As a child of a U.S. Marine, Kieran Ash moved every few years. But one constant in their life was drawing. “My parents still have drawings from when I was little,” they recall. “I got in trouble in school for drawing on my skin.”
Along with painting and screen printing, drawing allowed Ash to channel the restlessness they felt into something constructive. That early passion eventually led them to the University of South Carolina’s School of Visual Art and Design, where they earned a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in graphic design. Now, Ash uses their skills as a designer to highlight wildlife conservation with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
As lead graphic designer at SCDNR, Ash credits SVAD and design professor Stephanie Nace for shaping their creative identity and preparing them for a career in public service. “She’s the reason I have a job,” Ash says. “She told me, ‘You would thrive there,’ and she was right.”
From designing drought preparedness guides to overseeing a full rebranding of the Heritage Trust Annual Report, their work balances beauty with purpose. “I love making the information look gorgeous,” Ash says of the eye-catching annual report they designed. “It’s our way of showing lawmakers what their funding preserves—and why it matters.”
A collage project in one of their first design classes with art professor Marius Valdes helped Ash find their artistic voice. “I fell in love with the artform,” Ash says. “We clipped pieces from magazines to describe ourselves. Growing up moving all the time, so much of that project was showing the restlessness of life.”
Ash’s SVAD training continues to guide their day-to-day work, especially when it comes to designing booklet layouts and storytelling. “That’s what I enjoy the most. I love working with an internal grid system. It’s deeply satisfying when it works across a whole document.”
Trying out different artistic techniques and mediums during their time in SVAD helped Ash find where their passion and talent overlapped. They hope future art students will explore as widely as they did.
“Try screen printing, pottery, even marketing classes,” Ash says. “Talk to professors, classmates, business majors—everyone. You have to do stuff you don’t like sometimes, but that experience helps you figure out what you do love.”
“I want someone to know, ‘I can do this too.’ Find your ‘why.’ Find what you love and do it.”