Alumni Award News

“I don’t miss working in the rat race,” said Kate Berry over coffee at an eclectic eatery called Lil’s in downtown Kittery. After studying graphic design and photography at Endicott College, she worked for Sail Magazine in Boston, then a couple of creative agencies in Portsmouth, filling a variety of roles in the corporate world. The pay was good, but the stress was high.

Two years ago she decided to set off on her own, establishing Kate Berry Design. The career shakeup was an effort to regain balance. “My quality of life is so much better,” she said. She tackles everything from website design to branding, logos, brochures, and annual reports, but has made more time to walk her dog, travel, and take art classes like modern calligraphy.

Kate admitted that it was a “huge leap of faith” and “extremely scary” to venture off on her own. She’s had to learn everything about running a business and has delegated tasks that go beyond her capabilities to other professionals, but she values having control over the quality of the end product. 

When Kate attended Thornton Academy there weren’t the many offerings in graphic design that there are today in the Technology &​ New Media Department, but by taking several drawing classes in the Art Department, she learned the fundamentals of design, which continue to affect her work every day. View her portfolio at: http://www.kateberrydesign.com.