Freelance Brand Consultant

Everyone’s quarantine story is different: some learned how to make sourdough, some got the chance to accept an internship post-grad. My story, however, is not at all what I would’ve expected it to be. 

After months of grueling scrolls through LinkedIn, I hadn’t had much luck finding my place in this industry. My interests began shifting, along with my life plan. By a stroke of luck, I was introduced to a fellow Summer Welcome alumna who was about to start her own business. Over the course of the summer, I spent many an hour drafting, redrafting, copyediting, organizing and perfecting a branding package and website for her. 

Towards the end of the project, I felt nothing but ecstatic; this endeavor changed everything for me. I began connecting with more women who were beginning their small businesses and signing more web design clients. Overall this might not have been what I imagined I would do post-grad, but I am so glad these women took a chance on me and helped me develop a new love for UX and branding.

Dana Coleman Consulting

Dana Coleman is a Kansas City local with a passion for helping others succeed. Upon transitioning to a WFH environment, Dana found herself hungry: hungry to do more to better the education for her students, and for many others. And so was born DCC, Dana’s own education consulting business. Dana and I began by identifying her brand’s tone and identity; we aimed for a simple and sophisticated look with a welcoming and modern color palette. From the branding, we moved on to website design. Over the course of a month, I developed a user-friendly website to showcase DCC’s core practices, host previous successes and act as a living version of the brand for potential clients.

Logo, Branding, and Original Site Created by Kait - Current Site Managed by Rachel Richards Design

Vista Design Co.

There is literally nothing better than the feeling of opening a gift you know was made just for you. Maddie, owner of Vista Design Co., makes that feeling a reality on an everyday basis. This project was unique because it was my first time developing an e-commerce website. Although challenging, I feel as though both Maddie’s patience and my explorative nature made this project educational and inspirational for me as a freelancer.

Account Management

My final semester of college, I had the pleasure of taking Jamie Flink’s Management in Strategic Communications course. For the entire semester, I served as an account manager and digital strategist alongside 7 other teammates. Together, we created a strategic B2C research proposal for Bank of America to utilize as digital banking becomes more advanced. Within my role, I got the opportunity to design a publication on our findings, perform qualitative and quantitative research and construct a creative brief based on our recommendations and target profile. Above you’ll see one of our final presentations for the Bank of America Strategy Proposal.

Adobe XD Creative Jam 2020

Spring semester 2020, I got the opportunity to compete in the Adobe Creative Jam competition at my university. Using Adobe XD, my team created a mindfulness app prototype to combine the academic self with the mental self. By allowing users to set goals and track their moods, our team was able to turn the negative effects of mental health issues, like rumination, into positive coping mechanisms. We made the prototype easy to use with clear and concise navigation. In addition to the UX design, we also tested our prototype with Color Oracle, a software that applies different types of color-blindness, to make it as accessible as possible. Happy to say that our thoughtful design granted us first place!

Sound by RY: Director of Music Marketing

A free Concert, from yours truly.

As the Director of Music Marketing for Relevant Youth, I led a team of ten staff members in the production and execution of a free concert, Sound by RY. Our goal was to celebrate the creative spirit of our college town, Columbia, Missouri. With 5 independent musicians and artists, and over 275 attendees, I would easily say this goal was reached! This project taught me the importance of delegation and communication. In addition to the event planning experience I gained during this project, I also learned how necessary it is to empower the creatives around me.

MOJO Ad: Art Director

Fall 2019, I served as one of three Art Directors for MOJO Ad: a student-staffed, full service advertising agency. At MOJO Ad, our specialties lie in the YAYA, or youth and young adult, market. During the semester, we produced a full data analysis and research report on the 18-24-year old market. We collated all our findings into a report that was broadcasted live, and a book that is available below. In addition to the work I did to delegate creative tasks, I also got to work with Graphic Designer Lacey Paul and Videographer Oriana Rodriguez to produce graphics and animations— including the stellar work you’ll see below.

Creative Portfolio

 Creative Portfolio is the third course available for individuals pursuing copywriting and art direction in the Journalism School. Throughout the semester, students build new campaigns for a wide variety of “clients.”

Whether I was working on a rather fishy brand, or exploring the magic of Disney, I got to create unique designs most of which extended into OOH and experiential advertising.

Mccann Erickson Internship: Tokyo, Japan

Oh, Tokyo.

Summer 2019 I spent a month living in the Takadanobaba prefecture of Tokyo, Japan as an Intern for McCann Worldgroup. During my time abroad, I explored the beautiful wards of Tokyo and met the people that make Japan the advanced wonder it is today. During the internship, I worked on a team of both American and Japanese students to create a fully-integrated advertising campaign for Spotify Japan. Overall the experience gave me a new appreciation for my ability to multitask, as well as the importance of educating myself of other cultures. Some work not pictured due to NDA agreement.

Strategic Writing and Visuals

A Van-new brand.

A pun is a reinterpretation of a word in a convenient and comedic way; brand development is almost always the opposite.

The introductory course to Creative Portfolio, Strategic Writing and Visuals was all about getting familiar with the branding process.

Throughout the semester, each student focused on re-inventing one brand, creating everything from type to tents. Below is a collection of the visuals I turned in for my campaigns for Vans.

Graphic Design 1

 Fall of 2017, things changed a lot for me. I had just changed my major from Education to Strategic Communication and was in the honeymoon phase with all aspects of Journalism. I took this class and immediately fell back in love with my creative side. Below is a collection of my first ever attempts using Adobe Products.