The department recently hosted its annual David Bullock Return of the CD Grads event, welcoming back two mid-level designers whose careers exemplify the diverse paths students can take after graduating from Kutztown. This year’s speakers included 2013 graduate Kelsey Kovalik and 2018 graduate Becki Murray, who shared their stories of entering and navigating the design industry.
Kelsey, the first presenter, walked students through the various agencies she has worked for and her progression into her current role as a Creative Director at Base Beauty in NYC. She highlighted a number of projects from over the years, including HomeGoods’ “House of HomeGoods” campaign featuring beautifully redecorated vacation rooms styled entirely with items from HomeGoods. Other projects included quick-and-dirty advertising, such as “Get Caught in Swarovski,” and more recent work, like “Mizz Korea,” where Kelsey and her team created strong, beautiful art direction for an emerging skincare brand. Linked here is Kelsey’s portfolio page to see more of her work.
Becki offered a different perspective, landing at Smith Design in New Jersey shortly after graduation. With a bold, illustrative style, she has created packaging for renowned brands like Sesame Street toys (including a full brand guidebook for future designers) and SPAM with limited-edition flavors like Figgy Pudding or Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs & Ham. Linked here is Becki’s portfolio for more work.
Despite their contrasting paths, both alumni offered valuable advice, especially for those interested in advertising, branding, or packaging. Their processes demonstrated that skills such as photoshoots, revised sketches, and multiple rounds of changes carry over directly into industry projects.
A Q&A followed their talks, giving students the chance to ask thoughtful questions about career growth, creative development, navigating the job market, and how to stand out. Both speakers credited the department for helping them get to where they are today. Events like this remind us as students how valuable it can be to not only hear great advice about the industry, but to hear it from people who had the same projects and the same professors, making it all the more personal. Even if you can only attend part of an event, making the effort to show up and taking away a few pieces of advice can help in unexpected ways further down the line. I highly encourage everyone to not only check out Kelsey’s and Becki’s work, but to consider attending next year’s event if you have the chance.
As a final note, I want to thank Kelsey and Becki for speaking this year. Creating this year’s poster and blending both of your styles was a fun challenge! The advice you shared was not only helpful and honest, but I think it gave students a clearer understanding of the many paths students can take and how each can lead to its own form of success.
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