‘GQ Rebranded’ series is a hit for MIAD alum’s new studio

When Justin Thomas Kay ’04 (Communication Design) opened his own studio, JTK Studio, Inc., in New York City early this year, he hoped that his work “would contribute positively to helping to make things look nicer and more enjoyable and speak honestly to people broadly.” The new GQ Sports series “GQ Rebranded” turned out to be a good fit to do just that.

“When GQ approached me, my first inclination was, maybe I don’t want to do this because I thought it was like, ‘oh, this is one of those make a new logo in 45 seconds things,’” Kay says with a laugh.

“But I realized they were interested in having a longer piece that can include some nuance about history and culture, and in getting in the weeds about branding and design and how it really works. And this is GQ, so I was also talking to them about how it can apply to garments and to a broader cultural landscape that can include more of the GQ readership. For me, that was a big bonus of doing it as well.”

Kay was known to the editor in chief of GQ globally, Will Welch, from their shared experience at FADER Magazine. Welch knew that Kay had experience in brand, and specifically in sports, especially Kay’s work on the current Milwaukee Bucks logo while on the team at Doubleday & Cartwright.

The 18-minute video is a rebrand of the LA Clippers’ logo – a story that Kay says “was an interesting one because it had just launched this year and it was very topical. And, so far, it’s been pretty successful … so we’re trying to figure out some unique angles that also span a lot of different kinds of sports and go outside of expected arenas. We’re going to be filming two more before the end of the year….”

Kay’s first year as a solo studio followed a 20-year career in editorial design and agency work. One of his launch projects was in an entirely new area. “I was able to work on a rebrand for an extremely talented, really creative and skillful real estate developer by the name of Sam Charney, who wanted an identity that was a little more challenging and felt like it spoke to people in a more raw, cultural, creative way. I have never made design for real estate specifically. It was also a project where I didn’t just get hired to do the look and feel – I was to build the brand strategy and the architecture myself, with a partner and good friend, Dudley Versaci, that I brought in.”

Aside from current projects that he is not yet able to discuss, Kay says, “On the whole, the best thing about this year is that I’ve also been able to balance cultural institutional work – I’m working with a great cultural institution in New York City right now to revamp their look and feel and help them reestablish themselves. That will be launching next year.

“And I have a couple of other brand projects that will launch next year. I’ve been doing a lot of capital B brand work, which has been great, and something I really wanted to devote more of my time to in building my own studio. So far, I’ve been pretty blessed. I’ve been able to do a lot of different kinds of projects and I’ve been staying relatively busy.”

The key to Kay’s career and his time at MIAD? Curiosity and open-mindedness he says. “It’s important to understand that you don’t know what the end of your journey is going to look like even if you have goals. MIAD is not just a four-year mission to get you to an endpoint. It’s more of like a four-year onramp to a longer vision of continuing to learn more about this ever-evolving world that we engage with. I’ve tried to maintain that throughout my career as well – viewing my career as a long-term educational experience alongside engaging and making the stuff.”

Relationships have also been key, Kay says. “Most of my best friends are people I met when I first moved to New York City 20 years ago. We’re all graphic designers and we’ve all supported each other, and we give each other work to this day. Maintaining that curiosity, and understanding that the best work you’re going to make is probably going to come from making it with people you actually want to be making work with rather than thinking about an end goal, a specific brand or a ‘dream job.’”

Keep up with Kay and learn more about MIAD’s award-winning Communication Design major.