Who’s Michelle Karen Design?
The Gist
I'm an experienced graphic designer who considers the whole picture. All of my work is executed with extreme care and attention to detail in a clean, simple, and pleasing aesthetic. I offer creative and conceptual solutions to design challenges in many areas through the means of print and digital design, and identity and branding. As a designer, I aim to find meaning in my design, and every decision has a reason for its look and function. At the end of the day, it's about communicating, and my job is to make your message perceived in exactly the way you want it through design.
Behind the Scenes
My background is a little unusual for a designer. I was a dancer from a very young age all the way through and beyond college. While for many years my dream was to be on Broadway, I simultaneously pursued a liberal arts education, and in 2005, I graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. Although it was a fascinating subject, it was not suitable for me professionally.
A couple years after working at an international PR firm in NYC, I realized that design had been the answer all along. I attended Parsons The New School of Design in an excelled program for people just like me—those who realized their passion “after the fact.” I earned a degree in Graphic Design and eagerly re-entered the world with a new perspective on my career.
I began and grew as a graphic designer in a Marketing & Advertising department for a software company for 7.5 years, where I was fortunate enough to design and manage many different kinds of projects. Currently, I am a lead graphic designer at a global Fortune 500 technology company in their internal Global Brand and Creative department, where the projects are varied and interesting. Each day brings something new, which always reignites the excitement and joy I find in design. While far from Broadway, design and brand is a career that found me based on my natural abilities and talent.