Adam Vicarel wasn’t always a successful art director. In fact, six years ago this Denver-based artist had no idea his design work would land him air time on the “The Real Housewives of Dallas.” Nor did he realize that, by the age of 30, he’d be spearheading design work for clients nationwide. Now, he’s accomplished all of this and more through his powerhouse of a creative agency, Vicarel Studios.
But this career wasn’t handed to him. Vicarel, like most aspiring creatives, spent numerous nine-to-five years dreaming about the leap to full-time freelance. He built an Instagram following on the side of his day job, and took calculated risks — including a sabbatical in Southeast Asia then a move from Ohio to Colorado — to prepare for the jump to freedom…
But what happens after you make the leap?
Now, six years after going full-time freelance, Vicarel realized it was time to navigate a new hurdle: What happens after the leap? In his case, the answer was simple — 2020 was the year to rebrand Vicarel Studios.
“Since I started this business, a lot has changed in terms of my services and offerings,” he said. “So at the point of this rebrand, I felt like it was time to change things externally as well. The catalyst was figuring out how to position myself to speak with bigger clients with bigger budgets — how do I convey myself as being more than just me, but an agency? You can absolutely find success as a single illustrator, but I already work with contractors and designers, so repositioning myself as an agency would help me take my next step.”
Vicarel Studios, which started as this freedom-seeker’s daydream, is now a team of designers, partners, and strategists who help clients build brands that speak engagingly to consumers. They do this through service offerings like brand identity design, art direction, lettering, murals, live artwork, and more.
One client that perfectly embodies Vicarel’s work is a blogger and photographer the 42West community knows well: Erin Sullivan of Erin Outdoors. As their Instagram feeds show, Vicarel and Sullivan share similar life, creativity, and work values. That’s one of the many reasons Vicarel knocked this project out of the park.
“The logo type I made for her is inspired by typography found on passports, encyclopedias, and maps. It’s intended to have this structured, refined, and informative look, so it builds trust just by looking at it,” he said. “At the same time, I gave it some soft edges and bright colors with moments of playfulness.”
Self-reflection is key to growth
Now, Vicarel didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to rebrand and enter phase two of his business. The idea sparked after deep analysis and reflection at his self-hosted business retreat.
“I took a moment last year to step away for a two-day retreat. I made a bunch of Excel spreadsheets to break down everything from industry and hourly rate to personal enjoyment,” he said.”“It was basically a business audit of everything I’ve done over the past few years.”
This analysis opened Vicarel’s eyes to a marketplace gap he was more than poised to fill. “I realized that what I really love is the combination of fine art and traditional graphic design,” he said. “There are plenty of other designers and artists who do exactly what I do in terms of fusion, but I couldn’t find many people who talk about it or lead with that. I felt it was my strong point of difference.”
Vicarel’s career was already successful, but this new direction will be game-changing for his business. It sets him up for larger projects with even more well-known brands — a situation he’d only dreamed about six years ago. In fact, even one year into business Vicarel couldn’t have imagine the potential. That’s why he urges any creative who’s taken the leap to start strategizing early, even if it feels uncomfortable.
“It’s kind of like taking the leap into freelancing; you never feel fully ready, but it’s never too early to strategize or be intentional about what you’re doing,” he said. “I think a lot of people, like me, get their start just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. You can start to see what’s working pretty quickly, so being intentional by studying success then pursuing it is key.”
It may be tempting, but don’t put off outsourcing
Another thing Vicarel wishes he’d started sooner? Outsourcing. Like many creatives, it took Vicarel years to warm up to the idea. The thought of oversight, finding talent, and guaranteeing quality were overwhelming to say the least. After testing the waters, he’s never looked back.
“It was intimidating, so I chose to just do the work myself — and therefore overwork myself,” he said. “At one point I got forced into it with a project deadline. I hired someone to help, and she absolutely nailed it. It was a light bulb moment for me.”
One key area Vicarel outsources is imagery. As a visual strategist, Vicarel understands the power of compelling images. That’s why he hires professional photographers and videographers to help him showcase his work.
“So much goes into producing this work, and to not document the process or final product in a beautiful way is a shame,” he said. “Professional photography helps me convey the level of work I want to be hired to create. And, recently it’s been helping me upsell projects like murals or illustrations. If we can add a video or photo component to show the behind-the-scenes, that helps tell the story.”
While Vicarel outsources photography and videography to his creative peers, he loves to experiment with his own photography for fun. Vicarel spends days, weeks, and sometimes months off the grid, exploring everywhere from the mountains in Colorado to the snowy slopes in Japan. He uses his iPhone 10, Nikon D5500 camera and Manfrotto 190 tripod to artistically capture these memories. And, while it’s more of a hobby than a money-maker, these creative off-shoots are all part of Vicarel’s overarching business and life strategy: chasing the fog.
“Chasing the fog” is Vicarel’s life mantra
“The idea of chasing the fog is pursuing that which is not fully realized. You’re constantly learning, which keeps you presently engaged in what you’re doing, and it keeps you interested and on your toes,” he said. “This prevents stagnation and falling behind the curve, which is critical in the creative industry.”
Vicarel is ultra-strategic with his business, and while a chasing-the-fog approach may seem far from calculated, it’s catalyzed some of his biggest business wins.
“A lot of people set a goal and pursue it in the straightest line possible, which I think makes sense, but there’s so much we don’t know,” he said. “I will forever take these weird risks or weird chances that are deviations from the end goal. When I reflect on the coolest things I’ve done in my career, it’s all been through totally random choices. I’d never taught a workshop, but went to Austin to teach hundreds of people, that led to a video that then led to me being on the Real Housewives. All of these cool things just stemmed from a little step off that path.”
