Aaron Draplin was born in Detroit, Michigan: a true Midwesterner through and through. At the age of 4, his parents moved their family from big-city Detroit to a small town in Central Lake Michigan.
Life was good for a while, but when Draplin hit age 12, he started to see the divides in the pressure systems in the community. For example, he saw that there were defined groups of good-looking kids versus not-so-good-looking kids.
Draplin knew he was destined for a different life path, and so he hit the road at 19 to pursue his dream of being a snowboarder in Oregon. It was Draplin and 6 of his best friends; nobody was trying to compete for the best, they just enjoyed life and truly lived.
And then Draplin sold his first snowboard graphic for $300. Immediately, it awoke in him a realization that he could make money off of his logos, and it set in motion a life journey that took him from Alaska to Minnesota, through Southern California and eventually back up to Oregon.
Today he sits as the founder of Draplin Design Co., fueling his life with artwork. We were lucky enough to see Draplin come by a Tech Cocktail Week Sessions in Downtown Las Vegas and give one hell of presentation about the graphic design space.
Here’s the video: