Dan Kuhlken

Dan Kuhlken’s journey as a fine artist began in childhood with a passion for painting and drawing and continued through his college years at CSULB where he began to hone his particular fusion of design and illustration. Today Dan serves as the lead illustrator for DKNG. Dan prides himself on being an illustration chameleon, working in many styles but with an emphasis in vector illustration, and specializing in producing screen printed work.  As a member of a design duo where each partner wears many hats, Dan also leads the marketing and retail arms of DKNG.

Nathan Goldman

Nathan Goldman was initially drawn to the world of graphic design as a child, learning from his aunt who worked as a brand and textile designer. He eventually went on to graduate from the University of Southern California’s School of Film & Television with an emphasis in art direction, and went on to work in the art department at Warner Bros. Television. Prior to joining DKNG as a full-time Creative Director, Nathan served as Director of Design at the USC Design Studio. Today Nathan heads up the graphic design wing of DKNG. Nathan also has a passion for typography that comes in handy for the team’s lettering and branding projects.

The Company

What is DKNG?

DKNG stands for Dan Kuhlken & Nathan Goldman (Get it? It’s our initials). DKNG is a full service graphic design studio with a focus on the entertainment industry. We work directly with bands, venues, promoters and a range of independent and corporate clients.

What else you got?

Although our current clientele is primarily music industry related, we are always on the look out for other ventures. We design websites, ad campaigns, logos, and other visual media for a wide range of clients.

May I interview you?

We’ve completed a number of interviews in the past so we’ve included some of the more common questions and answers below. If you have anything specific you would like to ask, keep in mind given our busy schedule, providing detailed and thoughtful responses takes time, but we always do our best. Below are some links to previous interviews:

Interviews

• RokRiot
• Smartpress
• Big Cartel
• D-Structure San Francisco
• Brad Woodard
• Avigail Bautista
• Crewkoos
• RedBubble
• 99u

How did it all start off for you guys?

We went to high school together. We ran on the track team, became friends, and eventually decided to play music together and form a band. Once we went to college, we decided to continue collaborating creatively by working together in the design field. Nathan was working on the graphic design of an upcoming book for USC and Dan was interested in being involved. So Dan created illustrations for each chapter. After that we came across an opportunity to create posters for the Troubadour. We created three posters and asked if they would be interested in using them for their upcoming shows. They agreed to pay for the printing as long as we donated our designs. From there on out we created several more posters for the venue and built our portfolio.

What advice would you give designers who want to start their own business?

Portfolio first. Don’t start any business just because you have the tools and/or talent. You need finished product to prove your worth. We believe that most great business organically creates itself based off of one’s passion for their work. Don’t be afraid to work for free if it means it will lead to a stellar portfolio piece. But also don’t forget your worth. You really have to love what you do in order for it to love you back.

Can you give me a run through of your creative process?

Concept is key. We will spend up to several days discussing concepts before beginning work on a project. Concept is what brings “Something Pretty” to “Something Pretty Amazing.”

Once a solid concept is in place we will decide what parts of the project are best suited for our particular skill sets. Dan’s more of an illustrator/fine artist whereas Nathan usually focuses on the typography and graphic design. Together we will art direct the project to completion. We believe having two minds on a project really helps polish it to a solid execution.

Contacting Us

How much are your services?

Pricing design services is like giving the price of a car. It all depends on the details. What kind of car do you want? Will you be leasing or owning? How many test drives would you like before you commit? Just email us with as much information you can provide about your upcoming project and we will get back to you in a timely manner.

Do you offer jobs or internships?

Not at the moment. But feel free to send us a link to your work and we’d be happy to keep your info for when we decide to starting looking.

What if I just want to say hi?

We love discovering new people and hearing what they have to say. We’re hopeless “Promantics” so feel free to break the ice anytime

Our Posters

What is an official concert poster?

It’s an original poster, commissioned by the performing artist, for a concert or live event.

Are your posters screen printed?

Yes, our posters are limited edition screen prints that are signed and numbered. Once the edition sells out, it’s gone.

I see that the poster I want is sold out. So it’s seriously gone forever? Forever ever?

Well, you may be in luck. Sometimes we have extra posters available. So it doesn’t hurt to ask.