Meet Keith Fiori

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Fiori.

Hi Keith, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My path to becoming a designer was pretty unconventional since I never had formal training or gone to college/art school. I was a musician, playing drums in rock bands since my teens, working as a screen printer and offset printer to make ends meet. I had no clue these skills would become such a strong foundation for my journey into design. It was a very “Mr. Miyagi” way to learn, learning by task as opposed to a professor’s lesson. I was always able to draw pretty much anything I saw and had a profound interest in typography, logo design, and color theory. Once I sat down in front of a MAC computer and started up Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop it was like somebody turned the light on for me…I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a career.

I worked my way from the press room to the art department, eventually landing an interview at a licensed product company in Harrison, N.J. designing graphics and merch for Marvel comics, sports teams, and various rock and hip-hop bands. It was a great way to begin to understand graphics for apparel.

A colleague there really liked my work and sent me on an interview at Polo Ralph Lauren. I NEVER thought in a million years I would even make it through the front door at a fashion house of that caliber. They really liked my book (portfolio), and I started designing for Polo Sport. The ’90s were an incredible time to be at Polo. John Varvatos was head of men’s design, and Frank Muytjens, Todd Snyder, and Tim Hamilton were all my peers who all went on to massive careers in fashion/retail. I also met my amazing wife there!

In the 4 years I was at Ralph Lauren I worked my way up from Designer to Art Director leading design teams for Polo Sport, RLX, Sportsman, and RRL brands. The experience changed my life and taught me the value that “brand concept is key”, and collaboration is everything to good design.

Around 1999 I was recruited by the then-upcoming American Eagle Outfitters. I am actually the designer of the now world-famous AE Eagle Icon. To this day it’s the most recognized identity design I have ever created. Getting into AE literally from the ground up, being their first in-house graphic designer to become V.P. of the Brand I was able to hone design and management skills that have lasted my entire career.

Over the course of my 14 years, at AE I helped build an iconic brand to over 2 billion dollars. Later on, I was brought in to launch our influential children’s brand 77kids, and spent a few years at Aerie in Creative Marketing where I gained experience in fragrance, packaging, photo shoots, and beautiful design.

I was recruited to join Tommy Hilfiger for 4 years as VP of Brand and then on to Children’s Place where I finished out my time of 30+ years working for giant fashion/retail corporations.

In 2018 I started my Design and Branding firm ROGUE CREATIVE, specializing in brand development, fashion, and hospitality. I consult and collaborate with many companies in various areas of business and couldn’t be happier. Each day brings new creative challenges, and it’s never a dull moment.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My career trajectory has been many things but never a straight line or a smooth path. I learned more from being a musician than I think I would have learned in college. I wasn’t ready for more school at 17 and wanted to be an artist. I really had no concept of being a designer at that time. Every creative person has to find their path and it’s not always an obvious one…. it takes time!

I never went to art school or worked as an intern so I had to figure things out quickly in the fashion world. It’s not quite “Devil Wears Prada” every day, but it has its over-the-top moments for sure! Working in NYC for 25+ years you learn to think on your feet and there is always a high expectation for quality.

Owning your own business is a dream but absolutely comes with challenges. You have to toggle between multiple skill sets at various times every day: design, sales, presentations, marketing, client services, budget, logistics, and finance. It’s rewarding, exciting, and challenging but believe me…”the hustle is real”!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love helping clients/companies develop their brand and take it to the next level, it’s what I am most proud of. I’m known to have a pretty distinct style and unique approach. I like to work in 360-degree development when we collaborate with a new client. ROGUE CREATIVE allows me to bring my experience, interests, and disciplines to the table. We specialize in graphic design, and identity/branding but also play a huge part in developing brand discovery, and defining core values & culture. We create complete company branding guidelines that serve as an internal recruitment tool as well as a brand deck when they work with third-party creatives. Often, I’ll stay in a consultant role after the initial development is complete to help the client implement what we have created and ensure the marketing and social assets are off on the right foot.

Coming from a music and fashion background has allowed me to think differently than most designers. I am old-school and prefer face-to-face meetings or a Zoom call over an email conversation any day to ensure we are completely aligned on deliverables and expectations. I like to meet with the client at the very beginning to understand their insights before we put pen to paper. The process should be fun, and collaborative. Ultimately my job as Creative Director is to take the stress off the client and deliver the assets on time, within budget, and with all creative scenarios answered.

We are a one-stop agency that can help clients bring their initial concepts to fruition. We create the identity, color palette, typography, and messaging to ensure it’s all on-brand. Bringing my fashion experience to custom-designed on-brand Merch is another way we differentiate ourselves from other agencies and studios. We also consult on storefronts, signage, and exterior/interior design and provide detailed mock-ups so the client can see their branding in real-world use. I also bring along my world-class creative team to develop websites, fashion shoots, video content, and interior/exterior design…we do it all and love what we do!

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is quite a bit different now in my early 50s than when I started my career in my mid 20’s. I feel very lucky to do something I love as a career for more than 30 years.

Most mornings I wake up and grab a surf before work. I am in the water before 7:00 am and have been surfing since I was a kid, it’s my favorite way to start any day. A stark contrast to the 2-hour commute I did back and forth to NYC every day. Work-life balance is an immeasurable part of success that I don’t think we realize until we get a little older and have more perspective on life and our careers.

I define success by my relationships, past and present. Every good thing I have in my career is based on a strong connection of mutual respect and trust. My primary accounts and new client leads stem from people I have known for many years. For example, I am a currently brand consultant for the Koorse family, owners of TSC /Monster Digital, who gave me my very first design job at 23 years old. It’s a complete full circle…personally, I call that success!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roguecreativedesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roguecreativedesign/ 

Image Credits
@johnherr and @sweetdanib