ALTPICK.COM

"Oh, I get it!" is a response designer Terri Kasuba likes to hear from clients. That means they've been surprised, pleasantly. "I like to create concepts that are not expected for the subject," Kasuba says. "Doing the research before I start working gives me some ideas that aren't as obvious." Exhibit A: The candy shot glasses she designed for Urban Outfitters. "By referencing vintage candy packaging, I differentiated them from candy you find for sale today. I took that retro looking art work and made the characters do things one normally wouldn't see, like the drunken elves in the Christmas version."

After graduating from Tyler School of Art in her home state of Pennsylvania, Kasuba was recruited by Hallmark Cards, where she spent time honing her craft at the company headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. "Hallmark," she recalls, "was like a Disneyland for artists because they have so many resources and they really encourage you to illustrate."

Becoming a designer, however, wasn't always in the cards for Kasuba. Prior to attending Tyler, she got a degree in marketing from Villanova. Thinking she lacked an ability to draw, she began her career as an account executive for an ad agency. "I didn't enjoy my job. I found myself gravitating towards the creative side of the agency." Still on the fence about her talent, she decided to study graphic design at Tyler, figuring it would still involve art but she wouldn't be required to draw. But with some encouragement from her professors, Kasuba discovered she loved creating illustrations as well as designing.

Kasuba work has been featured in Inside and Outside, Seventeen magazine, Best of Business Card Design, and Accessories magazine, which awarded her Best Nostalgic Press Kit featuring Star 50 Handbags. Other clients include: Spencer Gifts, Claire's, Workhorse Visual, and Jaunty Handbags. Kasuba's most recent venture is ADHDesign, a company she started with two fellow designers that sells apparel and accessories with original graphics. "It's an outlet for me to create whatever I want with no restrictions," she says. With degrees in both art and marketing, one thing is clear: she gets it.

Kasuba spoke to altpick.com from her Pennsylvania studio.

You talked about wanted to be a graphic designer and not being able to draw. What pulled you to art?
I was always somewhat artistic. I wasn't into sports or anything like that and when I went to high school I always took art classes. I never considered myself good enough to do that. Or maybe it was that I wouldn't even know what to do with a degree in art. I wasn't even aware of what graphic design was at that time. I went to college for business at Villanova. I only took art history classes there.

What was your first break as a freelancer?
My first freelance assignment, where I thought that maybe I can do this on my own for a living, was when Andrews McMeel Publishing called me to do a book cover. This was the first job where I didn't have an existing relationship and they were going to pay me some real money.

How did they find you?
Just from sending out postcards.

How would you define your style?
Cute with an edge. I like to incorporate some humor in the details of my illustrations if I can, so when the viewer looks closer they see another dimension.

How has your marketing degree helped you with your design work?
I have a better understanding of my client's point of view. I ask a lot of marketing related questions to get to the core of what the client wants to portray.

When you get a project from clients what is the first thing you do?
Usually, I try to get as much information out of them as possible: Who is it going to be sold to, and what do they have in mind? I want to make sure I give them what they want because it is commercial art they are paying me to do, something that isn't my own venture. I try to do something that is strictly their idea, then I do something that is strictly my idea if I think it is better. Then maybe I'll include a third idea. If they have a clear idea of what they want, I'll give them that. And I also try to give my own idea, particularly if they don't know my work.

You took a leap of faith in your career and it turned out to be the right choice. What advice would you give to someone starting out?
The first thing I would tell someone is to love what you do for a living. It makes life so much easier. Second, anyone starting in the design and/or illustration field should pursue the kind of work they want to do. The work you do today dictates the work you will get in the future. It is so easy to get pigeon-holed in this field. If you've been doing bank brochures it is very hard to start doing toy packaging or vice versa.

- Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland