Chris Kalima is busy, real busy. This Hawaiian graphic designer is half of Airspace Workshop (ASWS), a Honolulu based new media design studio. With his partner Josh Lake, Kalima has a broad spectrum of clients with many different needs. From financial reports for Alexander & Baldwin Inc, to modernizing the identity of ADR modeling agency, ASWS has the skills and professionalism to service big money companies without losing their roots. Kalima and Lake have also designed websites for the Vanguard Lofts, ETF Digest and Soljah. Their motion portfolio includes commercials for action sports retailers, Globe and Hurley. In addition, the boys were also the Art Directors on The Struggle, A’ala Park Boardshop’s (APB) latest skateboard video. Contrast tapped Chris the day before he left for a month long trip from Seattle to New York. Amongst packing, clearing the client pipeline and finalizing trip details, Chris promised to answer us. It took him three and a half weeks to answer six questions. See, dude is busy.


Contrast: With Clients so diverse as The Vanguard Lofts to Globe Shoes to APB Skateboard shop, is it difficult keeping a consistent ASWS stamp on all your projects?
Chris Kalima: I think it's more about our creative approach and process, rather than a particular style or aesthetic. Each client has different needs and goals, so we try our best to create solutions that are appropriate, but also appeal to our personal design ideals. A teenager watching The Struggle in his parent's living room is a much different audience than the doctor interested in purchasing a loft. The resulting work may be distinctly different, but our creative process unifies each project.

Between Josh and yourself, are there certain unwritten expectations that you two place on each other?
There aren't really any rules or expectations just that each of us should be comfortable with the work we produce. We're our own toughest critics, so there's a lot of internal discussion about a design throughout its development. While our skill sets overlap in many disciplines, there are certain areas where it's more efficient for one of us to take the lead. Josh's design awareness constantly impresses me, however I'd like to think that I'm the stronger programmer.

Seems like you guys have a good balance going. You're on a month long trip somewhere between Seattle and New York, have you been finding inspiration on the road?
Definitely, there's so much to see and experience. I enjoy just wandering and making little discoveries along the way. San Francisco's bike scene is inspirational, as is New York's relentless energy. Earlier this month I was in Montana, which is amazingly raw. Things can still eat you up there. I think that's awesome.

Yeah, that’s raw. Isn’t it illegal to wear coonskin caps in Montana because savage eagles will tear your head off thinking you’re a giant raccoon? Anyway, back to the Vanguard Lofts, you’ve built an identity to million dollar residences that don’t even exist yet. How was it conceptualizing & materializing that with the client?
Often a client has existing design systems in place that need to be considered, but with The Vanguard Lofts we were given a blank slate. It's exciting to maintain creative control over a project from concept through production, but it's also a huge responsibility. We developed brand guidelines to help navigate through the design process. This required a lot of discussion with the client regarding their vision and intentions. In the end though, it's also our responsibility to manage the brand and ensure that the messaging maintains its focus.

With great power comes great responsibility. We heard ASWS had an intern last year that had crazy skills in the Xbox shooter game, Halo. What was up with that?
We participated in Assets School's 2007-2008 mentorship program places students in a company for six months so they gain experience in a professional environment. Our student, Tim, was really good at Halo. He traveled up to Las Vegas for a Major League Gaming tournament and made it through a few rounds before getting eliminated. The crazy thing is his teammates were scattered across the nation, but couldn't make it to Vegas for various reasons. I think one of them was grounded (laughs).

Classic. Besides being a computer whiz, it’s widely known that you and your brother Eric, former University of Hawaii volleyball standout, kill it at stand-up bodyboarding. What’s the secret, cuz?
Choke wax, brah!