Illustrator and graphic designer specializing in iconic visual systems, large-scale environmental graphics, branding-adjacent illustration, and contemporary graphic storytelling. My work is known for emotionally resonant imagery, strong conceptual thinking, and scalable illustration systems adaptable across environmental graphics, product design, animation styling, and destination-based merchandise.…

Kirsten Ulve

PRO

Illustrator and graphic designer specializing in iconic visual systems, large-scale environmental graphics, branding-adjacent illustration, and contemporary graphic storytelling. My work is known for emotionally resonant imagery, strong conceptual thinking, and scalable illustration systems adaptable across environmental graphics, product design, animation styling, and destination-based merchandise.…

Available to hire

Illustrator and graphic designer specializing in iconic visual systems, large-scale environmental graphics, branding-adjacent illustration, and contemporary graphic storytelling.

My work is known for emotionally resonant imagery, strong conceptual thinking, and scalable illustration systems adaptable across environmental graphics, product design, animation styling, and destination-based merchandise.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Illustrator, owner at Kirsten Ulve Illustration
July 15, 1998 - Present
Illustrator, designer, and owner
Designer/Illustrator at Hasbro
January 1, 2004 - Present
Designer/illustrator for Littlest Pet Shop, Mall Madness, and additional game and animation properties.
Designer at USPS
January 1, 2020 - Present
Designed Holiday Delights Forever Stamps for national release.
Illustrator/Artist at Meliá Hotels International
January 1, 2019 - Present
Created large-scale NYC themed artwork installations for hotel interiors and participated in the Hero Artist program across Europe.
Illustrator at La Poste France
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2023
Developed national Christmas campaign including stamps, packaging, posters, and animation styling.
Designer at ITC Mall Shanghai
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2023
Designed oversized decorative rabbit sculptures for an interactive Year of the Rabbit installation.
Illustrator at Underground / Reliable Grid Project
January 1, 2026 - Present
Created illustrated visual systems and animation keyframes for a large-scale infrastructure campaign.
Illustrator at Live Nation / Brooklyn Paramount Theater
January 1, 2024 - Present
Created large-scale caricature portraits for the redesigned theater interiors.
Illustrator at Wynn Las Vegas
January 1, 2024 - Present
Illustrated retail fashion campaign featuring animated indoor/outdoor billboards.
Mural Designer/Illustrator at LaserAway
January 1, 2024 - Present
Designed custom large-scale mural installations for multiple clinic locations including Hoboken, Houston, and NYC.
Storyboard Artist at Moderna SpikeVax
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2022
Storyboarded and styled animated MOA campaign for the SpikeVax vaccine.
Designer at Dufry / Hudson
January 1, 2022 - Present
Created ongoing destination-themed illustration systems for airport retail products and merchandise collections across domestic and international locations including NYC, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Perth, Bali, and India.
Artist at Livingston Hotel Brooklyn
January 1, 2026 - Present
Created large-scale Liberty installation for boutique hospitality interior.

Education

BFA Drawing; BA Graphic Design at University of Iowa
January 11, 2030 - May 27, 2026

