Uprising: Kevin Hughes’ Unwavering Dedication to Creativity
Tech runs through The Public House motion graphics designer Keving Hughes’ veins, and that’s been the case since forever. As a kid, whenever he saw a new phone, computer or gaming console come out, he knew it was time to find out everything about it. And while he might have not known what motion graphics were back then, his current career path doesn’t come as a surprise.
“I’ve always tried my best to be up to date with the latest tech trends and that passion has translated into my work. Keeping up with new possibilities in my workflow and the latest trends in computer graphics has been a constant pursuit,” he says.
Growing up, Kevin’s time was split between playing basketball and being on the computer, more specifically watching ‘best moments’ montage clips on YouTube for games like ‘FIFA’ or ‘Call of Duty’. This is where he believes the spark that lit the fire in him began.
“It was amazing to see how people could craft a story literally from highlights of them playing a game,” he explains. “That definitely inspired me to start exploring editing techniques myself. This hobby eventually grew into a full-fledged career, which is crazy to say.”
This gave a start to a fruitful editing journey, long before Kevin’s first salary on the job. His parents, while “concerned for [his] eyes and posture,” were always there to support him through his earliest video attempts. “They are very tough to watch,” he jokes, “but my parents only encouraged me and kept me motivated.”
Regardless of his passion for editing, Kevin ended up studying business at the Dublin Institute of Technology, where he had a great time, albeit underscored by the constant knowledge that the course wasn’t quite for him. “I think I knew that immediately after the first year, but I stuck with it and got through all four of them.
“I knew I wasn’t going to pursue a career in business. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what type of job my course would qualify me for.”
During his breaks, Kevin and his friends would head to the top floor of the DIT building where the media courses were held. “Seeing students working on [Adobe] After Effects and Photoshop and engaging in creative projects always sparked a thought in my mind. ‘I should be doing this, not a business course’.”
And while constantly feeling he was on the wrong path was frustrating, Kevin used that as motivation to work on what he really loved once he got home from university.
This motivation didn’t stay strictly reserved for the ‘after uni’ plans either. Halfway through his degree, while he was working at a cafe in Dublin as a barista, Kevin became eager to get involved in the company’s Instagram.
“I was always annoying the manager if I could manage the cafe’s socials,” he says. “I think she was actually happy for someone to take it off her, but she also was cautious about what I was going to be posting, but she eventually let me take charge. I brought my camera to work every day, capturing photos and videos of the cafe, its food, and its atmosphere. I would then go home, edit the content and plan out posts for the week.”
Kevin firmly believes that the manager at the time thought he was a lunatic, but that didn’t dampen the love he had for the job. In fact, the improvement on the cafe’s socials was so noticeable, that the owner asked Kevin to manage the socials across the rest of his cafes.
“That opportunity was huge for me. It gave me the confidence to pursue a career in creative content, even though I was primarily focused on video editing at the time, with motion graphics still being a relatively new area for me. I owe a lot to the cafe owner for recognising my potential and providing me with a chance to further my skills and make some money while I was doing it.”
After finishing university, Kevin made the move to London not fully understanding what was in store for him. All he knew was that with a bigger city came bigger opportunities. During the first Covid lockdown, he had invested heavily in learning more 3D-oriented softwares, which was vital in defining his career direction and deepening his passion for motion graphics even further.
In London, he joined agency Hifen, which specialises in sports production – another experience crucial for his growth. “It taught me so much about working collaboratively with different designers on the same project. It significantly improved my workflow and broadened my skills, setting a solid foundation for my career in motion graphics.”
Following his stint at Hifen, Kevin joined Happy Finish as a creative with a focus on motion graphics – a position that allowed him to see the kind of work he wanted to produce, at a place that pushed him to develop his skills even further.
“Working on high-profile projects for major brands at Happy Finish was an unbelievable experience. It gave me the chance to understand various aspects of a project, from concept to completion.”
