by design

KUCD MFA

KUCD MFA SPOTLIGHT: Meet Bill Starkey, 2018 cohort

Why did you decide to go back to grad school for your MFA?
I wanted to explore different methods of storytelling, different processes of story creation, and a different perspectives on subjects and topics relevant to design and its expressions that over 20 years of working in the agency world doesn’t necessarily afford. The thought of having the freedom to research new things and explore and experiment without the fear of failure was also refreshing. This exploration and experimentation will in turn set me up for my ultimate goal – teaching at the university level.

Tell us about your KUCD MFA journey thus far.
My journey to date has me looking inward – trying to find things in me to add to my work; whether it be things about myself or unexplored interests leading to different ways of telling stories which I’m curious or passionate about.

What has been your favorite project to date.
It really changes daily. There are different parts of each exploratory that I enjoy, even some of the ideas that never came to fruition (I keep a running list of all of the ideas that didn’t quite make it to the proposal stage of any project). At this point, my favorite was a project where I took a traditional form folk art and reimagined the stories that the work could tell through the artwork. I used Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter Eggs) as a means to explore a little more about my heritage, modifying and inventing new symbols traditionally used on the eggs to highlight specific happenings, people and history of a country.
KUCD MFA

Each semester we meet for Journey week, the in-person first week of the semester before going online. Please describe Journey Week for someone interested in the KUCD MFA.
Imagine the most intense, soul-searching, eye-opening, mind-blowing-yet-sleep-deprived experience imaginable, where the only thing more powerful than the feeling of paralysis by uncertainty is the pull of curiosity. That’s pretty much Journey Week. And after the first one, it will be hard to wait for the next.

Fun fact about Bill
I’m about half way through my “see every continent” list.

I hear you have exciting news to share!


Yes! I had my project titled Roger accepted for presentation at the University College and Designers Association’s (UCDA) annual Design Educator’s Summit at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. The project was founded in the course Contemporary Topics and delved into the experiences, and neglect, of older users of tech. Here’s a small excerpt from the presentation: “Have we alienated, and are we continuing to alienate, older generations when it comes to the design of technology and interfaces? As designers and educators, we are responsible for bringing beneficial technology to the masses. We must ensure that the products we build are useful to everyone, including an aging population with an ever-broadening range of abilities, interests, and expectations; a fact that is sometimes forgotten by designers, including younger designers, tasked with creating for an older generation with an understanding of technology and skillset that differs vastly from their own.”

Thanks Bill!

Sophomores’ Digital Campaigns Win 3-Awards in Pittsburgh

Context is a new annual event for graphic design students to compete against their peers on a level playing field. The format of the competition is inspired by the former Real Show, the decades-old student competition of The Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington (DC), which dissolved in 2013. Context features four real world design projects, previously completed by real clients of Pittsburgh design agencies.

Of those 130 submissions, our judges accepted 41 pieces into the show (12 gold, 10 silver and 19 design excellence awards.)

Of those 41 pieces, Kutztown took home 3 awards! Below are the names of the students who’s work have been accepted into the show:

Julia Coville
Madison Eckert
Thomas Messina

KUCD participate in Hope & Healing Art Show

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Twenty-two KU students created original artwork around the message of hope and healing to be donated to local hospitals and healthcare facilities, and two students won awards. Their art is currently on display at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA. Graduate and undergraduate students donated their artwork to the nonprofit Healing Through The Arts (htta.org), which provides healthcare facilities original and beautiful art. Their mission is to provide free art to inspire hope and calm.

“The more students that participate, the more art we have to share with hospitals and help those who need healing, and there is such high demand for this inspiring artwork,” says Heather Rodale, founder of Healing Through The Arts.

Assistant professor, Dannell MacIlwraith of the Communication Design department encouraged her students to submit art. She is extremely proud of her students for creating original artwork that will inspire art therapy for the community.

The art will be on display from February 23 – April 14, 2019, at the Banana Factory Crayola Gallery; 25 W Third Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 **Check gallery hours https://www.bananafactory.org/visit/hours/

KU Artists on display:
Saira Miriam Ahmad
Tatiana Amador
Kiera Brown
Kaitlin Cochran
Madison Mae Eckert
Mary Catherine Engel
Danielle Graver
Jalen Grayson
Wyatt Hartz
Kayla Maskornick
Erin McCormick
Thomas Messina
Emma Deruosi
Alyvia Richel
Elline Santos
Zachary Robert Schmidt
Tiffany Spangler – Community Award Winner
Olivia Stentz
Maria Rose Sunick
Darrel Timmerman
Jenny Swartley- Tyrpak
Christopher Weaver – Community Award Winner

Cheers to KUCD Alum!


