Picture by blind.com
It is impossible to not talk about Chris Do when you are discussing design. He is one of the few artists out there who has chosen to look beyond tools and skills but instead works with a team of creatives and visionaries. Chris Do is an Emmy award winning artist who runs two companies and a personal blog with a following of more than four hundred thousand. He is a design god trying to educate billions about the influence design can have on their lives with an experience of 24 years in the industry.
He discovered his true calling at the age of 17 and when things should have started to go his way; hell broke lose in his life. The teenage period was the most crippling of times for him as it is for the most of us. He had issues with everyone and thought the world was about to come and get him. The only support he had was from his art; he dedicated himself to work and forgot about parties, laziness and hanging around. Chris got into art school just to prove to everyone how he is so much more than a crying seventeen year old lazy child. He soon realized that his work is helping him grow as a person as well. The rebellious phase toned down and he started to become the charismatic and self aware version of himself.
This video was made for Vice Records/The Orchard and was directed by Chris himself. He beautifully portrayed a heart broken man navigating his way through the world of “..a subtle blend of Pop Surrealism and Victorian/Steampunk aesthetic.” Chris talked about emotions by visualizing the inner self of his male character as a female. This animation won an Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation back in 2010.
Chris Do is the CEO and founder of Blind. It was founded in 1995 which was first a motion design firm now turned into a brand design consultancy. Blind has worked with Honda, Nike, Snapchat, Xbox, Microsoft, Google, Intel, EA and NFL etc. When Chris started motion design, there were very few people in the business. For instance, ‘.com’ domains were just becoming the norm; the digital industry was about to boom when he was settling in with Blind. Chris calls it his luck to have launched his business at such a crucial point. The team now excels in strategizing with branding, digital marketing, and motion graphics. After running a successful company, Chris hopped onto teaching his skills to the masses and soon launched his other company called – The Futur.
Besides running Blind, Chris Do introduced online teaching way before the pandemic. He realized the curriculum of the institutes was just about repeating himself in different classes with a limited number of students. He wanted innovation and interaction. Chris then started ‘The Futur‘ – an online academy. A company that started with unpaid volunteers and now holds a value of $232,000 as a YouTube channel with 300% growth annually.
Moreover, The Futur is working towards making creativity accessible to everyone. Chris believes in freedom and expressing stories through design. He is one of the few out there who are teaching the ‘Business of Design”; narrating the journey from a creative designer to a creative entrepreneur. For example, he teaches how to ask for what you are worth and how to communicate your thoughts. Complete series are uploaded on his YouTube channel along with paid courses and podcasts present on his website. He wants to make it free for all by getting cooperate sponsors on board.
The Futur is a side hustle to which he gives his utmost dedication and time. He won an Emmy 10 years ago and has gathered enough success through running Blind for twenty four years. Yet he refuses to buckle down and continues to grow the design community by making an impact through The Futur. Furthermore, in an interview he defined his happiness as four pillars called Perceived Control, Perceive Growth, Belonging to a team and Believing in a Power greater than You. To accomplish these pillars he has kept his team at The Futur to be creative, open and flexible. He has not established strict protocols or processes. They come together, create, analyse and get results.
This creative mastermind’s journey has led him to create a huge impact on the world and even after winning an Emmy he takes more pride in spreading creativity.
This is why they say, be the best in what you do and success shall follow you around!