Meet Ken West | Digital Strategist and Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ken West and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ken, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I work with people all over the world to design solutions for their biggest problems. I basically help people live better lives with design and technology.

Everyday I work with people to understand their most challenging issues and to solve those challenges with creativity. By understanding how they can improve, businesses can grow their operations, nonprofits increase donations and awareness, and people in public spaces get more satisfaction during their downtime.

What should our readers know about your business?
Prince and Marshall is a digital creative consultancy. We’ve been around for about 20 years and work with huge corporations, mission-driven organizations, and governments to create software and visual storytelling that gets attention and builds brands.

I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve been able to build a company by building relationships with clients. When you’re solving difficult problems, you’ve got to have a sincere relationship that’s grounded in knowing that you have each others interest in mind. That’s made a tremendous difference with clients that I call friends years after we’ve worked together.

I think I’ve gotten where I am today with a mix of luck, mentorship and hard work. Early on, I was fortunate enough to work with Hazel O’Leary, the first woman and first African-American Secretary of Energy on a six-year project. During that time I learned more about leadership, courage, and hard work than all my many years of college and graduate schools. Her brilliance, intensity, and genuine kindness continues to guide how I strive to conduct myself and guide younger folks I’m mentoring.

If nothing else I’d like the world to know that I am the definition of starting from zero. But, because I was raised by people with golden hearts and minds focused on making the world better, I never felt a sense of lack as a child. And even now, I’m surrounded by people who are materially well off, I still feel like my grounding in sincere love and respect for all make me who I am, not the car I drive or the house I live in.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While I’m not from Atlanta originally, I’ve been coming back and forth to the city since I was a baby. I even have pictures of me as a toddler in the original Paschalls.

For a casual lunch, I think Firewall on Abernathy has the best sandwiches in the whole city, maybe event the state. It’s a spot that’s easy to miss if you’re driving but you’ll never forget that place once you eat there. They bring gourmet quality to the neighborhood and it’s incredibly dope.

For drinks, we gotta hit the eastside. Banshee is my go to spot with my wife or with my cooler clients.

Depending on if folks are into it, I like to introduce friends into the body care products from EssenceTree.com. Going to the shop and watching them hand make soaps, body oils, and hair oils is dope way to relax and take care of yourself.

For beverages, I’m a creature of habit. Oatmilk latte from Brash, Smoothies from Wadada Juice Bar on Abernathy, tea from Brooklyn Tea. Period.

When it comes to just hanging out, I’m usually in my studio or in one of my friend’s studios watching them work or otherwise decompressing. Life is short, but life is good. Atlanta’s a great place to enjoy it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would say that my grandparents deserve a special shoutout. They never made more than $5,000 a year, grew their own food, and showed me that there was a power in creativity that can allow us to not only survive but thrive. When I left the farm to go on to live in cities like New York and Paris I was so grounded in that rich natural spirit thatI’ve always yearned to connect art and science in a way that would change the world.

I was the lead strategist who created the buy online pickup in store E-commerce model that has generated hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. My work to design that experience came directly from watching my grandmother who, without a telephone, would flash a light towards the store across the street from her house to let the shop owner know she would be sending me over to pick up bread on Fridays. I love how they gave me the ability to carry that spirit of innovation with me. It’s soul deep for me.

Website: princemarshall.com

Instagram: the_beauty_of_everyday_thangs

Image Credits
Photos by Ken West