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Hello! I'm Kristen Protheroe, a Multimedia Designer from Wisconsin.
My work is inspired by the things that make the inner child laugh. Bright colors, object collages, and finding fun and comfort in the mundane things in life are common themes in my work. That being said, my entire wardrobe is full of dark colors and black jeans as far as the eye can see. It’s a duality of man situation, ya know?
When I’m not rotating the same 3D cube for hours or adjusting kerning on text, I find myself creating in other ways. I love drawing and painting traditionally and have recently tried getting into embroidering and crocheting. In a way to get away from screens for a bit, I have become a house plant collector and can be found at plant stores with my husband as we try to justify where we can add more plants to our collection.
Other facts about me:
- I became an ordained minister for funsies
- I was the only member of my high school chess club to never win a single game (I still don’t know how to play chess)
- I literally don’t know how to interact with cats
Resume
Programs and Skills
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere
Adobe InDesign
Storyboarder
Autodesk Maya
Substance Painter
Figma
Squarespace
Canva
Visual Studio Code
- Graphic Design
- Motion Design
- Image Editing
- Video Editing
- HTML5 / CSS
- Web Design
- Compositing
3D Modeling
3D Animation
Rigging
Social Media Marketing
Email Marketing
UI Design
Wireframing
Education
University of Wisconsin – Stout
Master of Fine Arts in Design
September 2024-Present
Menomonie, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin – Stout
Bachelor of Fine Art,
Entertainment Design – Animation
Art History Minor
September 2014 – May 2020
Menomonie, Wisconsin
Magna Cum Laude
Experience
Marketing Designer
Joyosity Creative Space
Create print materials, including flyers, posters, handouts, handbooks, and tri-fold brochures to promote classes, camps, and special events.
Maintain and update the company website with new information, ensuring an engaging and user-friendly experience for families.
Manage social media accounts, designing and posting promotional content to highlight upcoming programs and seasonal events.
Develop cohesive branding across digital and print materials to enhance visibility and community engagement.
Collaborate with instructors and administrators to ensure marketing materials effectively communicate program offerings.
January 2025 – Present
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Graduate Assistant
University of Wisconsin- Stout
Assist in troubleshooting and demonstrating introductory web design, coding, and UX/UI concepts to undergraduate students
Monitor classroom during lectures, allowing the professor to continue teaching while still helping students
Provide constructive criticism during process critiques to help lead students towards strong design decisions
- Classes: DES 325 Introduction to Web Design, DES 370 Advanced UX Design
January 2025 – Present
Menomonie, Wisconsin
Instructor
University of Wisconsin- Stout
- Instructed undergraduate students in the School of Art and Design in the fundamentals of visual storytelling and storyboarding within the design curriculum.
- Developed and deliver lectures on narrative structure, camera angles, character development, and visual storytelling techniques.
- Guided students through hands-on exercises and projects, fostering creativity and practical application of theoretical concepts.
- Collaborated with a mentor professor to refine teaching methods, curriculum design, and classroom management.
- Provided constructive feedback on student work, focusing on enhancing their visual narrative and storyboarding skills.
August 2024 – December 2024
Menomonie, Wisconsin
Freelance Graphic Designer
Joyosity Creative Space
- Collaborated with the company owner to create a unique and engaging branding strategy that captured the playful and creative experience of an art-focused creative space.
- Developed a comprehensive brand identity system, including accessible fonts, vibrant colors, hand-drawn graphics, logos, and patterns, and a versatile logo suite, ensuring consistent and cohesive visuals across all platforms.
- Designed and launched a user-friendly website, optimizing it for mobile and desktop use while adhering to WCAG and SEO best practices to enhance accessibility and searchability.
- Conceptualized and produced a range of marketing materials, including posters, tri-folds, banners, and emails, providing the company with versatile templates for ongoing promotional efforts.
- Infused the brand with elements that fostered a joyful and engaging environment, resonating with families and students from all skill levels and experiences, and reinforcing the company’s mission of making art accessible and fun for everyone.
July 2024 – January 2025
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Freelance Graphic Designer
Mosaic Creative Studios
- Partnered with another designer to craft a distinctive branding strategy, elevating the company’s visual identity to stand out in the market of performing arts centers.
- Established a comprehensive design system for the company, ensuring consistency across all design materials and facilitating future design needs.
- Conceptualized and executed a new set of logos, curated a font list, defined brand colors, and developed graphic elements that resonate with the vibrant and inclusive spirit of the company, fostering unity among students from diverse backgrounds.
- Designed and developed a user-friendly website on Squarespace, incorporating SEO best practices and mobile optimization to enhance the registration experience for both families and students.
- Animated motion graphic end slate of the logo to an originally composed song to ensure unique but consistent branding for video content.
- Utilized branding across print and digital media for marketing purposes including social media banners, flyers, apparel, and marketing emails.
December 2023 – Present
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Digital Media & Marketing Specialist
Brio Studios
- Produced eye-catching graphics for email newsletters, department websites, digital marketing campaigns, while curating printed course and promotional materials, leading to heightened engagement and brand visibility.
- Collaborated closely with department leaders to conceptualize and produce original digital assets tailored to their specific marketing needs, driving brand consistency and messaging effectiveness.
