Hello and Welcome!
I am in my second year as a Master of Graphic Design Candidate at North Carolina State University. I received my undergraduate degree in Visual Communication Design at the University of Washington in 2007, and worked in Seattle for several years as an environmental, print, information, and web designer before deciding to return to school. As a grad student, I find myself more and more interested in design research. Getting to know, coming to deeply understand, and designing to help the end user is my ultimate goal, and I believe that this can be accomplished through empathetic and innovative research, both at the front end and throughout a project.
Therefore, my design philosophy is above all human- and activity-centered. I am constantly seeking to improve a user’s experience and help him or her move through an activity in a more intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable way. I take pride in my ability to create beautiful, pixel-perfect designs, but I think it’s more important to take a step back and gain a systems-level understanding of any project before beginning the design process. I believe that the role of designers is to be great problem solvers, collaborators and communicators—through writing, conversation, or visualization, digitally or in person.
Apart from design, I love being outside and being active. All the background images on the site are pictures I’ve taken on outdoor adventures.
Thank you for taking the time to look at my work! If you’d like to get in touch, please feel free to email me at ckohler [at] ncsu [dot] edu.