Emerging Talent - Jacob Kemp
Photo credit: Susan Shacter
Jacob Kemp is an impressive man.
Type his name into Google and the first result to pop up is his IMDb.com page, where his credits include appearances in Black-ish, Broad City, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
When he's not gracing our television screens, he's hard at work designing for, representing, and advising Fortune 500 companies, budding entrepreneurs, and creatives as a principal at Tajima Creative Partners, a global design and innovation hub. Some of the many genres he's worked in include: commercial art, post-modern dance, gallery curation, musical theater, studio films and independent cinema. But to Kemp, these seemingly different worlds often intersect: he designs frequently for film studios, lifestyle brands, non-profits, and arts organizations.
“I tell stories - on pages, stages, and screens,” Kemp explains. “As a designer, I use color, typography, contrast, and pattern. As a writer, I employ twenty-six letters to create narrative. As an actor, I use my voice and body to draw audiences into a new world. Each discipline informs the other. I do not color inside the lines. For me, it’s about imagination: telling stories that inspire, challenge, and delight.”
One of his passions as an interdisciplinary artist lies in designing book covers:
“I am a communicator at heart: whether working in book design, identity, or key art. The task at hand is to bring a new world to life. Each cover is an invitation to pick up that book and read. My goal is to combine the right balance of both mystery and clarity. I have always been an avid reader, and grew up in a family that taught me a local library card is one of the best passports to the wonders of this great wide world. My shelves are lined with spines of every color. There is nothing quite like reading a new manuscript and knowing you are a part of bringing that story to life.”
Under the guidance of John Sabel, former Executive Vice President of Creative Print at The Walt Disney Company and now the CEO of Sabel Design, Jacob’s redesigns for classic books and freelance commissions for emerging fiction writers, playwrights, poets, and essayists caught the attention of SPINE’s editorial staff for their wonderful use of colour and typography.
I, for one, believe that his work shows tremendous promise and I look forward to seeing his designs on bookshelves around the world very soon.
See more of Jacob's work here or find him on social media @mrjacobkemp.
Editor, artworker and lifelong bibliophile.