- Maintained webpages for new events and classes, optimizing SEO strategies to boost page views (4k+ views/month) and drive new enrollments while focusing on mobile optimization.
- Edited compelling highlight videos and promotional materials for studio events and achievements, contributing to increased brand awareness and customer loyalty.
- Ensured brand coherence across diverse platforms by adhering to company design guidelines, guaranteeing a cohesive visual identity.
- Crafted dynamic social media strategies using Facebook and Instagram to achieve diverse marketing objectives across different departments, resulting in improved social media feed and consistency in feed appearance.
- Established an end-to-end workflow for apparel lines, creating trendy designs and ensuring ease of production, while also designing user-friendly online store pages for easy customer access and purchases.
November 2022 – October 2023
Brookfield, Wisconsin
3D Artist & Graphic Designer
Hey Hello Candle Co. LLC
- Orchestrated end-to-end product design processes, overseeing every stage from concept inception to final execution, resulting in successful monthly new product launches.
- Crafted captivating graphics for marketing campaigns, social media platforms, and packaging materials, creating a cohesive and captivating branding that resonated with target customers.
- Garnered recognition for innovative design concepts, consistently delivering high-quality results that delighted customers, as evidenced by a stream of positive reviews and accolades, including recognition from BuzzFeed.
- Pioneered design excellence by actively researching and incorporating the latest trends in home decor and graphic design, ensuring our candles remained distinctive focal points in diverse home environments.
- Transformed initial 2D design concepts into intricate 3D models, leveraging Autodesk Maya, to facilitate the production of candle molds. Adhered rigorously to design guidelines and navigated production constraints, including size, shape, and material limitations, resulting in flawlessly realized products.
February 2021 – October 2022
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Freelance Graphic Designer
Self Employed – Part Time
- Leveraged Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to consistently deliver high-quality work for clients under tight schedules, meeting their diverse needs.
- Collaborated closely with clients to define project scopes, establish creative directions, and set realistic timelines, ensuring clear communication and alignment throughout.
- Produced a wide range of creative assets including event posters, t-shirt designs, flyers, signage, and social media branding.
- Seamlessly transitioned designs from print to online formats, ensuring visual consistency across both mediums.
- Provided production-ready graphics that met precise client specifications.
- Demonstrated a keen attention to detail by skillfully editing and enhancing photographs, catering to clients’ personal and promotional requirements.
January 2014 – December 2018
Remote
Awards
Shortlist
Illustration “School of Education” made the shortlist for the Communication Arts Illustration Awards.
February 2025
Communication Arts Illustration Awards
President’s Honor List
The President’s Honor List is a distinction given to students who complete at least 12 credits in the fall or spring semester and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or above, based on a 4.0 scale.
May 2022
Waukesha County Technical College
Featured Artist
Featured as one of Creatively’s “13 3D Artist You Need to Know” for April 2022 alongside other talented 3D animators, concept artists, and VFX artists.
April 2022
Creatively
Dean’s List
The Dean’s List recognizes undergraduate students who complete a minimum of 12 undergraduate GPA-affecting credits with a 3.5 or higher grade point average for the Fall and Spring terms.
December 2014 – December 2019
University of Wisconsin – Stout
UW-Stout Best In Design – Exhibitor
Biannual juried Best of Design exhibit featured work from more than 30 students across all programs in the department of design, showcasing industrial design, interior design, graphic design, interactive media, animation and cinema.
May 2019
University of Wisconsin – Stout
Fabric Without Fabric – Best in Show
Annual design competition where artists must create wearable sculpture based around a theme using every material but fabric. Winner awarded $1,000 scholarship. Won with piece “Ah Honey, Honey” based around conservation and study of honeybees.
May 2017
University of Wisconsin – Stout
Dagny Midelfort Award for Russian Studies
Highest honor award that can be bestowed to a student of Foreign Language at UW- Eau Claire. Awarded for displaying excellence in comprehension and involvement in studying the Russian language.
May 2016
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
Articles
Certificates
Interaction Design Foundation:
Visual Design – The Ultimate Guide
Instructors: R. Roger Remington, Arielle Eckstut, Joan Eckstut, Mia Cinelli, Ellen Lupton, Kimberly Elam (IDF)
Udemy:
Web Accessibility Training Course – WCAG 2.1 Compliance
Instructor: Jim Byrne
After Effects – Motion Graphics & Data Visualization
Instructor: Daniel Walter Scott
Instructor: Daniel Walter Scott
Graphic Design Masterclass – Learn GREAT Design
Instructor: Lindsay Marsh
Complete Web Design: From Figma to Webflow to Freelancing
Instructor: Vako Shvili
After Effects Motion Graphics Beast
Instructor: Alan Ayoubi
Involvement
Member
Menomonee Falls Art Guild
January 2023 – May 2024
Program Advisory Board Member
UW – Stout
May 2019 – December 2019
Mentor
Mentor Collective
June 2018 – January 2019
Member
SIGGRAPH (UW – Stout Chapter)
September 2017 – May 2018
Vice President
Stout Film Society
January 2016 – June 2016
Executive Board Member
Stout Film Society
February 2015 – June 2016
