Hey, I'm Kathie
I didn't always know what I was building.
I started in print, designing for some of the most acclaimed magazines in the industry, including seven years at ESPN The Magazine, where my work was published in the Type Directors Club's Typography 26 Annual and the Society of Publication Designers' Annuals. Turns out an obsessive love of typography is actually a superpower.
From there, I moved into healthcare marketing, six years of learning how to make people trust something deeply personal. That work earned Aster Awards and Healthcare Advertising honors, but more than that, it taught me how to write and design for people making decisions that actually matter to their wellbeing.
Then came kids' publishing. Six years at Bauer designing and building brand identities for magazines made for girls and young readers. Girls' World, Animal Tales and Bake It Up, along with Puzzle Fun and Coloring with Mommy. Designing for a five-year-old and a thirteen-year-old at the same time is harder than it sounds, and it taught me more about knowing exactly who you are talking to than any brief ever has.
Alongside all of it, my sister and I ran Paperkat Design, hand-drawing custom invitations and stationery for weddings and events. That's where the habit of drawing letterforms instead of setting them came from, and it's still how I build logos today.
Then the world went digital, so I went with it. Six years inside a nonprofit, building digital design and branding across web, video, and print. That's where I learned to build brands for screens, not just pages.
What I didn't realize was that every project was quietly leading me somewhere.
That love of type? It became a passion for creating thoughtful visual identities.
That editorial eye? It became brand strategy, storytelling, and helping businesses communicate what makes them different.
Every chapter had been preparing me for the work I do today: helping businesses uncover their story and build brands that connect with the people they are meant to serve.
The brand designer that understands wellness businesses
A health scare landed me in the hospital in 2017, and it was my body telling me something had to change.
After having my kids, I wasn't eating right, I wasn't moving the way I used to, and I knew it.
So I threw myself into a fitness and nutrition program, and eventually became a coach for it. I overhauled my habits, got into the best shape of my life, and built a real community along the way. I still meet up with those coaches every year for a girls' trip.
I'm no longer coaching, but that chapter changed me.
I still work out, eat balanced meals, focus on my mental health, practice self-care, and make time for myself because I know what happens when you don't.
So when a wellness client sits down with me and talks about wanting to build something people can trust, I understand it on a level that goes beyond design.
I've been the person making the change, building the community, and showing up for others while figuring it out myself.
Not just professionally, but personally.
Here's what makes it personal
The Non-Design Stuff
1
I'm a wife, mom of two boys, and full-time Bernedoodle wrangler to Jasper. Harley and Quinn, my cats, run the house. I'm also the one who reads nutrition labels, eats peanut butter straight from the jar, and drags everyone outside for our steps.
2
I'm a Disney-loving, superhero-obsessed, true-crime-documentary-addicted, newly converted anime fan (my son's doing), with Pink Floyd on repeat through all of it.
3
Fall is my favorite season, hands down: Halloween, birthday season for me and my son, our yearly family trip to Comic Con, and yes, I was pumpkin-spice-obsessed before it was trendy.
4
I have another baby, and her name is Large Marge. She's my sourdough starter; everything bagel seasoning is her favorite treat, and yes, I talk about her like that's normal. I also look forward to watching every single baking show that lives on the Food Network.
5
I went skydiving a couple of times, back when I had more nerve than I do now. These days, even a carousel makes me a little green.