Dave King believes in being in the right place at the right time and his university interview was at the perfect time. Getting bored of working in a record shop, Dave saw an advert for Edinburgh Napier’s first ever graphic design course. He was the first in his family to go to university and was made to feel at home by the University’s creative community.
“It felt like they were kind of more normal people, who someone from my kind of background was happy chatting to. It looked like quite a cool place to study.
“The first year was really weird because we were all in one room – people doing graphic design, product design, architects – and it was just kind of wild. I was like ‘I don’t understand this person’s world at all’, however it changed the way I think, and it was probably my favourite year because of that.”
Starting out designing album covers, in his third year Dave was given the opportunity to study at an art school in Paris as part of the Erasmus Programme.
“It sounds like one of those scary things that you should do. I didn’t think I’d ever go to university, let alone be doing quite well at it. At that point, I decided to make it happen.”
Dave King has come a long way since his university days and is now Head of Strategy and Creative at StudioLR.
StudioLR is a creative agency that helps organisations figure out exactly what they’re made of, or as they describe it, they are ‘professional attention seekers’. As an agency, it sits in between design and advertising, copy and visuals, strategy and creative.
His first contact with the agency came through Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show in 2011. Dave was awarded the inaugural StudioLR prize for best project which came with a two-week work placement. During the fortnight he was able to showcase his wide range of skills – expertise that was a perfect fit for an upcoming project which StudioLR was working on. Dave’s contract was extended once, and then again, and eventually he became a permanent employee.
“Mick Dean, a lecturer on the graphics course, was a big influence for me, mainly because he had one foot in the industry. It wasn’t about just getting to the end and getting a grade. He made me see that the degree show was kind of like a job interview.”
Dave likes things that might seem unusual to some, and his job is definitely one of them. There is no average day in Dave’s life. His job, simply put, is a hybrid of two assignments – on one hand, he is a creative director and on the other a kind of strategist. Even though Dave studied design, he has always been interested in writing, and those two passions go hand-in-hand with his role at the agency.
In 2020, StudioLR won the Marketing Society Scotland’s SME Agency of the Year award for the second year in a row. For Dave, this has been a career highlight.
Dave is also a regular conference speaker. He created D&AD’s Bravery Masterclass, which he delivers worldwide to agencies and in-house teams and encourages designers to be courageous in their work.
Dave offers his advice to anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps
“Be the most useful person in the room, no matter what that is. The work you have is very important, and it will get you in the door, but if you want to remain in the room, you have to accept you know nothing. Be aware that you don’t have all the answers and be willing to learn.”
Dave has been involved in many projects in his career. His favourites are the ones where, by the end of it, he can still see a really sharp idea behind it. From D-Day Story to Jura Whisky, Volvo to Spentwell, Dave particularly likes working with clients who are willing to stand out.
StudioLR continues to present an award at Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show to a student who demonstrates great ideas and potential. The Degree Show helped Dave launch his career, and he is excited to be able to help other students enjoy the same success.
BDes (Hons) Graphic Design student, Lawrence Mclellan, received the StudioLR Gutsy Graduate of the Year award at this year's degree show.
A Break From Your Story is a “campaign that promotes public libraries as more than just a vehicle for books. The campaign focuses on the therapeutic experiences that the library has to offer - such as escapism, exploration and community engagement - to encourage its use as a local sanctuary from the trepidations of everyday life.”
View Lawrence’s work
Dave encourages everyone to make use of every opportunity at a placement
“When you graduate you don’t have much in the way of expertise compared to other people in the agency, but recognise that you do have something and don’t be scared to offer ideas. The best thing you can be is resourceful. People who can make stuff happen are the greatest people in the world. I would surround myself with them all day, every day.”