Student Financial Services - Branding and Merch

One of the most significant and rewarding jobs I held was an an (official) office assistant and (unofficial) creative director/ graphic designer for RISD’s Sutdent Financial Services. The simplistic palette of this project was chosen to make the colors recognizable across campus and create a friendly association to the daunting task of managing one’s finances as a young adult. The simplistic vector illustartions were chosen for the same reasons- as well as being able to be understood from afar- across hallways and in the backs of lecture halls. The logo of two hands holding eachother was chosen to create an association of community and support by the program.

REQUIS -Jewelry Branding

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Requis is the name of a fictional luxury jewelry brand using my original jewlery. I designed the logo to include a serif font as that is the common visual language of luxury and a box and distinct “I” to set the imagery apart, making it recognizable. The logo and photography style went through many iterations, finally landing on a blank backdrop and settings with an air of high quality and luxury. The luxury design language was also chosen to justify the price that comes with high-quality materials to potential customers. The slogan of “Essentials. Everywhere you go.” was chosen to make the concept of high fashion jewlery accessible to the customer, setting luxury apart from something solely used on special occassions into something with potential for daily wear. Further, the term “essentials” was chosen to make the customer attracted to the idea of owning the jewelry, putting it in their vision as something they cannot live without.

soda ads - photography, design, and copywriting

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A series of ads for various sodas. The bold typeface was chosen to emphasize the emphatic copy. The motif of the phrase “real” counteracts the soda’s previous image of being “fake” by emphasizing what’s real in Coca Cola, the use of real sugar. The setting of the Diet Pepsi ad is to create an association with wealth and prestige, exalting the Pepsi by putting it in a liquor cabinet, a place previously reserved for fine spirits and not diet sodas. The setting of nature and the treadmill are used similarly- to create an association with the goals of the consumer (to be more fit, to be more holistic), as opposed to just soda within the context of itself. All original copy and photography. Below the ads two progress pictures are provided, of the pre-edited photograhy and the photography setup.

the web - ui/ux design , motion graphics

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THE WEB is a social media designed to question the social implications and interpersonal tracking encouraged and executed by current social medias. THE WEB explores if an app existed with the sole purpose to tracking interpersonal relationships through node-based maps and note-taking systems. The color palette and simple graphics were chosen to create a friendly feeling with the otherwise insidious implications of the app’s existence.

NYJ - LAw firm logo

A freelance logo project commissioned by the manager of Nick Yocca, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in California. The first logo and symbol are the original designs, with the final black logo being the client’s final choice. The boxes around the lettering represent the merging of two entities practiced by the client , though this time visual instead of legal. The serif font was chosen to create an aesthetic of prestige and the the empty spaces inside the lettering to add depth.

gnome - lifestyle zine

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An issue of a fictional magazine, Gnome- a fashion and lifestyle magazine pulled straight from the forest floor. The magazine is designed to have the bold aesthetic choices and striking editorial images as a real fashion publication, but without the constraints of models that need to be scouted or fed or move. All original photography.

PRIVACY ROOM - LOCATION Branding / ADVERTISING

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The first of a series of two, Privacy Room is a satirical take on just how disappointing the resources on campus actually are. Centered around a small room on campus simply labelled "Privacy Room", this work creates worlds and scenarios around a room that would otherwise never have such exciting activity. All original photography.

privacy room - furniture catalog

The first of a series of two, Privacy Room is a satirical take on just how disappointing the resources on campus actually are. Centered around a small room on campus simply labelled "Privacy Room", this work exalts the other wise nondescript and blemished furniture into something of high design through the design language of product design archives featuring work of much more prestige. All original photography.

crashland - poetry zine

A zine exploring the fictional lives of two historically dressed aliens flung out of space and onto a foreign planet’s beach . The deocration on the cover was designed to call back to the lacy details on the model’s clothes, as well as the sea foam on the beach they landed on. Poem included is “July” by Molly Fording. All original photography.

disco deco // asterville - original typefaces

An original font devised following some of the visual language of Baskerville, but with a space-age-style rounded twist. The name is derived from the source inspiration, Baskerville, combined with the word “asteroid”, to denote its space-age feel. The font was made with repeating elements of two thicknesses of line, and an arc that bridges the varying thicknesses, as well as a set of one large, one small circle to replace the serif seen on the source of inspiration, Baskerville.

kathhowarddesigns - personal logo

A personal design project for the purpose of visually explaining the intersection of art and design I practice. The service mark features a paint palette with a cursor hovering over it. On first glance, the cursor could be mistaken for a paintbrush creating a harmonious association between the two otherwise contrasting icons. The border around the front of the card reference the selection box in the Adobe Suite when an object is selected. The red color was chosen to make the simplistic design more striking and memorable, and for when the card is recieved, to stand out against all the others it may be stored with.

WPA inspired - visual voice / brand strategy

A potential rebrand designed with the purpose of expanding the literary interest of younger readers at my local library, the Westport Public Library. Though not commissioned by the library, this rebrand answers the question “How can we get young readers who previously only read comics to be interested in other genres?”. The font was designed in visual reference to vintage Superhero comic covers, and the symbols below with harsh black shading and long, geometric lines to call back to both the panels and minimalistic shading style of comics. The genres symbolized below are as follows: Education, Art, Thriller, Horror, Science Fiction, Science, Children’s literature, and Romance.

fine arts - expressive collage

A series of collages exploring politics, sexuality, and modern culture. Made largely from vintage and recycled materials. The bold color was chosen to draw the eye across the page and thre layout was calculated to explore the way diffrent subject matters and be noticed or ignored.

harlequin monthly - zine

A semi-satirical take on fashion and feature magazines , this time featuring a glamorous fictional clown as opposed to a model or celebrity. The visual language references modern fashion magazines. All original photography with AI-generated interviews.

Hello, my name is Kathryn Howard (She/They) and I am a graphic designer, photographer, and artist living and working in Westport, Connecticut.

What excites me about graphic design is the way it can be used as an entirely new form of communication. It’s a language that transcends the barriers of language itself. (passion)

When I’m not designing, I’m trying new restaurants with friends, making necklaces, writing and performing stand-up comedy, or going on long walks.

Let’s connect! You can contact me here.