Who's this Adam Yarbrough character?
Who's this
Adam Yarbrough
character?
Good question...
I am still trying to figure that out, I am certainly a work in progress.
Something that is crystal clear though is my passion for design & branding, which is evident to everyone I work with.
I have spent the last 15 years of my life relentlessly honing my craft and pursuing my passion for design & photography & it has been like a dream come true to have been able to make a living doing what I love.
Graphic Artist
Once I graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, I landed a job in the "Content Studio" at CE. I learned what made a great presentation at CE and was introduced to proper photo and video shoots which is what ignited my love for videography.
Sr. Digital Designer
Where I honed my digital skillset. My focus was on animation and mobile UI but I was involved in the brainstorming and development of a variety of creative campaigns and new business pitches. I also dominated in cornhole tournaments here as well.
Freelance Creative
Most of this time period was spent living out of my backpack in SE Asia, servicing my multiple clients wherever there was internet. I really used this time to push myself to become a better artist and creative. During this time I took on more and more freelance from Blake's which lead me to my next role.
Creative Director
A highlight of my career was surely my time spent at Blake's. I dedicated almost 5 years of my life to leading the creative and branding of the Blake's brands, and helped take a local MI brand to be the 5th fastest growing hard cider company in the US.
Freelance Creative
My wife and I decided to take a break from building brands full time to build a tiny house near the ocean in the Philippines. I still work with Blake's but am very much open to new projects when the right ones come along.
2010 - 2011
Graphic Artist
Once I graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit, I landed a job in the “Content Studio” at CE. I learned what made a great presentation at CE and was introduced to proper photo and video shoots which is what ignited my love for videography.
2011 - 2015
Sr. Digital Designer
Where I honed my digital skillset. My focus was on animation and mobile UI but I was involved in the brainstorming and development of a variety of creative campaigns and new business pitches. I also dominated in cornhole tourmanents here as well.
2015 - 2017
Freelance Creative
The majority of this time period was spent living out of my backpack in SE Asia, servicing my multiple clients wherever there was internet. I really used this time to push myself to become a better artist and creative. During this time I took on more and more freelance from Blake’s which lead me to my next role.
2017 - 2022
Creative Director
A highlight of my career was surely my time spent at Blake’s. I dedicated almost 5 years of my life to leading the creative and branding of the Blake’s brands, and helped take a local MI brand to be the 5th fastest growing hard cider company in the US.
Present
Freelance Creative
My wife and I decided to take a break from building brands full time to build a tiny house near the ocean in the Philippines. I still work with Blake’s but am very much open to new projects when the right ones come along.
From my humble beginnings in the mat room at Campbell Ewald, to re-designing websites for international companies at McCann, spending the beginning of my career working for two of Detroit’s premier advertising agencies ignited a passion for creating.
But eventually that spark faded, maybe it was because I got what I thought I wanted so bad…
My own office, great projects, respect from my peers, I should have been happy…
But, I have never been afraid of taking risks...
This photo of a 21 year old me on a BMX trip to Barcelona I took with some friends embodies the confidence I can muster up when I really want to accomplish something, even if it scares the hell out of me.
And yes, graphic design was my backup plan, when I was younger I wanted to be a pro bike rider, but that is so much harder to make a decent living at, and my little brother beat me to it so I choose my backup plan.
This photo of a 21 year old me on a BMX trip to Barcelona I took with some friends embodies the confidence I can muster up when I really want to accomplish something, even if it scares the hell out of me.
And yes, graphic design was my backup plan, when I was younger I wanted to be a pro bike rider, but that is so much harder to make a decent living at, and my little brother beat me to it so I choose my backup plan which I wouldn’t change the world, (my back thanks me I am sure too).
And yes, graphic design was my backup plan, when I was younger I wanted to be a pro bike rider, but that is so much harder to make a decent living at, and my little brother beat me to it so I choose my backup plan.
This photo of a 21 year old me on a BMX trip to Barcelona I took with some friends embodies the confidence I can muster up when I really want to accomplish something, even if it scares the hell out of me.
And yes, graphic design was my backup plan, when I was younger I wanted to be a pro bike rider, but that is so much harder to make a decent living at, and my little brother beat me to it so I choose my backup plan which I wouldn’t change the world, (my back thanks me I am sure too).
And yes, graphic design was my backup plan, when I was younger I wanted to be a pro bike rider, but that is so much harder to make a decent living at, and my little brother beat me to it so I choose my backup plan.
I really loved my job at McCann, but...
I just felt that I needed to make a change or I could see myself begin to get complacent in this life I had made that was starting to feel too predictable and uninspiring, so I decided to make a pretty big right turn in my career that some thought was crazy…
I quit my job to go freelance & bought a one-way ticket to SE Asia...
The real kicker is I used the payout of the multiple weeks of PTO I had accrued to fund that ticket as well as a reckless amount of street food and motorbike rentals.
(FYI I did gave a 2 month notice, because I loved my bosses and I am super courteous like that…)
With a robust tool kit that specializes in the digital space, I was able to service multiple clients demands while living out of a backpack traveling through 15 countries.
No matter what the obstacle, whether it was a 13 hour time zone difference, some gnarly food poisoning, the list is about as long as a CVS receipt, nothing could stop me from finding a way serve my clients, even if it meant breaking onto the roof of my hostel to get enough cell service to send final files for some packaging that was due to the printer (true story).
My largest client, Blake’s Hard Cider Co., ran by an extremely relentless entrepreneurial genius by the name of Andrew Blake eventually convinced me to move back to America after a roughly 2 year break from a typical 9-5 to come onboard as Creative Director.
One of my stipulations was that I could still spend 2 months a year working remotely from SE Asia as I had begun to date my now wife (who happens to also be the best social media content creator I have ever met if any of you need help in that area).
I have not set up my IMDB page yet, but I can also act, I may be the most used extra in all of our commercials.
I dedicated the next 4 years and 9 months of my life to propelling the Blake family company's brands forward.
When I came onboard Blake’s Hard Cider was a pretty big deal in my home state of Michigan, when I left at the end of 2021 they were the 5th fastest growing hard cider company in America distributing in 20 states. A great product helps, but an extremely passionate Creative Director that wore every hat in the marketing department when needed in order to get the company to the next level also helps…
But as the pandemic has done for many people (maybe even you?), it has shown me that life is short...
Which is why my wife and I have decided to move to the Philippines and take a break from building brands full-time to build a tiny house and develop a completely raw piece of land on a hill by the ocean into a curated experience perfect for people who want to escape into nature.
I am still very much open to freelance work,
I have just decided to allocate a much larger chunk of time and energy to bringing our dreams to fruition, and although I may not know you, I assume you can appreciate my honesty and what we are planning to accomplish.
With all that out of the way, if you are interested in creating something great with me, please fill out this form, as I can’t help myself help the right brand take an exciting idea to the next level.
Also, If you want to know where the best hiking spots or street food stalls are in any of the following countries, you can also use the form for that too.
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Brunei
- Japan
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- South Korea
- Macau
- China
- Costa Rica
