Art direction and creative strategy for campaigns, brand systems, social media, environmental graphics, and product experiences—from initial concept through final execution.
Design expertise in branding, typography, logo design, layout, packaging, publication design, surface design, presentation design, signage, collateral, and branded merchandise.
Expert-level Adobe Creative Cloud skills, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere Pro, plus working knowledge of web design and coding.
Publications and editorial systems for print and digital—from magazines, reports, guides, and brand standards to templates and content-rich marketing materials. Kira brings structure, hierarchy, and visual clarity to complex information.
Photography and image direction for products, campaigns, presentations, and social content.
Case studies are added periodically to this website. Here are just a few:
Customizable Ad Templates for Franchisees
Editorial System & Publication Design for Ellie Live Authentically Magazine
What Kira Can Do for You
Minneapolis College of Art and Design Graduate
Kira Olson graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a major in graphic design in May 2020. Kira is passionate about graphic design and cultivates growth through creative problem-solving with a focus on sustainable design. Her graphic design concentration includes product development, branding, packaging, surface design, social media assets, web design, and motion graphics.
Work Experience
Senior Designer at Ellie Mental Health
In her contract role as Senior Designer at Ellie Mental Health, Kira leads visual strategy and creative execution across digital, social, and print. In partnership with Ellie Mental Health’s Chief Creative Director, she helped evolve and implement the company’s rebrand, translating the new identity into cohesive visual systems across campaigns, publications, franchise communications, branded merchandise, events, and customer-facing experiences for more than 500 locations. From concept through production, she collaborates with marketing, content, and production teams to shape multi-channel campaigns that bring the brand story to life and connect meaningfully with audiences.
Responsibilities
• Partnered with the Chief Creative Director to evolve and implement a company-wide rebrand across more than 500 franchise locations.
• Designed high-impact, brand-aligned social content that boosted engagement and strengthened the company’s online presence.
• Crafted compelling marketing designs that elevated brand recognition and supported successful campaigns.
• Developed distinctive merchandise that deepened audience connections and reinforced brand identity.
• Produced the company’s in-house magazine with dynamic layouts and visuals, increasing reader engagement.
• Created compelling ads for both digital and print platforms, expanding reach and delivering measurable results.
• Delivered visually striking event collateral that amplified brand visibility and professionalism.
• Designed custom web graphics that enhanced user experience, strengthened brand consistency, and increased site engagement.
• Provided localized, on-brand marketing solutions that empowered franchisees to engage their markets effectively.
• Ensured flawless production by delivering precise, print-ready and digital-ready design files.
Studio Designer at BBDO Minneapolis
Projects include digital design, website design, brand book design, print advertisements, animated GIFs, social media styling, photo editing, photo manipulation, production design, merchandise (stickers, beverage packaging, tote bags, recipe cards, pins)
Responsibilities:
• Create/produce the final design of a wide range of communications, including print advertising, digital, collateral, comps, and presentations.
• Design brand books, print ads, and social media assets
• Follow creative brief guidelines and design branded typography and layout
• Collaborate closely with art directors, designers, and developers as well as other team members throughout the agency to deliver high-quality work for a wide range of clients.
• Prepare final, press-ready files (including print, online, web, and mobile applications) based on supplied specifications for several types of production.
• Digitally manipulate, enhance, and resize photographs and images for comps, ads, and artwork.
• Create files for client review and electronically deliver/upload artwork for final reproduction and web usage.
• Review files before releasing/delivering to ensure adherence to the standards of the agency, clients, and vendors.
Senior Designer at Snack Shack — Freelance
Senior design partnership with Snack Shack, a Minneapolis-based marketing agency helping brands identify niche audiences.
Testimonials
“Kira was a pleasure to work with at BBDO MPLS. She always asked great questions to get a better understanding of a projects needs to deliver everything right, she consistently had a positive attitude, and was simply fun to spend time with. I highly recommend her for any of your design or production needs as she can tackle them with aplomb.”
“I really appreciated Kira’s knowledge of current design and social media technology as they can be used by nonprofits. She developed some fresh new designs for us that we can use moving forward for print and social media materials”
“Kira was in two of my courses at MCAD and I found her to be dedicated to learning and growing as a graphic designer and creative collaborator. She is a thoughtful and thorough researcher, excellent team member, and good communicator. Kira will be a tremendous asset to any employer or project team.”
Case studies
Case studies are added periodically to this website. Here are just a few:
Ellie Rebrand
Ellie National Conference
Customizable Ad Templates for Franchisees
Publication Design for Ellie Live Authentically Magazine
Home Soft Goods & Surface Pattern Design
Kira designs seamless repeats, colorways, and production-ready concepts for bedding, pillows, rugs, and other home. (Password-protected surface pattern library available upon request.)
Kira created a twelve-part series of negative space animal silhouettes to explore shape, contrast, and repeatable visual systems. The collection is shown in both vivid color-blocked palettes and pared-back neutral treatments, demonstrating how a single concept can flex across different moods, interiors, and soft goods applications. Details on this series are available on request via her contact page.
Prints available upon request.
Negative-space animal prints in bold colorways, designed as a coordinated set with playful, graphic energy.
Prints available upon request.
The same series translated into a neutral palette, showing how the concept adapts to more minimal home and lifestyle settings.
Clients
You can contact Kira via her contact page.
CV available upon request.