art & graphic design started when I was about 7 or 8 years old. At this time there were no computers in our home and who knew what a graphic design programs was.. I laugh now when I think about it but what I did have was a passion for drawing. I loved to draw comic book heroes, self-portraits and design my own sneakers. The fact that my two older brothers could also draw helped me push to get better. From there once I started getting pretty good at drawing that’s when my business sense started to kick in. In grade school I would sell my drawings to my classmates for 25 or 50 cents drawing. I thought to myself wow now I can buy all the candy I want!!!

So this is how the ball got rolling but it wasn’t until 1994 I was a sophomore in high school that my eyes for graphic design were opened. A senior named Marshall Berry would spend his study period in the library on the new Mac computers and he would create some of the most stunning artwork. I could not believe what he was doing so whenever he was in the library guess where I was? In the library over his shoulder just asking questions. Now fast forward to 2021, computers have become a huge part of my life with over 20 years in Law & Higher Learning Information Technology. During this time I have also been working on my passion as a music producer. So as you could imagine there was a ton of long days in IT and longer nights with music in my life. So here we are I have a great IT career, I love creating music but it wasn’t until 2014 that I started my graphic designs business BlackEncrytion Designs where I specialize in book cover and music art designs. I know some will ask what took so long, to be honest my time was spread across so many creative passions I didn’t feel like I had enough time to start a personal business. It wasn’t until I kept getting asked, “Do you also do graphic design or know someone who does?” That’s when the light went off in my head and with the support of my wife I set some new priorities to give it a go. Many design training session and Photoshop moons later here we are. 2015 my second year in business unknown to my knowledge a great client and friend Author Untamed entered me into the UBAWA Magazine best graphic designer of the year category. I was able to use this contest to promote my work to a wider audience and to my surprise I went on to win the honor. For me it was just the thought that someone thought enough of my work to endorse me in such a way. I am forever grateful!

I want those who are reading this article to love what they do. It will not be easy balance expectations and let your passion become your best friend. Never forget how you got to this point build thick skin. Think about what does success mean to you? We all want it, but what is it really? How do we define or achieve it? The one thing we should realize is that success can mean many things to different individuals. To some it could be gaining new clients and followers or an increase in product sales. So if the “gain” is viewed as being successful what does it mean when thing get stale? I like to think about success as a daily process of not only sustainable gain but also self-improvement. For instance do I know more today than I did yesterday? Am I standing out or blending in? Growth is so important it means I am always moving forward and providing my clients with the best service.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a New Jersey native but close to Philadelphia time for a road trip.

First a trip to the NJ Great Adventure outlet for some shopping.

Second lets dust up the best cheese steak war so first stop in New Jersey Gaetano’s of Willingboro.

Third the Best little secrete Monk’s Café In Philadelphia great drinks and best mussels!

Fourth a trip to University City Philadelphia to Baby Blues for some BBQ

Fifth Day lets take in some live music at Live in Philadelphia

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to my Mother for her continued encourage and feeding my imagination and passion as a child to be the best version of myself. My two older brother’s and uncle’s for driving my competitiveness and introducing me to art, technology and music. As I moved forward in life B.I.G shoutout my wife Mrs., Poetic Designs who is just as creative as me. There are no days off she has helped me move forward and keep my fire going strong! Last but not least I would like to thank my first clients who have been there from the beginning who have given me my first professional opportunities and continue to push and recommend me for opportunity in music and design. Author Untamed, Author Ladonna Marie, Author Vulyncia Poindexter and Dom Witters Salute!

Website: www.theblackdistrict.com

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