This Graphic Design Alumna Brings Hollywood to Life
When Kelly Hine was a high school student looking at colleges, she was surprised when a counselor mentioned that she might want to consider Woodbury University. Not because Woodbury did not have what Kelly was looking for: a small, creative community, not far from the Pacific Palisades-native’s home. She was surprised because Kelly had never heard of Woodbury before.
She quickly went on a campus visit with her parents and it was love at first sight.
“It really struck me how intimate and charming it was.” Kelly said. “Being an image-focused person, this really resonated with me. It was beautiful. All of Woodbury’s wonderful aspects became clear to me then, and honestly, I felt at home immediately.”
Kelly began her journey at Woodbury as an Interior Architecture (now Interior Design) student but she found herself quickly drawn to Graphic Design. “I could never look away from those old fashion poster advertisements of the past,” Kelly said. “They absolutely drew me in. There was something special and challenging to me about telling a story in one frame. Once I took a movie poster design class, I was hooked on graphic design and I knew that I wanted it to be my career.”
Luckily, Kelly’s experience at Woodbury lived up to her first impression. She had the opportunity to work with a variety of faculty who helped nurture her love of design — from Rosemary West, who wrote a thoughtful recommendation that helped Kelly land her first job, to Dan Hoy who, as Kelly notes, ‘had a talent for teaching us how to make our inspirations sing,’ the faculty was a highlight of her experience. “My typography professor, Stephen Mondor, had an attention to the detail that opened my eyes to exactly how precise and mathematical graphic design could be,” Kelly said. “I will always remember him swooning over type design that ‘warmed his heart,’ which was a major compliment from him!”
Even beyond the Graphic Design department, Kelly had faculty at Woodbury who made a lasting impression. Dr. Phil Pack, who teaches biology and botany in the College of Liberal Arts, was one of them. His annual student trips to Yosemite National Park, which Kelly took part it, were notable. “These trips were some of the most memorable experiences I had at Woodbury,” she said. “I’ll never forget our night hikes to Yosemite Falls — our group crunching through the last of the season’s snow, guided by the moonlight. His tales of the trees and flowers, John Muir, and that community he created has inspired me to this day.”
After graduation, Kelly began working for a small sports medicine company, designing printed materials and packaging. About six months later, she landed a coveted internship at Kaleidoscope Creative Group, where she started to learn how to design movie posters. This was what Kelly was born to do.
“I eventually began to work at various agencies throughout Hollywood as an art director, which in my profession means that you do the art direction but you also build the art and come up with your own campaign ideas.” Kelly said.
So far, during her 14-year career, Kelly has done a remarkable amount of award-winning work for a wide range of entertainment companies, including ABC, Disney, HBO, Netflix, FX and Universal. She has directed talent and developed campaigns for countless motion pictures and television shows, including The Bachelorette, Designated Survivor, The Catch, Agent Carter and many more. She has also developed press kits for the TV series Mad Men, branding for the Billboard Music Awards and package design for the Emmy Awards. Her work has been honored by the Clio’s/Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards, the Promax Awards and Graphis Annual magazine.
And while the work is always challenging, for Kelly, she is living her dream. “My career, so far, has been incredible,” she said. “It’s not always as glamorous as it sounds, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”