If You Live in Athens, You've Almost Certainly Seen This Designer's Work

Julie Ciotola

Photos provided by Kevin Morgan

Take a walk down Court Street, and you might see a pedestrian wearing an Ohio Brew Week T-shirt. Or a poster for Athens’ annual Pawpaw Festival. Or even an advertisement for Snowville Creamery.

These are images that help define Athens and its culture, images that remind viewers of warm summer nights and celebrations. And who better to create these images than lifelong Athenian Kevin Morgan, who has built and grown his graphic art business in his hometown.

“When you build these clients and families in a small town like Athens, this really becomes home,” Morgan says of his business. “So it's just testament to people getting along and with respect and treating people really well.”

Morgan does a lot of work for Athens organizations and events, including Halloween.

Since the 1980s, Morgan has served the Athens community as an artist, beginning with shirt designs. He founded Uptown Dog T-Shirts in 1988 and ran the business for a decade before passing it onto his sister, and says the experience taught him the importance of versatility in art.

“Through the years of doing T-shirt designs it really taught me multiple styles, because everybody would bring you something different and you'd have to make it work and put it on a shirt or do a new design for something,” he says. “And because I didn't want to get labeled as, ‘Oh, it always looks like his stuff,’ I have maybe a half a dozen different styles. I try to play around with that and let myself be open to trying new things.”

Morgan then began working from his home studio, which he has been doing for two decades. His clientele has since expanded to Columbus and beyond, though he makes a concerted effort to “take care” of his Athens clients. Morgan does branding for Snowville Creamery, Casa Nueva, events such as the Pawpaw Festival and Athens Halloween, and more.

“So I got into the food labeling thing and helping people with that, and that's been a fun one too,” he says. “It's like helping out people that are developing new products.”

Outside of the Athens area, Morgan estimates nearly 75% of his work is for bands and music-related events or businesses. Walking into his studio, it’s apparent he surrounds himself with inspiration. The walls are covered in iconic posters of Jimi Hendrix and other artists, and the waft of incense in the air is complimented by the gentle flow of 60s and 70s music. Morgan’s musical clientele includes names like Jorma Kaukonen, Dark Star Orchestra and New Riders of the Purple Sage.

“I grew up in the late sixties and seventies when a lot of this art rock stuff was happening,” he says. “It was just amazing inspiration everywhere you looked.”

No matter the project, Morgan approaches each assignment through a lens of kindness, which he believes is the reason behind his success and retention rates. Many of Morgan’s clients have been long-term friends as well — some for more than 10 years.

Artistically, Morgan’s process begins when he falls asleep.

“I don't know if every artist does this, but when I sleep — which is rare — I can click through images, thousands of them in my head at a time,” he says. “Then you just sort of roll through these ideas and you roll through these ideas, and you chuck them aside if it's not inspiring. Then all of a sudden one sort of sparks and you think ‘Oh, I could develop that one. That one sounds fun.’”

Each assignment is different; for product labels, Morgan often sends ideas back and forth with his client many times before finalizing one. Once he finds an inspiring idea, he begins with a small thumbnail sketch, then slowly adds details as he blows the image up larger. Sometimes Morgan works digitally, other times he works with a sketchbook, but no matter the process, the foundation of his art is form.

Morgan has done artwork for the annual Brew Week for several years.

“That's really my whole thing,” he says. “I start with these little very tiny little thumbnail sketches and that creates form. And form is like everything to me. If you look at my stuff, it's all about weight and balance and form.”

To keep his style constantly evolving, Morgan says it’s critical to also be an open-minded consumer of art. Painting, drawing, digital art — no matter the medium, he emphasizes a willingness and commitment to appreciating all forms of art.

“I mean the funny thing is when you're an artist, and you really truly love art, you just want to do everything,” he says. “There isn't an artist that does something that you don't love. I think that sort of helps develop your style and your process to learning along the way. Never stop learning, you know?”

With an ongoing list of assignments and tasks to complete, Morgan estimates he sleeps five hours a night — six if he’s lucky. Even so, he has a family of three children he raised in Athens. Morgan says he’s thankful for the opportunity to work from home and build a successful career right here in his hometown.

“I think I got to see my kids a lot more than most fathers do,” he says. “I’m lucky. If you can make it work, living in your hometown and having a successful business, that’s great. I’m really lucky to have made it work so well. I’m one of the lucky Athenians.”