These KUCD alumni love beer and illustration! Ed Kuehn and Kayla Bryer had the privilege to design a collectible prints for Tröegs Independent Brewing Nugget Nectar First Squeeze! They are rock-stars touring around PA to sign prints.
Ed will be in the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday, January 15th signing prints from 6pm-8pm at brillobox, joined by fellow Nugget Nectar Artists Joe Mruk and Lizzee Solomon. Kayla will be at the Midtown Tavern in Harrisburg Thursday 1/10 starting at 7pm and Friday 1/11 in Lancaster at Tellus360 starting at 5pm if you’d want to swing by and grab a print and a Nugget Nectar.

Watch for more posters and fresh squeezes on Tröegs’ website: https://troegs.com/

Seniors on Internship!

Kutztown University Communication Design (KUCD) produces some of the finest designers in the field. We like to think it is because we treat our students like real designers from the start and expect professionalism throughout their experience. The capstone of that experience is our internship program.

At it’s best, a KUCD internship is beneficial to both the intern, and the design firm. The benefits to the student are probably a little clearer. They get to hang out with real-world designers and put everything they have been learning into practice. They finally get to work with real live art directors, fill out job-sheets, and meet the infamous “clients.” They can begin to understand the challenges that come in a real design studio whose purpose is not only to make effective and beautiful design, but also to prosper as a business. And, if they are lucky, they will learn the thrill of holding their first real printed piece in their hands and smelling the ink, or they’ll get to see their first real website up and running. It is so much more than a bullet point for their resume that isn’t just waitress, cashier, or camp counselor. It’s their first big toe in the real world.

You can learn more about our amazing internship opportunity: https://kuvwbkucd01.kutztown.edu/pdfs/internship.pdf

The National Poster Retrospecticus Comes to KU

The National Poster Retrospecticus is an internationally traveling poster show. The NPR features more than 400 hand-printed posters made by over 150 of the most prominent poster designers around the world. We’ve traveled all over North America visiting bombed out basements, rad community spaces and fancy art galleries. We’ve shown in venues like The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Library of Congress, Lego HQ, and at events like SXSW and Adobe Max. Our mission is to celebrate posters and help spread that enthusiasm around the world. We wanna travel everywhere!

The National Poster Retrospecticus will be in the Miller Gallery until November 16th. Don’t miss your chance to see this amazing show! The Miller Gallery is open Tues-Fri : 10am-4pm Sat : 12-4 Sun : 2-4

https://nationalposterretrospecticus.com/

KUCD 2018 Grad, Meredith Heydt — How She balanced Design and Swim Team

Meredith Heydt is just graduated with a BFA in Communication Design here at Kutztown University. We sat down and asked Meredith about being a transfer student, being on swim team, and her design work at KUCD.

Read More

KUCD graduates living and working in Denmark for the LEGO Group

You never know where your Kutztown University education and degree may take you. The sky is the limit, it all depends on what your goals are, where you set your sights, and if you apply yourself. Just ask Lauren King ’08, Madison O’Neil ’13, Megan Blair ’13 and Austin William Carlson ’12, all Communication Design graduates living and working in Denmark for the LEGO Group.

Explains O’Neil, a graphic designer for the LEGO® Star Wars™ division for about a year now, “It is something special,
working for a company that is so recognizable and beloved by lots of children and adult fans around the world. You feel like you’re part of a legacy.”

Full Article

By Design is back.

ByDesign has a long history in the Communication Design Department. What began as an in-print newsletter is now our KUCD blog. Professor Emeritus John Landis began the original in the 1970s as a way to communicate the successes of KUCD Grads. He writes:

“In the 1970s I saw the need for a newsletter featuring what graduates were doing. We were starting to hear such great things about the careers of grads from the newly-formed Advertising Art major, as it was called. I knew a newsletter would serve the dual purpose of sharing info with other grads, as well as a sales tool to give to visiting prospective students and their parents. It was also, in my own vanity, a way for me to always take the first column of the first page for my “editorial.” I like to write and always had something I wanted to talk about. Some of my topics, especially those of a philosophical nature, were better than others.

Read More

Straight Outta’ Kutztown to MoCCA, NYC


by Kevin McCloskey
posted originally on https://illustrationconcentration.com/

Kutztown University illustration students will have a table at the 2018 MoCCAfest in NYC. We will be among a select group of colleges at MoCCAfest, the indie comic showcase in New York City. Most of the other tables will be small presses, large presses, distributors, and independent comics creators. The fest is held April 7 and 8 this year at Metropolitan West, 639 W 46th St, NYC. MoCCA, by the way, stands for Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art, now part of the Society of Illustrators.