ART DIRECTOR, CITY FURNITURE, MIAMI FLA
Kanan F. Whited IV is the Art Director of the internal advertising agency at City Furniture in sunny South Florida. A New York City-trained Art Director, his work has focused on the fashion and home lifestyle industries: he’s directed award-winning photo shoots with Chad White, Othilia Simon, Clark Bockelman and Irina Shayk; he’s developed the brand identities and websites for Scoop NYC, Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation and The Echo Design Group, where he also worked on marketing accessories for Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Coach, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMA; and he has worked on four installations for the Architectural Digest DIFFA Dining By Design event and a pop-up shop in Hong Kong. In his spare time, he volunteers on the Contemporaries Steering Committee at the Perez Art Museum Miami and enjoys traveling with his partner.
WHERE OR HOW DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGN WORK?
I love magazines, especially L’Officiel Paris, Love, Glint and Industrie.
HOW DOES WHERE YOU WERE BORN, GREW UP OR LIVE NOW AFFECT YOUR DESIGN SENSIBILITY OR STYLE?
My design sensibility has been directly effected by the fast-paced corporate lifestyle of New York City. I am passionate about working efficiently and streamlining workflows to create more and more.
FAVORITE COLOR?
Black. It goes with everything.
FAVORITE TYPEFACE?
It’s impossible to choose. Everything has a place. It’s all about context.
FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Happy Endings, 30 Rock, Golden Girls
FAVORITE BOOKS?
Working’ It! RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style
FAVORITE MOVIES?
Manhattan, Grey Gardens, Showgirls, Zoolander
FAVORITE MUSICIANS OR BANDS?
Britney, Scissor Sisters, The Faint, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Of Montreal, Fleetwood Mac, Malcolm McLaren, Serge Gainsbourg, Miles Davis
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA?
Instagram
FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS?
Botero, Rothko, Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
My greatest strength is that I can easily see through a clutter of information and find the core of a message. My weakness is that I can be uncompromising with my vision for that message.
TALENT YOU WISHED YOU POSSESSED?
I wish I had more time to paint.
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
You have to know the rules before you can break them.
IF NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
If I wasn’t a designer, I always imagined that I would be renting Jet Skis on a beach somewhere … But I know I’d just end up marketing it.
A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it. ‒ Diana Vreeland
