About DKL

2.01

Autobiography

Dan Lee here — I'm an artist, writer, illustrator, and designer, with a specialty in hand lettering. I'm also, in no particular order: a creative professional with an engineering education. A recovering usefulness addict. Big on mystery and wonder, whatever's the most trending energy drink, and organization. Not big on raisins. Always chasing better ways to tell stories.

‍I'm a Pennsylvania kid at heart, born in Pittsburgh but raised in Philly (go Birds etc., etc.). I graduated with a dual Bachelors & Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University, something I achieved a bit by accident, a bit through sheer determination, and a bit with a little help from my friends.

After cutting my teeth with the world's best Creative Services team at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia two blocks from City Hall, I moved to Sheridan, Wyoming to work at Only Co. (as Creative Manager and eventually Chief Creative Officer) and its sister company, moto lifestyle brand Go Fast Don't Die.

I spent six and a half years at Only Co. doing graphic design, directing creative (web, video, copy, and branding), developing brand messaging, and running business facilitations, before leaving to establish Destiny Kid Labs in December 2023.

I regularly post my art on Instagram, lettering (@dandrawnwords) and otherwise (@danly.art). Offline, I can be found hiking in the Bighorn Mountains, enjoying solo restaurant meals in cool cities, and attempting to read too many books at once.

Additional details about me can be elicited through the grabbing of a coffee or a beer in your area.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do you do around here?

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Destiny Kid Labs is a studio for creative design and messaging — with a primary focus on offering typographical and hand-lettered illustrations for brands, events, merch, murals, and more. I work in the nebulous creative space in general, doing everything from branding to illustration to messaging synthesis to consulting around marketing and visuals for businesses.
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‍Get in touch if you think we might be a good fit, or just want to explore what's possible!

Why "Destiny Kid Labs"?

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Founder Dan K. Lee was humorously inspired to find an acronym for his initials, something that also evoked an inspirational entity, in the vein of classic video game protagonists in search of their preprogrammed destinies (i.e., Link from Legend of Zelda is the über-Destiny Kid). You'll note an emphasis on gaming terminology and a significant interest in the intersection of the analog and digital in the DKL aesthetic as a result.

The "Labs" component alludes to Dan's past as a Chemical Engineer and continuing interest in exploration and experimentation. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a facility for the creation of new members of early-2000's R&B girl group phenom Destiny's Child.

What even is "handlettering?"

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It's like handwriting and calligraphy, minus the parameter of creating the letters in a single stroke — it's a very wide-ranging term that houses all forms of drawing alphabetic characters and words across styles and languages. Check out my Instagram to see a lot of it.

Do you teach handlettering?

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I'm currently in the process of developing educational materials, so stay tuned! My Instagram has a few scattered reels with process insights, and I'll occasionally join my friends at Goodtype, The Pigeon Letters, or Workshop Week for virtual workshops. (I'll also be establishing an email list to keep you posted on those opportunities if you're interested.)

I also offer workshops locally in person here in Sheridan, Wyoming from time to time with SAGE.

Do people actually frequently ask you anything, dude?

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"Frequently" is, thankfully, a relative indicator. But I guess that's for me to know and you to guess. *laughs manically in millenial forum-post format*

2.03