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With Seattle Kraken Art Director Drew Hamlet Facilitated by Emilia Flores ∙ 10.18.24
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Drop Out of Design School
SEATTLE
How did you and your team develop the Kraken’s gritty and textured visual language?
Drew Hamlet is a brand designer and educator who currently works as the Art Director for the Seattle Kraken expansion team, which was instated in 2021. Some of his past clients include the Pacific Science Center, Pratt Fine Arts Center, REI, Cornish College of the Arts, Atlantic Records, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“WHAT IS THE KRAKEN ABOUT?” When did you start working with the Kraken and what was addressed first in the branding process? Early 2021 – I think I started February 1 or something. When I started, it was pretty much just a logo and colors, so there wasn’t a real brand. We didn’t even get any players for another seven months. There was a long period of time where I worked on the Kraken “team” assets alongside the overall team foundation, the Kraken community iceplex practice facility, and the restaurant. There were a lot of parts of the overall brand that we had to create out of nowhere, and there were no preexisting assets to base what we were designing off of. We had to figure out – what do we want it to be? How do we make everything come together? I think one of the main things that we wanted to be about was not just the sea, but all of the Northwest, and not even just Washington, but including Oregon, Idaho, Alaska. I’d never worked in sports before. I had no idea what all the touch points were or the amount of people it takes to put on a game. One of my earlier projects was center ice, which, you go into a meeting, and they ask, “What should the red line be?” I think it’s so cool that I get to think about that.
I think, from the beginning, we didn’t have anything flashy or shiny to lean into. The first season, we used a lot of of Puget Sound maps for texture. From there, it made sense to lean into this slightly old timey kind of energy. I think it’s always tricky trying to represent the city. I love the Sounders’ clean and modern look – but I don’t think it would work for hockey. And then I think the Seahawks and Mariners have their own thing that they’re doing. We were also new, so we wanted to stand out against other teams as well, and kind of represent the city more hyperbolically than we need to so that we can feel different and not just be “generic sports team.” That was one thing that was really important for me. I didn’t get hired because I had sports experience. I got hired for design and direction abilities, and because I care about and love hockey. So I think I didn’t want to come and make things generic or boring. We always try to have everything have a purpose, and we try to not just have decorations for the sake of decoration. We lean into aspects like scrimshaw and coordinates, so it makes sense that we are little bit grainier.
What’s your typical day like at work? I do a good amount of managing and borderline project management. I go through projects that are coming in and make sure everyone’s doing their stuff and has what they need. I mostly design the big picture stuff. So, I’ll build out templates or do the billboards. I have to wear a lot of the different hats and be more scattered. During the game, we sit up in the press bridge and do social media graphics for the most part. We prep Game Day templates before the season as much as possible. For example, if there’s player milestones, we’ll have a special graphic for that. It’s good to have designers there to represent the game’s feel.
Upper left: Alaskan Airlines Team Plane. Bottom left: Winter Classic Hockey Puck.
“WHAT DO WE WANT IT TO BE?” What are your favorite projects you have worked on with the Kraken? I think with the Kraken, there’s a lot of weird ones. We were talking about the goalie mask, specifically Grubauer’s mask. This year I got to work on vision boards, because he has a guy in Sweden that paints them, but I basically drew a bunch of different ideas for him. I did one last year too. His Winter Classic mask last year was one that I drew. He didn’t play the Winter Classic, but he did wear it later, which was awesome. I think it’s a bit surreal to see something you’ve made during a game.
Clockwise from upper right: Various social media graphics. Upper right: Artist Allie Spurlock’s “Women in Hockey Night” logo. Bottom right: Buoy, the Mascot.
We also just did the second plane for Alaskan Airlines’ series of team planes. I think I still haven’t seen either in real life, but they do exist, so stuff like that is just kind of weird and strange and great to be able to work on.
How do you develop/research an idea in your job? So, my boss is the VP of brand, and he comes from a strategy background, so even just throughout the season, we’re always thinking about next year and what the themes are/will be. It kind of always starts with some strategy and some purpose, so that it’s not just like, “Oh, these look cool, or whatever.” Right now it’s more gauges and diagrams and that kind of stuff. I think the first year the idea was maps, because we were discovering this new team, we were discovering a new environment, and discovering our place in the league. From there, it became more about the
fact that we went out there. We started representing the “tools” that we use. So we use compasses and scales and different things that kind of represent how we navigate a season. It ebbs and flows, but at the end of the day, ideally, everything has reason and purpose and ties back to the brand, not just visually but conceptually, with group language. I think especially when I started, there was a huge push to be very “pirate,” and I always hated it and pushed against it. I think we touch with it, but in my mind, the Kraken is Scandinavian inspired, not inspired by something like the Pirates of the Caribbean. One of my favorite projects that we get to do is now called Common Thread. For Common Thread, we get specialty jerseys made by local artists. Last year’s artist for “Women in Hockey” night is from Seattle, but lives in Alaska now. She works on boats and stuff, but is also an artist, and she made the most badass S logo out of fish. It was so cool and so tough. And people were like, “This isn’t feminine enough!” From my perspective, I can’t be in a meeting with a lady that works on a boat and tell her to make it “girly” or something. I think that’s the same thing where it is very “Ballard” vibes. I think Seattle in general wants to maintain some of that grit layer. I just love getting to hire artists, and tell them, “Hey, go to town. Like, do your thing. This isn’t about me. This isn’t even really about the Kraken. Go make something cool.” Those are definitely the fun ones where I get to be the weirdo in the room.
Can you tell us about Buoy? Being in a spot that is super public facing and has a fan base and stuff, there’s always people online that are super pissed about random stuff that doesn’t matter. Like, I remember when Buoy launched - that was controversial, super controversial. When that happened, someone I went to college with on Reddit posted, “The entire marketing department should be fired.” I was like, what are you talking about? I should be fired? There’s stuff like that, where no one cares anymore. Right now, everyone understands it and is like, “Buoys for children!” Why does someone in their mid 30s give a shit? So I think there’s stuff like that where, I’d rather make something cool that people love or hate than something that nobody cares about, right?
“At the end of the day, have your vision set towards where you want to be and what you want to do.” – DREW HAMLET Finally, is there any career advice you have for current design students? Don’t be bound by an industry or title. I never would have thought I’d be working for an NHL team. When I graduated, a lot of other students were trying to swing for the fences and get their main thing first. But personally, I had two part time design jobs, and then one advertising job that I hated for a while, but I still tried to learn stuff along the way. Don’t close any doors, especially if you stay in Seattle. Seattle’s very small. Everybody knows each other. So I think being nice and trying to get as much experience as possible when you first graduate – because it’s weird. When you’re in school, it’s not like someone’s paying you to sit there and make a thing, but as soon as you have a job, you sit down and you’re like, “Okay, I’m gonna do graphic design right now.” It is so awkward, and it is weird. And
you know, you’re used to doing stuff at home, but all of a sudden you have to show up at nine and work until five and be inspired in that time. It’s a big transition. I think the more different industries you can work in the better. When I first graduated, I worked in a place that does work for nonprofits. I worked for my alma mater, Cornish, in the communications department, redoing the website. Then I worked in advertising, and then I had a freelance project designing for Microsoft. There’s kind of a real web of different worlds. And I think seeing, what works, what doesn’t, and learning around there is good. At the end of the day, have your vision set towards where you want to be and what you want to do.
Find more of Drew’s work and experience Kraken hockey! seattlekraken drewhamlet @ drewhamlet.com