He continues: “I was super grateful for my time at Happy Finish. Looking back at it now it feels like it was a crucial step to where I am today. It taught me how to elaborate on ideas and tailor my work to fit the needs of each project, marking a significant turning point in my career.”
But these weren’t the only valuable lessons from Kevin’s early days in the industry. ‘CTRL+S’ is another one. “I remember how often After Effects and Cinema 4D would crash, usually right when I’d hit a turning point and everything was finally coming together. Losing everything because I was so in the work and not just thinking about saving. It was always at the worst possible moment.”
On a more serious note, he adds: “One of the most useful lessons I learned early on was that everyone is in the same boat as you. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one feeling uncertain, but in reality, everyone is facing their own challenges and learning curves.”
Currently, what Kevin loves most about his job, especially from a 2D standpoint is the idea that “bringing movement into anything static gives it an extra layer of life.”
“It’s the balance between giving the design team justice for their amazing designs and then working on top of that to add some life to it,” he explains.
On the other hand, 3D gives him the feeling that anything is possible. “If I think it, I can make it,” is a pretty great mindset to have, especially when it’s backed by your skills. “It’s a feeling that lets me really put my creative hat on,” Kevin says. “Also, the fact that I will be learning for the entirety of my career is a side of 3D that I love.”
Aside from the nitty gritty, Kevin also really loves working at his current company, The Public House. “Everyone I work with is ridiculously good at what they do and I feel like everyone really pushes each other to get the best out of what we do.”
It was at The Public House that Kevin made the one piece of work that he really feels changed his career. The campaign called ‘GAA is in our DNA’ for The Irish Independent and GAA was a fully in-house affair, and distilled tonnes of confidence for him. “It also made it to the cinemas pre-roll back when it aired. I remember watching the All-Irelands in London at an Irish pub and seeing it on the telly. It was a ‘that’s crazy’ moment for sure.”
One thing that riles Kevin up is the age-old debate of quality over quantity and vice versa. “Most people who get into the industry do it from a place of being really proud of putting their name to work and therefore the designer will always feel quality trumps quantity. Whereas in reality, this isn’t always the case and the ideal balance between quality and quantity in motion graphics often depends on the specific goals of the project.”
On the flip side, advancements in free software like Unreal Engine and Blender get him super excited for the future of his specialism. Having become incredibly powerful and accessible, these tools continue to raise the standard of work across the board, which in turn allows more talented people like Kevin into the industry faster.
“The barrier to entry is now more about the willingness to learn rather than your access to expensive software,” he explains.
Advancements in tech are mostly great, and while Kevin constantly tries to keep on top of them, there’s still the curious kid inside him that feels like there’s always more to learn. FOMO, but for trends or developments in the industry. “I always feel like there’s something around the corner that will change the space forever, for the worse,” he admits. “I guess I should be positive and think if some new software comes out and does a part of our job for us it could make our lives a bit simpler. I think I just use that as motivation to keep learning.”
It’s not just his insatiable curiosity that Kevin has kept from his childhood – he still loves basketball too! And editing, of course. “Basketball keeps me sane, I’ve played now for nearly 18 years and can’t get enough. And editing is still both my hobby and my passion. I spend a lot of time outside of actual work hours making videos and I post them on Instagram – I get so much joy out of that. I usually try to think of a technique I haven’t tried that might be challenging and then find out how to do it.”
In the end, Kevin is still as motivated to do what he loves as he was when he picked up that cafe’s socials in Dublin. There’s the added pressure of the industry’s rapid changes, and the weight of purely understanding more than he did before, but his passion is what propels him forward.
He leaves us with this: “Seeing a project or a goal coming together gives me a great sense of fulfilment. The thought that I do what I love for a living is amazing. Only saying it out loud makes you see how far you’ve come. I could be doing something related to business studies if I didn’t just stick with it and that in itself is motivation.”
