Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Caplan.
Hi Jonathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Lower Westside Design Company was born in Battery Park City in New York, where my wife and I were living at the time. It was the burbs—A train ride to everything and nowhere the “cool kids” spent any time. So, I jokingly referred to our neighborhood as “The Lower Westside” to make it sound as exciting as it’s sister hood—”The Lower Eastside.” To this day, I bring a New York street sensibility to all of my creative thinking.
I officially launched my company in 2016 here in Palm Beach Gardens with one goal: To partner with clients who work hard, are passionate about their business, and are hungry to be part of the larger cultural conversation. Like us, they value authenticity, innovation, creativity, and wit. I feel very fortunate to say that we’ve worked with some of the best-in-class clients around.
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?
Has it been a smooth road? I recently heard this analogy, from Simon Sinek, about the creative process and I think it applies to business as well—Everyone knows the first pancake sucks, but you go through the motions of using up (or wasting) batter to make the first pancake, to get to the third pancake (which is perfect) and that’s the one we serve.” Has my path been a smooth one? No, but it hasn’t been an unexpected one either. We’re privileged to be able to call ourselves “creatives” and with that privilege comes the responsibilities of anticipating, dealing with, and learning from all the challenges that come.
My struggle continues to be, “what does ‘success’ look like?” and how does the answer evolve after every milestone? No one teaches you how to build a business in design school (at least when I was there), so being curious, hungry, and selective have proven to be important tools for success. I’d love to hear from your readers about how they persevere in the face of adversity.
I actually spoke about the things I’ve learned about running a creative business at a recent CreativeMornings Palm Beach event: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcFm5gQgBVw
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At Lower Westside Design, we create attention-worthy brands for companies looking to make a difference in people’s lives. We work with cross-industries with a special focus on lifestyle brands for Hospitality, Retail, Media, and Real Estate.
What gets me excited about the work is the opportunity to help “make the thing” that clients have in their hearts/minds and help them to bring it to market.
The reason I love design is because I get to create something from nothing. Or take two unrelated ideas and smash them together to make something new. I get excited about the idea of being behind the scenes and credit myself with being a strong B-Type personality, which allows me to stand on the shoulders of my clients who are out in the world creating the change that I want to see in the world. Virgil Abloh once said, “I’m not made for a podium, but I’ll design a podium that ushers in systemic change.” I love that.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I spent a lot of time in my room as a kid—building legos; playing with Transformers; listening to audiobooks; and drawing (now, instead of legos, I play with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign).
I credit my mom with encouraging me to be creative. She was the first person I would show a new drawing or piece of art to. Her approval—the feeling that I made something worthwhile, is a feeling I continue to chase to this day. My Dad was supportive too—”I could never do what you do” is the line he continues to say to this day.
Big influences for me as a kid were: MTV, baseball cards, Superman comics, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shepard Fairey, and David Letterman.
Contact Info:
- Website: lowerwestsidedesign.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/
lowerwestsidedesign - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lwsdco
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwsdco
- Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/lwsdco
- Other: https://creativemarket.com/LWS_PrintShop
