[Interview] Kevin Carroll, COO of Creative Allies

By Brian Parker

For four years, Creative Allies has been building a community to unite graphic designers and illustrators with musicians and brands to create unique artwork for promotions, campaigns, albums, and even full-on brand identities. With an “alliance” of over 50,000 designers, Creative Allies has created a new model that opens up the design process to larger audiences. By running open contests, designers can submit their original artwork with fans voting for and ultimately deciding on the winning design.

After working as Creative Allies’ Head of Business Affairs, Kevin Carroll was named COO of the agency last month. In a recent interview, Carroll shares his experience, insight, and outlook for Creative Allies as they expand their model and broaden their scope for the future.

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SoundCtrl: What about Creative Allies distinguishes it from the traditional model of creating and selling merchandise?

Kevin Carroll: When Creative Allies was founded, one of the ideals was to see if we could connect the music space with an opportunity for talented graphic designers and illustrators. We ran into a lot of people who went to school and earned a degree, but were waiting tables and looking for jobs. The founder Sean O’Connell had the idea of going to some design schools, taking his contacts in the music industry, and starting off running some contests to create content for the music space.

SC: So it started at the record label level?

KC: Pretty much. We found some labels that were interested and were looking for something different, and now we have more of an augmentative plan. With the amount of social reach we can bring to each contest, we also provide a wonderful marketing opportunity for every band involved.

SC: Were there any specific market trends that inspired CA, or is this more about simply democratizing the process?

KC: The thought is for the fans to have the opportunity to express themselves as to what the music and artistry really means to them. We’ve got a wonderful example with Paramore who essentially challenged their fans to express what [Paramore's] latest project should reflect visually. We had the same sort of success with Slipknot, who basically told their fans, “We’ve got eight albums and we’ve been doing this for nineteen years – show us what our music looks like to you.”

SC: So it’s showing the value of the fan base.

KC: Right. With all of the socialization ties we have through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the bands can say, “Hey we’re doing this [contest],” and their fans find us and our built-in communities. We can alert them as soon as something is coming across so it’s a double-win for the fans of the artists and for the fans of the band.

SC: How does the artist communicate his or her intention, and is there an option to fine-tune the designs?

KC: There are multiple ways that that can happen. First, we’ve got a really great creative team down in Asheville, NC with Jake Rosenbloum and Rachel Whaley, who do all of the creative designing of briefs. They’ve learned the sweet spot for how we’re trying to get the artwork reflected back from what the artist’s demands are. In all candor, it really depends at what level the artist wants to be involved. Mainly it’s left up to their people, but in some cases the artist is really hands-on. We had Michael Franti do a promotional design greeting saying what he was specifically looking for in a tour poster.

SC: So it’s a customizable experience, as open or as specific as you want it to be.

KC: Right, and we’ve got one out now where we wanted people to reflect what the music of Elvis Presley means to them, without it being a facially focused Elvis design. We’re getting some really creative stuff back.

SC: Do you see this expanding to other industries?

KC: We actually have. We did the 20th anniversary can for Arizona Iced Tea, which is one of the first brands we were involved with. And then we morphed into doing a series with Toyota last year with several different concert stops, and we did a tote bag for each one. This past spring we did Ben & Jerry’s “Shirt Happens” promotion where the winning allies’ t-shirt designs are actually sold in the stores.

SC: And I saw you’re running a contest for a baseball team?

KC: Yeah, it’s actually a major manufacturer in the sports base. We can’t say who’s sponsoring it, but they’re looking for a new, hip image for a baseball product they plan to launch next season – we’re getting some great stuff.

SC: Do you see the format expanding into the digital territory with apps and websites?

KC: We can do whatever a client would like to see happen. We’ve delved into logos and also other physical products, but we have the capacity to do just about anything you can imagine. It really depends on the vision of the client and how they’d like to use our services, but we’ve been able to put it together and do a little bit of everything.

To check out the current contests and to see winners of past contests, visit Creative Allies.