Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Curtis Zaretsky-Kreiner.
Troy Curtis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story begins in Long Island New York where I was born and raised. My folks are from Queens and Brooklyn. I am blessed to have parents who let me embrace my artistic expressions early on. I always loved drawing and my grandmother taught me how to paint—she was an incredible painter.
I went to graphic design school in Philadelphia for a couple of years in college and then finished my degree at the Cooper Union—which had a more fine art influence. I worked for a few design studios to pay my way through college, one being the studio of Matthias Ernstberger.
I got a job at Apple Music in my last year of college and that is where I fell in love with California. I decided to move to LA and started working at a design studio called Use All Five—they are still my employer nine years later.
I started a new division of the company called Silk, which primarily focuses on brand identity design. I am now the creative director at Silk. I also take on freelance independent graphic design gigs here and there. I work mostly with arts and culture clients and hospitality— those are my two favorite industries.
If you need help naming your new company, consider starting with Silk! www.madewithsilk.com
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Relatively speaking, I would say it has been a pretty smooth road with some bumps here and there. The toughest part was getting through college debt-free. Going to Cooper Union when it was free tuition was critical to my success today. The art school allowed me to take the minimum amount of credits so I could juggle part-time jobs to help pay rent.
Moving across the country wasn’t easy and I never planned on living in LA but circumstances brought me there. Finding a small design studio that fed my creativity was very difficult. If you only apply to job boards or companies that say they are hiring—I think it’s nearly impossible to find a fulfilling environment. I was knocking on every door that looked appealing—regardless if they said they were hiring. Everything is timing and persistence.
Now that my career has been pretty steady, things have smoothed out for the past six years. Learning new paths of business development is my new challenge! Word of mouth still seems to be the ultimate door opener—and with a pandemic in the mix, networking became very difficult. Things have obviously opened up but I’m still shaking off the rust!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Silk is a brand design and naming studio. We help shape companies that enrich everyday life—from hospitality and wellness to arts and culture.
Born from Use All Five , Silk is based in Los Angeles and has a satellite studio in Philadelphia— we all work remotely at the moment.
We are known to partner with compelling brands to produce high-quality work with uncommon feelings. From comprehensive identity systems to project-based design, Silk exists to make people feel their value.
Some of our favorite clients include: Reebok, BZippy, UCLA Arts, MOCA, Google Arts & Culture, Guggenheim, SproutLA, and the Main Museum.
Our services include: Naming, Logo Design, Brand Systems, Content Strategy, Brand Experience, Print and Digital Design.
What matters most to you?
Helping people realize their potential with design. I know many talented and smart people, they get stuck—life can get complicated and it brings me joy to use my skills and knowledge to help people get unstuck. Design as a service helps people communicate their vision. It is my honor to guide people with design in a way that spotlights their ideas big and small. The more people manifest their purpose, the more intentional our world becomes, the more inspired everyone is. This is one of the greatest domino effects I can have a direct relationship with. With design, I feel like an agent of change.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.troykreiner.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troycurtiskreiner/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-curtis-zaretsky-kreiner-a6837a93/
- Other: www.madewithsilk.com
Image Credits
Photos by: Maya Fuhr, Lize Tortz, Andrea Romero
