Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Benson
Hi Alex, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I tell this story, I always tell people I didn’t want to be a designer or an artist growing up. I had no artistic talent aside from liking photography. I didn’t grow up with artsy parents or do any of those things you might normally hear. My story is a combination of stumbling into things at the right time and then working tirelessly to keep moving forward.
I almost didn’t graduate high school, let alone college. After a year in school in Warrensburg, I dropped out and started attending Longview until I could figure out what I wanted to do. Looking for an easy A, I took a prerequisite class for a photography course. That class involved Photoshop, which I had known from doing photography in high school, but also Illustrator, InDesign, and Quark (dating myself here).
I fell in love with design during this class. 2 weeks into the course, I walked into class and told the teacher, Matt Dorning, I knew what I wanted to do for a living. I wanted to be a graphic designer. After another semester of courses, I enrolled in an art school to pursue this degree. I never did take that photography course…
But art school is expensive, and growing up the eldest of two children of a single mom, there was only so much help family could provide. While I worked full time and did work study, art school is not cheap. I couldn’t afford to stay in school So, again, I dropped out, moved home, and started bartending to make ends meet. But this time I had a purpose.
I scraped together what money I could and bought a MacBook. I’d wake up at 10 after working the bar until 2 in the morning and go sit at that same bar, using their wifi, and continued my design education. I reverse designed popular campaigns, learning the tools and skills and understanding what made things look good. I started doing odd design jobs, working multiple part time jobs, shooting weddings.
A few years later I was able to go back to school. During this time I became a designer at a local startup. This is where I learned about UX/UI and what we’d later call Product Design work. If I had liked graphic design, I LOVED this. It was design and problem solving. It was multi-faceted, fast-paced, and challenging. I had amazing people from the KC entrepreneurial scene, the Silicon Prairie crew, that gave their time and expertise to help me grow. I was able to quit my jobs and work full time as a designer, and I haven’t looked back since.
After graduating, I was able to land a job at the company of my mentor, Crema. George Brooks was one of those people who took out extra time to give me guidance and help me become the designer I am. He’s the one who gave me the confidence that I could do this full time. At Crema, I learned what Product Design was. I learned Product Strategy from talented people like Eric Hurst, Michael Luchen, and Tyler Hilker. I worked across a bunch of industries and clients and became a very capable and confident designer.
But there was an upper limit of growth at that time. Seeking more, I eventually got hired on at Facebook. I moved to Seattle with my partner to work there in 2019. Since then I’ve worked on their ads platform, before moving to a digital bank focused on those living paycheck to paycheck, and now am a Staff Product Designer working on the newest products at Webflow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey here wasn’t smooth, it took many twists and turns and years of figuring out what I was doing. The hardest part of my journey also became a turning point in my life and career.
When I was able to finally go back to school, I had to quit one of my jobs. They weren’t flexible with the schedule and I really wanted to prioritize my education. I figured I’d make up the missing wages in tips in my job waiting tables. Unfortunately, I did this during the slow season in the restaurant industry. Three weeks into January, I was broke and business likely wouldn’t pick up for a few more months. To make up the missing wages, I started selling things and trying to get odd design jobs. I started offering cheap design to anyone I knew. I didn’t know how I was going to make next month’s rent or pay for groceries.
One friend on Facebook reached out saying they knew a friend who needed “web design” help. I hadn’t done much of that but desperate, I figured I’d learn as I went. I interviewed, and got the job. But because at this point, nothing was a sure thing, I begged for my old job back at FedEx. I worked out a special arrangement so I could go to school and I would figure out how to make this other opportunity work out. This was the startup where I learned about UX/UI and found my new passion.
I woke up at 7am, worked at the startup until 3 when I had to go drive a delivery truck around downtown KC, wrapped up at 10, and then went back to the office to finish work until 12 or 1 in the morning. I did this for 6 months straight, working weekends and only taking 3 Sundays off. But the hard work paid off, at the end of the accelerator, I was able to go full time with one of the startups, finally quitting my part time jobs and becoming the thing I had wanted to do since I took that course at Longview: a full time designer.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So, I’m a Product Designer full time. I work on digital products for tech companies. I’ve worked for small startups, agencies, medium companies, and large tech giants. I’ve worked on projects ranging from cybersecurity and micronutrition to skincare health and shed rental platforms.
But what I’m likely known for in KC is the two organizations I started: Midwestern Originals and Kansas City Cocktail Club.
Midwestern Originals today is a Webflow agency creating websites for local businesses. But it started as a way for my friend, Blake Tarter, and I to pursue creative activities and be paid for it. We did development work, apparel design, stock photo and footage, professional photo and video work, and ultimately website design and development. Over time we turned it into a co-op where people could try out freelancing without the risk of going out on their own at first. We’ve helped train and support several freelancers through their journey.
The other initiative I started was the Kansas City Cocktail Club. It started as a way for me to reconnect with my bartending days without going back to the 2am nights. I had many friends who bugged me to make drinks or teach them how to make them. So I invited 5 friends over, asking for $20 each to cover costs, and created recipe cards for them. That soon outgrew my living room and we partnered with local distilleries and bars, showcasing their cocktails and spirits. We would provide all the tools, ingredients, and alcohol and walk them through making their own drinks. Over 3 years, we eventually began selling out events and ultimately signed an exclusivity contract with local distiller, Tom’s Town.
What’s next?
I plan on continuing to be a product designer. I feel lucky to have found a job at the age I did that lets me do what I love every day. At some point I’ll move back to agency work or go out and build my own thing. I have several ideas I’d like to build at some point. My partner and I plan on moving back to Kansas City next year and I plan on investing more time in Midwestern Originals, my friends, and the community that got me where I am today.
Pricing:
- $1000-$10,000 for websites.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.midwesternoriginals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesternoriginals
- Other: https://alexbenson.design
