About

Kim Berkley is a jack of many art trades based out of the Seattle area, finding her footing in the art world wherever that shoe may fit. She is a graphic designer, illustrator, sign painter, oil painter, and general visual enthusiast, who just seems to find herself happy where attractive things exist or have the possibility of being.

C R E A T I V E   P H I L O S O P H Y 

I view all art as a form of communication that has an amazing power to communicate faster and more emotionally than words, which is why the graphic arts have such an appeal for me. To me a logo should be able to describe to viewer the same words the client would use to describe their business. The cover of an album should look the way the music sounds. A package and a sign above a business should tell you something at first glance about what the experience your going to have with it's contents. 

Graphic design is not just about sticking attractive things on the outside of something to lure people to it, but about describing the product to the client in a way that allows them to find the right match for them. For this reason, listening to the client is such an important part of my creative process and the project meetings are one of my favorite things because I love the energy of collaboration and the anticipation of seeing a clients vision actualize into the product that embodies that vision. For me a project is not done until a client can say "this is what I would have made for myself, but better."

I love design and sign art because I love the idea of using my artistic and communication skills to help people make their dream a beautifully professional reality, which they can then use to help other people in what ever way their business does.  So feel free to email me and let me know what dreams you have for your business. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the exciting possibilities.

A R T I S T   B I O

Kim has been an artist her whole life as far as she can recall. One of those kids with persistent marker on the face and glitter in her hair who was never too far from a marking utensil. She began oil painting at the age of 15when she was fortunate to inherit a studio full of supplies from her late grandmother, and it was then that she discovered her true potential. It seemed from that point on a painter she had to be, so she set her sights on art school with the intention of becoming an illustrator.

In 2004 she moved to the quaint Norwegian themed Marine town of Poulsbo, WA on the Kitsap Peninsula to attend the small but intensive Northwest College of Art and Design. Here she acquired a very individualized and unique art education in a broad range of medias, while acquiring a deep respect for community from her tight knit, small town environment.

In 2007 she graduated NCA with a mixed major in Fine Art and Graphic Design and immediately launched into her design career as an intern, then as a Junior Designer for the small Seattle based marketing and branding firm Quesinberry and Associates. Here she gained a broad spectrum of knowledge about the design industry while also getting a chance to explore her skills as an illustrator. After a two year span, mostly designing for the food, travel and leisure industries, she began to develop her own travel bug and left to travel the world for an indeterminate amount of time supplied with only a backpack, meager funds and an ambitious sense of curiosity.

After spending 6 months in Europe (the rest of the world would have to wait) she returned home with a fresh set of ideas and goals, mostly relating to getting back to her roots in fine art. In the Spring of 2010 she moved into a studio on the fifth floor of the 619 building in Pioneer Square where she had the privilege of working amongst many talented artists and showing her work every first Thursday at Seattle's Pioneer Square Art Walk. All the while she honed her skills at framing and photo editing as a Photographer's Assistant at Bothell's Chapter's photography, where she learned to spot off color balance, attractive composition and unwanted subject matter like a pro.

In 2011she began working as a Visual Designer for the Mobile App development company Xhatch Interactive under director David Hoang, where she was introduced to the digital world of design, creating faces and features for websites, Iphone Apps and Ipad games.

Wanting to broaden her horizons, in 2013 she began working with several  staffing agencies to pick up contract design work. Through Creative Circle, she began working with Nordstrom in their Nordstrom Rack creative department designing In-store signage and promotions for the 2014 holiday season as a Production Designer, and in 2015 she joined the Outerwall creative department as a designer for their corporate brand and affiliated companies Coinstar, Redbox, EcoATM and Gazelle. 

In 2015 she started a sign painting collective called Ladies Who Letter with fellow artist Jess Bonin and Anna Lisa Notter. While LWL has been on hold for a bit with all members wrapped up in new projects, they still collaborate for large jobs and throw work between members when the project calls for it. 

Currently she is working for herself as a freelance graphic designer, and sign painter, and is available to take on projects of all sizes such as logos, business cards, store front signage, interior signage, print promotion, posters, invitations, albums, illustration, web faces and more. Send me your idea : I always welcome the opportunity to explore new fields and expand this list of capabilities.

Feel free to contact her at kimberkleyart@gmail.com with any questions or requests.

P A S T   C L I E N T S