Qualifications

26 years of professional, full time experience as a freelance Illustrator
July 30, 2024
I've worked with a very broad range of international clientele over the years on an equally broad range of projects: advertising campaigns, product design, fashion and beauty illustration, caricature and portraiture.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Travel & Hospitality, Non-Profit Organization, Education, Professional Services, Other
    Public Awareness Campaign — HelpWanted Netherlands
    Public awareness poster campaign created for HelpWanted in the Netherlands, developed to address online image sharing and digital consent awareness. The series combines bold character-driven storytelling, integrated typography, and contemporary graphic reduction across a system of large-scale public posters and digital applications. Developed as part of a nationwide awareness initiative for Dutch audiences. Created using vector illustration, custom lettering, and modular visual design principles to support scalable campaign deployment across multiple formats. graphicdesign campaigndesign posterdesign visualidentity typography vectorillustration editorialillustration publicart environmentalgraphics motiondesign branding graphicart contemporaryillustration illustrationartists artdirection visualcommunication characterdesign dutchdesign netherlandsdesign kirstenulve…
    Liberty — Large-Scale Hospitality Mural
    Large-scale environmental mural created for the Livingston Hotel in Brooklyn, New York. Developed as a contemporary reinterpretation of the Statue of Liberty, the piece was designed to integrate with the hotel’s industrial architecture and communal lounge spaces through bold graphic reduction, symbolic form, and monochromatic texture. Originally developed for hospitality interiors as part of an ongoing series of large-scale environmental graphics for New York hotel properties.…
    Workbook Cover Illustration
    Cover illustration created for Workbook, the premier commercial art and illustration sourcebook. Combining fashion-influenced figure work, geometric composition, and bold contemporary color. workbook commercialillustration coverillustration fashionillustration editorialillustration graphicdesign vectorillustration publicationdesign artdirection branding contemporaryillustration illustrator…
    The Zodiac Room Series – Textile Wall Hanging
    The Zodiac Room Series is an ongoing collection of symbolic graphic works developed for hospitality, wellness, and interior environments, adapted across textile wall hangings, fine art prints, and decorative applications. hospitalitydesign textiledesign illustration wallhanging decorativeart surfacepatterndesign wellnessdesign interiordesign licensingart zodiacart…
    Times Square Hospitality Installation — Melia Hotels NYC
    Large-scale architectural illustration created for the lobby of Melia Hotels in New York City. This hospitality installation reimagines Times Square through geometric signage, urban rhythm, and contemporary environmental graphics designed for immersive public interiors.…
    The Big Apple
    Contemporary architectural portrait of New York City created for Meliá Hotels International. Originally developed for large-scale hospitality interiors as part of the brand’s international “Hero Artist” series. illustration graphicdesign hospitalitydesign interiordesign travelillustration cityscape…
    Liberty – Landmark Edition
    Large-format architectural print created for hospitality interiors and installed at the Livingston Hotel (Hyatt, Brooklyn). A minimal graphic reinterpretation of the Statue of Liberty designed as a statement-scale environmental artwork for contemporary public spaces. hospitalitydesign environmentalgraphics publicart installationart wallart illustration architecturalillustration placemaking hoteldesign contemporaryart…
    Rainy Girls, NYC
    Fashion-inspired illustration created for Meliá Hotels International as part of the brand’s international “Hero Artist” campaign. Developed for hospitality guest rooms and interior environments, the piece combines graphic transparency, atmosphere, and contemporary lifestyle imagery in a bold editorial style. illustration fashionillustration editorialillustration artprint travelart graphicdesign boutiquehotel…
    Finger Lakes District — Brave Women Tourism Campaign
    Award-winning tourism campaign illustration created for the Finger Lakes region’s “Brave Women FLX” initiative. Developed across print, environmental graphics, digital animation, and promotional materials, the campaign combined regional storytelling, lifestyle imagery, and contemporary graphic design to celebrate women-led travel, culture, food, and outdoor experiences throughout the Finger Lakes district. tourismbranding destinationmarketing illustration graphicdesign campaigndesign motiondesign environmentalgraphics travelillustration branding hospitalitydesign visualidentity editorialillustration digitalillustration placemaking artdirection…
    Public Market Center — Seattle
    Illustration created for Dufry’s airport retail program, celebrating Seattle’s Public Market culture through layered environmental storytelling, local iconography, and placemaking-inspired design developed for large-scale travel and retail environments. Seattle PublicMarket Placemaking EnvironmentalGraphics DestinationBranding HospitalityDesign UrbanIllustration ArchitecturalIllustration TravelIllustration AirportDesign RetailDesign CityBranding ContemporaryIllustration Dufry KirstenUlve…
    Boston Harbor
    Contemporary illustration created for Dufry’s Boston retail and travel environments, blending architectural landmarks, maritime history, and local culture into a stylized destination portrait. illustration travelillustration hospitalitydesign destinationbranding environmentalgraphics wallart graphicdesign retaildesign…
    Queens, New York
    Destination illustration created for Dufry’s airport retail environments, capturing the cultural diversity, architecture, transit, and neighborhood energy of Queens through bold geometric composition and contemporary placemaking design. QueensNY NewYork DestinationBranding EnvironmentalGraphics Placemaking TravelIllustration UrbanIllustration ArchitecturalIllustration HospitalityDesign AirportDesign RetailDesign CityBranding ContemporaryIllustration Dufry KirstenUlve…