Tower-Winter-2018

WINTER 2018 | TOWER 15 You never know where your Kutztown University education and degree may take you. The sky is the limit, it all depends on what your goals are, where you set your sights, and if you apply yourself. Just ask Lauren King ’08, Madison O’Neil ’13, Megan Blair ’13 and AustinWilliam Carlson ’12, all Communication Design graduates living and working in Denmark for the LEGO Group. Explains O’Neil, a graphic designer for the LEGO ® Star Wars ™ division for about a year now, “It is something special, working for a company that is so recognizable and beloved by lots of children and adult fans around the world. You feel like you’re part of a legacy.” THE LEGO ® MISSION Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen in Billund, Denmark, the privately held, family-owned business, now led by grandson Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, has grown from a small carpenter’s workshop to a modern, global enterprise built on the philosophy that ‘good quality play’ enriches a child’s life – and lays the foundation for later adult life. The building block mecca’s name came from a combined creation of two Danish words, “leg godt,” meaning “play well.” Today, the LEGO brand is present in children’s toy boxes, on movie screens, and has its own LEGOLAND theme park chain worldwide. For King, that her “work” is “play,” is a big part of the fun of the job. She explains, “I work with a group of incredibly talented people and look forward to going to work each day. I love collaborating with my colleagues to create the best sets possible. So, it really doesn’t feel like work!” The senior graphic designer, who first started working on LEGO Juniors projects, later moved to LEGO Friends work, creates graphics with fun details, illustrations and “Easter Eggs (aka: fun hidden details for fans)” for sets including Heartlake Surf Shop, Andrea’s Speedboat Transporter, the Sunshine Catamaran and more. They may just be toys her now five-month-old daughter, Gwendolyn, may play with in the not-too-distant future. While King’s position is hyper-focused, brand design specialist Megan Blair’s position is more broad-reaching and detail-oriented in a different way. Says the Greencastle, Pa. native, who carried a concentration in advertising and interactive design. “I look after how the LEGO brand is designed across a variety of experiences, ranging from ad campaigns to digital content to print materials. This also involves developing brand guidelines and manuals and educating colleagues and partners on how to portray our brand consistently. I often use my design background to consult on how the LEGO logo, minifigures or bricks are used on different touch points. These assets could be printed in package designs, animated in a game or app, or even built at a large scale like you might see in stores, event experiences or LEGOLAND parks.” HOW KU HELPED GET THEM THERE If you asked Blair how her KU education prepared her for her current position with the toy giant, she’d tell you it was, and is, crucial. “I probably use what I learned from the amazing professors in the KU Communication Design program every day. They trained me to understand what it takes to effectively visually communicate to any viewer. Having a solid foundation in technical skills has also been vital to be able to provide art direction and fully understand how design work is built (think print production, coding, creative software). And having Portfolio class was extremely helpful in getting the job itself.” Hanover resident, 28-year-old Carlson, even believes his KU education might have “over-prepared” him for his job as graphic designer for LEGO Minifigures Collectibles. “The Illustration major helped me hone some of my character design skills and the advertising design education really gave me the insight of aligning design and respecting it.” Carlson, has enjoyed work on many LEGO projects since starting with the company about five years ago, including time spent on THE LEGO MOVIE and THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, The Beatles Yellow Submarine, Disney, Jurassic World, creating the product line LEGO BrickHeadz and much more, including a 2 1 / 2 – year endeavor still yet to be released for the LEGO Minifigures Collectible Series. Madison O’Neil ’13