Meet Mark Eimer | Senior Art Director / Senior Designer

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

Hi Mark, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?

Soon after graduation, an agency creative director looked at my portfolio and told me, ‘colleges shouldn’t graduate people like you’. It was the best motivation I could have received. I went home, reworked the samples in my book, and kept going. How do I know when to give up and when to keep going? I’m not sure, but I can tell you I ask myself those things still, even after decades of experience. I think that if you love something, you can never completely quit it. You may shift your focus or approach, but you keep pushing forward.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I think good creative is based in a firm understanding of who you’re speaking to. As much as possible, that strategy needs to be based in objective research. Without this understanding, any message you develop risks being a waste of time and money. But on top of that understanding and strategy, the work your create can’t look like everyone else in the category; it needs to stand out; get noticed. Work that blends in, is also waste of time and money. This philosophy, along with my obsession with deadlines and budgets, is uncommon – at least, that’s what my clients tell me. Interestingly, all of my clients since launching EimerCreative in 2006, have come via referral from other happy clients.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

We would visit the following: 1) KCBier Co, the best, most authentic German brewer you will find outside of Bavaria. The Bierhalle and Biergarten are authentic, and the bier is the best you will ever taste. We would also make a few stops for KC BBQ; at BB’s Lawnside (BBQ and Blues) and Jack Stack. There are many great options for BBQ in KC, but those are at the top of my list. I’m not a fan of shopping, but we’d have to stop at a store named Stuff, full of one-of-a-kind works from artists all over the country. Then we’d plan a visit to the WWI Museum here in KC. The exhibits are so well-designed you forget you’re in a museum. Lastly, there are several neighborhoods with incredible shops, bars, and restaurants: Brookside, Waldo, The Crossroads, to name a few.

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’ve had the good fortune of working with many, very talented individuals over the years. And there’s no denying that my wife, Erica, has kept me going when I’ve lacked confidence in myself. That said, I’ve had one mentor that I believe, truly changed the course of my career: John Muller. John was the founder of Muller + Co here in Kansas City, and the most talented creative I’ve ever worked with. He was also the most nurturing, open-minded creative and boss anyone could hope for. He taught me to see things differently; to take chances; to stand out. That design philosophy, that way of looking at things, forever influenced my work and continues to fuel my love for design today. John passed away in 2014. I was so lucky to have known him.

Website: https://www.eimercreative.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-eimer-aa29b72/

Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/MARK7710 email: mark@markeimer.com office: 1-816-506-6962

Image Credits
Mark Eimer Portrait: Stephen Kennedy, Photographer