For the Love of the Game: Ken Boostrom’s Journey to Brafton

As kids, people always asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. For Ken Boostrom, that answer was always simple: an artist. While our Director of Design and UX has had several amazing careers throughout his life, he’s always made decisions based on his love for creating.

Learn how Ken went from winning art awards in elementary school to leading our talented designers at Brafton.

From Art Director and Web Developer to Director Extraordinaire 

Currently, Ken heads Brafton’s design and UX teams, but he’s no stranger to taking charge. For as long as Ken can remember, he’s been in leadership roles, whether as a studio manager or an instant senior studio designer. 

“This is because I was always managing things without thinking about it because everything had to be organized for anyone to do any work,” he said. 

Ken got a Bachelor of Fine Arts at UMass Dartmouth where he honed his craft and worked extremely hard — getting out of bed early, staying up late, learning and soaking up every opportunity presented to him. At 42, he also got his master’s from Syracuse, further proving that he’ll do whatever it takes to be the best designer and leader possible — both for himself and the people around him.  

Outside of school, he’s taken his can-do attitude to all three of his careers, first as an art director for 15 years, then doing UX front-end web development for 10 years. He even taught at UMass Dartmouth for a few years. 

But his love for art didn’t begin during his jobs — or even in high school. It goes much further back. 

“I was the best artist in first grade,” he said. “It’s all I’ve ever known and all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

So, when he was ready to make a change, the choice was simple: Go where he could continue doing what he loves. And Brafton was that place. 

A Day in the Life 

Ken was hired as Brafton’s Director of Design and UX in 2014, diving headfirst into the inner workings of the company and creating operations to streamline client work from start to finish. While this is an oversimplification, he describes his job as air traffic control, helping to keep track of delays and new flights that appear on his screen. 

Ultimately, his role is to ensure that projects are in the best shape for the design team to tackle — and with ample time to do so. How this is accomplished involves multiple steps, many of which are done without anyone even realizing. From looking through design estimates to finding creative solutions to client requests, “a lot is going on that’s not on the agenda,” Ken said. But don’t think he’s left design work behind. He still does quite a few client projects, keeping his skills sharp.

His ritual to help stay on top of things? He calls it “design plus coffee plus Atlas.” He also relies on clear communication channels with his team. 

“I’m a big chatter, as you probably know. I like to communicate,” he said smiling. “I have a really good relationship with each of the designers and chat with them every morning to make sure they have what they need.” 

By having conversations and keeping his internal processes running smoothly, he helps designers — and the broader Brafton team — start projects off on the right foot and stay on course, no matter what’s thrown their way. 

While interacting with people makes him excited to log in for work every day, teaching the other designers to be the best at their craft is his favorite part of the role. 

“When you’re not a tenured professor, they give you the worst schedules,” he said. “But now, I get to teach color theory, typography and business to the team until they become so good with these tools and processes that I can just stand back and let them create.” 

And for Fun?

For 10 years, Ken has called Brafton home — at least from 9 to 5. Outside of those work hours, he likes to channel his creative energy into personal projects. Right now, he does about three illustrations a week, giving his Instagram followers plenty of beautiful pieces to enjoy. Check out his account and give him a follow to keep up with his next creative endeavor! 

He’s also a gamer and loves to ride his bike — in flip-flops and no bike helmet, of course. You can find him cruising around bike paths, getting lots of fresh air. 

A hobby he doesn’t talk about much? During the pandemic, he began metal detecting, looking for old coins — an 1892 silver dollar, specifically. Check in with him later to see if he’s found one. 

No matter what Ken’s up to, you can rest assured he’s giving it his all, following his passions wherever they lead him. From drawing under a single light bulb in elementary school to running the design and UX department at Brafton, he’s always been driven by one thing: his love for art. 

Ken’s story is a testament to how a lifelong love can evolve, adapt and, ultimately, shape a fulfilling career. We at Brafton are always excited to see what he comes up with next. With him on our team, we know we’ve struck gold.