Living the Life: Q & A with Karyn Jimenez-Elliot, graphic designer
By Sarah Winters
Newport Life went behind the scenes with Karyn Jimenez-Elliot, who helped bring our latest cover to life. Karyn is a professor at Johnson and Whales University, as well as a business owner and nonprofit organizer.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to be in the Newport area?
A: I grew up in the Delaware Water Gap area of Pennsylvania. After graduating from grad school in 2007 I landed a fulltime job at Johnson & Wales University teaching graphic design. I lived throughout Providence until 2011 when my husband and I decided to move out of the city and head to Portsmouth. We’ve been here ever since.
Q: What’s your design background?
A: After receiving a BFA in Graphic Design from Moore College of Art & Design as well as an MFA in Museum Exhibition Planning & Design from University of the Arts, I’ve spent the last 20+ years actively engaged in the design industry. As a freelance designer I take on a variety of clients, from political organizations and international companies to small local clients. I continually donate my design services to numerous domestic and international animal rescue organizations, most recently established my own non-profit, The Greyson Hound Foster Fund.
Q: What was your process like for designing Newport Life Magazine’s latest cover, which features pets from the Potter League?
A: I’ve volunteered and donated my design services to Potter League for Animals for the last 6 years and Kara Montalbano (Director of Marketing & Community Relations) and I have become close. When she asks me if I’m interested in helping the shelter out with a design project, I never say no. The minute she told me what it was for, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and provided a few visual examples of previous works of mine that incorporated sketch and photo integration. The magazine hired Ashley Timms to be the pet photographer and I helped art direct the photoshoot at Retina Creative Lab in Providence to have Ashley work her magic and capture the moments I would need to make my vision come to life. I worked on four compositional design options within the same aesthetic.
[Editor’s note: Our Nov/Dec cover corresponds with a story on the Potter League, which inspired the photoshoot and collaborative design process. Be sure to pick up a copy, on shelves now!]
Q: What inspired you to start The Greyson Hound Foster Fund? Why is advocating for animals so important to you?
A: I’ve always been heavily involved in rescue; from fostering, volunteering or donating my design services to help create awareness or fundraise. In 2022 I was talking with Carla Kenney, a friend I met through rescue. We were discussing the various costs rescues and individuals take on when fostering. After some heavy research and brainstorming we established The Greyson Hound Foster Fund as a registered 501c3 nonprofit. We help to fund and support the collective effort to help rescue dogs worldwide. We help many local organizations and situations in addition to helping dogs out of the China meat trade, ex-racers out of Ireland & England and hunting dogs out of Portugal, Spain & Kuwait.
Animals have always been extremely important to me. Once I was on my own, dogs became a necessity to my feeling of home. They are such innocent beings; inherently trusting and loyal. I feel it’s important to stand up for those that can’t stand up for themselves. Whether animal welfare or social justice, I’m passionate about design for social impact. I believe it is crucial for people, regardless of their skillset, to strive to be part of something larger than just themselves… and to use their talent to create positive change.
Q: Do you have any pets? If yes, how did you come to have them?
A: Yes, we currently have three dogs and two rabbits. Maisy & Henry are littermates and whippets that we adopted two years apart through Whippet Rescue Adoption Placement (WRAP). We adopted Maisy first and two years later were notified that Henry had made his way back after a very rough start. Once meeting him it was impossible not to have him join our family. Lyla is a havanese terrier mix that we rescued out of Kuwait through the Become A Foster Guardian organization. We also have two rabbits, Jax & Willow, that were found on the CVS headquarters by another friend of mine in rescue and that we adopted through Potter League.
Q: What are some of your favorite local pet friendly spots? Indoor or outdoor?
A: Sunset Cove in Portsmouth has a gorgeous outside space for drinks and casual dining with your pup. The owner Mike McFarlane has also been very generous to our organization with donating his space to us for events.
Rejects Beer Co. is another awesome spot, both inside and outside. The owner and staff has been great at opening his doors to both my organization and Potter League. The last two years I illustrated the collaboration brew to help raise funds for Potter League.
Q: Being a professor of graphic design at Johnson and Wales, along with being in the business for over 20 years, how would you say the design world has changed?
A: So many aspects of design have changed. Some due to societal shifts, and several others due to the continual advancements of technology and demands as they relate to design. Just like fashion, graphic design trends are constantly evolving and we revisit and reimaging previous styles. A key example of that is the 80/90’s Memphis aesthetic back in full swing. The clothes I was wearing as a teen back in the early 90’s is “new” again to this generation of teens. When I was in design school web design wasn’t a thing yet. Now when I design branding and think of expansion of a brand it isn’t just for a letterhead, packaging or signage. I have to think about everything from motion graphics, web, app icons, social media, print collateral and advertising, right down to the tiny favicon on their website. Educating and practicing in this industry is forever being a design student, willing and wanting to learn.
Q: What’s some advice you have for beginner graphic designers?
A: Some advice:
1. Don’t be so hard on yourself. There is a lot we can’t control in the world, but how we treat ourselves is something we do have control over.
2. Be confident and always be willing to learn.
3. There will always be someone that is better at what you do. Don’t be discouraged by it, use it as inspiration & motivation. Identify ways you can improve while still being you, and do your best.
4. Show up! Prepared, passionate, and on time.
5. Diversify your portfolio… vary up your color palettes, fonts, aesthetic, deliverables and target audience. Don’t pigeonhole yourself.
6. Be open to constructive criticism and don’t take it personally.
7. You will learn more from your perceived failures than your successes. Trust me.
8. Let go of absolute perfection. Embrace the motto of “imperfectly, perfect.”
Q: Some of your work has a social justice aspect to it, what kind of impact do you hope your work has?
A: I’ve often found myself designing in response to current global events. Some people write and that’s how they process their emotions, design is my version of that. Many of my projects are my personal responses to global and societal issues. I would hope that if it does anything, it sparks a thought or conversation and is relatable to many that potentially feel like they are alone in their feelings.
Q: What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve done?
A: I truly loved working on the two beer label designs for the Rejects Beer & Potter League collaboration. The most meaningful projects are ones that I’ve done pro bono for animal organizations. It’s rewarding to know that my designs are raising funds to help rescue animals. It’s so important for me to design for social impact whenever possible.
Read more installments from our Living the Life series, spotlighting people and happenings around town.
