Hi! I'm glad you stopped by to view my work. I'm looking for new creative-professional opportunities and created this site to introduce my capabilities and experiences as a designer-entrepreneur.

I'm drawn to problem solving, and am most satisfied when working to bring about meaningful change for good. It took me 10 years working inside a design agency and then small business to uncover this fundamental why, bigger than earning status or money.

Clever, intuitive, durable, and fun are themes found in my work. I love delighting people when they uncover a detail that makes life easier, brings harmony to their environment, compliments their visual identity, or just works for a lifetime without fuss or interruption.

I am a pragmatist where it counts - concerning materials, production, logistics, costs, and the other hard realities faced when delivering finished goods. 8 years designing and assembling a line of products for smokeheir.com taught me the value of seeing the full product life cycle from the outset, and that quality often comes from simplification.

I feel kinship with the objects that have weathered the years with me, and reverence towards the craftsman involved in their making. I'm interested in continuing to create work that imbues a trusted connection with the end user and speaks to their values and culture.

Among my proudest achievements...

• Creating an ecosystem of essentials for the modern cannabis enthusiast, a recognized and trusted brand in the process, and serving customers with extensive gratitude and generosity
• Dedicating a share of annual profits to immigrant artists and cannabis justice reform
• Travelling and recreating in the Pacific Northwest and finding a home amongst other pioneering spirits found here
• Adapting my lifestyle after the onset of two autoimmune diseases, and bettering my mental and physical health in the process.

I recently exited my role of running smokeheir.com, and am excited to begin a new chapter in which I hope to join a product team that shares my vision and purpose. I'm comfortable wearing many different hats - digital to physical, marketing to mechanical engineering, creative to operational, siloed to collaborative - and would call myself a designer with an entrepreneurial skillset. Let's chat and see where we can get started together.

Name: Paul Kalousek
Location: Portland, OR
Education: Western Washington University
Contact: paulkalousek@gmail.com
View Resume