A NJ-Based Designer & Photographer
Rural NJ punk. Art Director. Leftist.
For 15 years, I’ve worked for a host of companies, large and small, to combine their brand, content, and message into a single unified theme. I’m an expert in web design, user experience, search engine optimization, and branding, which is an odd combination that’s taken a long time to master.
While this is what I do for a living, what really drives me is my photography work I restarted in mid-2023 after a decade-long absence. I specialize in analog 120 and 35mm film, with a focus on the state of New Jersey, where I live. I look to find the small corners of quiet and emptiness in a state where population density is high, and everyone is constantly on the move.
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Frequently Asked Quetions
Where can I find you?
After the giant Twitter debacle, my main outlet is on the fediverse, and I can be found on my Mastodon account. I have other accounts on other social media sites, but I rarely use them.
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Are you available to hire?
Rarely.
I'm currently only taking work related to the small business space and for any companies or movements that adhere to my interests and ethical guidelines. I work with companies who trust me implicitly and allow me space to create great work with them. As a designer, I’m brand-driven, not necessarily client-driven.
If you want a message to get to your audience when they’re looking for you online, I will do that.
If you have an offer I might be interested in, you can reach me at:
krautnapped [>] gmail.com
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Why do you go by a moniker instead of your real name?
Mainly for SEO reasons.
My real name has a clean and easy-to-follow presence on Google, so adding this website to that mix might get confusing to people looking me up directly when working with me in the design, SEO, and web sphere. I would instead those search results point to sites like my LinkedIn and the company I work for to come up in those results.
So it’s not for any weird or mysterious reason. This is mainly because the writing and work I do on this website are personal, while the bulk of my work is professional in the B2B market.
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Why don’t you show any of your design work?
Because that is the professional creative work that I do for a living, and this site is centered on the personal work that I want to achieve away from that.
I’ve worked as a professional designer and art director for 15 years and have multiple awards for my work, and I’m not seeking out any side or contract work outside of the company I work with.
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If you’re an experienced and professional web designer, why is your site so crappy?
Because it works.
A lot of designers are very choosy about their personal presence, but (in my experience), no one cares.
I put together an easy website to maintain through Squarespace because I would rather spend my personal time taking photos, writing, and doing anything other than being a web designer in my off time.
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Why shoot analog photography?
Short answer: Because I like it.
Long Answer: I wrote a post on this topic that touches on more of the “whys” from a personal and societal standpoint—if you want to get in deep about it—but essentially, it boils down to a few things.
It looks better than digital, IMHO. I love grain, and I love how little editing I need to do in post vs. digital.
Analog film is more grounded and takes more time. You need to slow down your process, think more about composition, and do more work to get proper exposure.
Film is a tangible medium, which is to say that it’s a physical item and not just zeros and ones that your computer interprets for you. The light that made the negative was a physical thing that happened, captured by chemistry.
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Why do you shoot so much in portrait orientation?
I’m honestly not really sure. Part of it could be subconscious as we look at work in a portrait orientation on our phones. I’m not sure that’s the real reason, but I’m still figuring it out.
My working theory is that I prefer vertical orientations because they deliver a “slice” of a scene rather than the whole piece. A lot of my work looks at curating part of a scene that I’m seeing vs the broader picture.
Once I actually figure out why I like it better, I’ll let you know.