A few questions with Krystal Duke Keller '14, Senior Designer at Pittsburgh's Moxie.

Why did you choose Susquehanna and the graphic design program? 

I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school. I liked art, but all I heard from adults was that I’d never make any money as an artist. I thought about becoming an art teacher, but my high school guidance counselor recommended marketing as a good option based on my interests. I grew up in Selinsgrove, so I was able to sit in on a marketing class at Susquehanna to see what it would be like. It wasn’t for me—I wanted to roll up my sleeves and make things! During the spring of my senior year, I learned that graphic designers were making the kinds of things that I wanted to make. I attended Susquehanna’s spring accepted students day and sat in on a presentation by Mark Fertig. The projector turned on, the lights went off, and Mark explained to the group exactly what graphic designers do and showed slides of all the things I was excited about. I had applied to graphic design programs at ten different schools, but it was then that I knew that Susquehanna was where I needed to be.

What are your favorite SU memories? 

Everyone says this—but late nights in the lab. The best part about being a graphic design major at Susquehanna is spending so much time in the lab with your class, along with the students in the classes ahead of and behind you.

As a commuter I didn’t live on campus, but I loved working in the lab. When big project due dates were approaching, everyone in my group would meet in the lab each night and work together to finish our projects. While we were waiting for our turn at the printer, we’d go grab food together. Our professors even joined us for a trip to Denny’s once or twice. We also had graphic design kick ball on Smith field a few times — we weren’t the most athletic students…

You were raised in Selinsgrove but relocated to Pittsburgh immediately after graduation. How did your job search go? Were you prepared to be a designer in the “big city”? 

Ha, I’d hardly call Pittsburgh a big city! But yeah, I was prepared. Finding your first job isn’t easy; you have to work at it. My first art director and I are still good friends. He was very impressed that I was able to dive right into real-world projects with little oversight—and said that was rare in a new graduate. The program at SU covers a wide variety of projects, so I had experience and was comfortable with just about everything they threw at me. And the speed at which we did class assignments was on par with how quickly my first job moved.

What do you enjoy most about your current job at Moxie? 

One of the things that’s unique about my role at Moxie is that I get to work with people from different cities every day. My team in Pittsburgh works primarily on Smucker Pet brands and packaging. But I also collaborate with teams in New York and Atlanta that work on different accounts like Smucker Coffee; most recently I’ve done work for Jif peanut butter.

The Pittsburgh design scene is pretty small compared to New York and Philadelphia, but I love that I’m meeting and working directly with people in those cities. I’m learning a ton and making a lot of really great connections that will be valuable as I progress in my career.

What’s it like being a designer during a pandemic? How do you think your company and the design industry are coping? 

It has been wild! I started at Moxie in March 2020—on the same day the company went into mandatory work from home. I haven’t yet worked in the office with my team! There’s a sense of normalcy to working from my dining room table now, but at first it was really hard. I had to figure a lot of things out on my own, and it could be chaotic while the various teams all learned new processes and ways of working together from different geographic locations.

We have things down to a science now. The team has settled into working from home and embraced change really well. When we finally do return to the office, it may not be with a 9-5, Monday through Friday, “butts in seats” mentality—we’ll have a lot more flexibility in choosing when to be in the office. Everyone is doing great work and many of us are happier without the long commutes to and from the city, myself included.

I do have concerns that new designers are missing out on important experiences by not being in a physical office space. There are so many things you can learn from watching the other designers on your team work. I’ve learned things so many new things from watching other people work and saying “hey, wait… what did you do there?” You can’t do that when you’re in a Zoom meeting together. It’s just not the same. While I’m excited about the flexibility that working from home offers, part of me can’t wait to get back to the office as soon as it’s safe to do so.

You have a passion for graphic design that few can match. What are some of some of the ways you engage with design outside of your full-time job?

I do have a hard time turning off my design passion! I’ve gotten involved with Pittsburgh’s AIGA chapter—I love reviewing collegiate design portfolios and I even had the chance to organize a student design competition. I’m also a very entrepreneurial person: after graduation I started designing and selling hand-lettered t-shirts for a local Pittsburgh company, Cotton Bureau. I also started a small stationery business, creating wedding invitations. But man, brides can be tough to work with! Most recently, my husband and I started a new business selling cloth diapers. I know, I know… it doesn’t sound glamorous, but I have full creative control over every aspect of the business. I illustrate the prints for the fabric, create the social media posts, web graphics, and all of the packaging. It’s given me the opportunity to improve my illustration work and try new styles away from the constraints of the office. The cloth diapering community has been really receptive to us too. There are other small family businesses selling similar products, but my illustrations are something that sets us apart.