Bringing ideas to life with character and imagination.
Deadbolt Design Lab is the independent studio of designer and illustrator Kyle Van Cleave, specializing in brand identity, illustration, characters, and apparel.
A little bit of what happens in the lab.
Small studio. Big names.
Good ideas deserve a little personality.
Deadbolt is built around the belief that good design should be memorable, useful, and unmistakably its own. Whether developing an identity, drawing a character, or designing something people will actually want to wear, the goal is the same: find the idea that gives the work its spark and build from there.
What happens here:
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Description text goes hereLogos, marks, visual systems, typography, and the pieces that give an organization a recognizable identity.
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Custom illustration and lettering created to give campaigns, products, and ideas a voice of their own.
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Mascots, brand characters, character marks, and flexible visual systems built around personality.
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Graphics and merchandise designed with the garment, the wearer, and the realities of production in mind.
Welcome to the LAB, I’m Kyle.
I'm a designer and illustrator with more than 15 years of experience building identities, creating characters, and making artwork for apparel, merchandise, campaigns, and everything in between.
I've had the opportunity to work with global companies, professional sports, entertainment properties, and independent businesses, but Deadbolt is intentionally small. When you hire the studio, you're working directly with me from the first conversation through the final artwork.
I like good ideas, strong drawing, smart branding, old cartoons, great typography, and figuring out how all of those things can work together.
Interested in learning more about Kyle? Check out some interviews with our founder.