Hello, I’m Katherine Pearl—a hands-on art director and print designer with nearly two decades of experience shaping editorial and publication design. I trained in publishing design at Columbia University’s Journalism School and have led design and production for magazines, books, and corporate publications. My strengths are typographic systems, multi-page layout, visual hierarchy, and working closely with printers on specs, materials, and color accuracy. I’ve directed teams, crafted a published illustrated coffee-table book, and built reusable InDesign templates to keep high-volume production fast and consistent.

Katherine Pearl

Hello, I’m Katherine Pearl—a hands-on art director and print designer with nearly two decades of experience shaping editorial and publication design. I trained in publishing design at Columbia University’s Journalism School and have led design and production for magazines, books, and corporate publications. My strengths are typographic systems, multi-page layout, visual hierarchy, and working closely with printers on specs, materials, and color accuracy. I’ve directed teams, crafted a published illustrated coffee-table book, and built reusable InDesign templates to keep high-volume production fast and consistent.

Available to hire

Hello, I’m Katherine Pearl—a hands-on art director and print designer with nearly two decades of experience shaping editorial and publication design. I trained in publishing design at Columbia University’s Journalism School and have led design and production for magazines, books, and corporate publications.

My strengths are typographic systems, multi-page layout, visual hierarchy, and working closely with printers on specs, materials, and color accuracy. I’ve directed teams, crafted a published illustrated coffee-table book, and built reusable InDesign templates to keep high-volume production fast and consistent.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Beginner
Beginner
Beginner
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Freelance & Contract Designer at Self-employed / Freelance
January 1, 2008 - November 18, 2025
Developed and executed multi-channel brand campaigns and design systems for high-profile clients including Dr. Seuss, Epson, Elsevier, Aon, BigCommerce, Playbill, Klaviyo, and Mamma Mia. Designed digital and print assets (eBooks, reports, infographics, presentation decks, and marketing collateral) translating complex strategy into visually compelling communications. Created immersive experiential and merchandising campaigns across packaging, apparel, environmental graphics, and promotional items; notable projects include Broadway’s Mamma Mia! merchandise and The Grinch Musical merchandising program. Partnered with internal teams, strategists, and vendors to ensure brand consistency, clarity, and production readiness across all channels. Applied typography, layout, hierarchy, and visual storytelling to build cohesive, audience-focused brand systems.
Lead Designer & Art Director at Rep Cap
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025
Sole print and editorial designer at a content marketing agency, responsible for all editorial and publication design across a roster of clients. Led concept development, cover design, feature spreads, typography systems, pacing, and visual narrative for Thread Magazine; designed multi-page corporate reports, investor surveys, and conference guides for Aon; built scalable InDesign templates with master pages, style sheets, and modular components.
Freelance Art Director & Designer at Freelance
January 1, 2017 - Present
Art directed and designed a 24-page illustrated coffee-table book for Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical; directed book cover design and long-form publication design for Elsevier & Epson; built reusable InDesign templates and delivered press-ready files.
Art Director at MediaPost
January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2020
Led all design and print production for MediaPost’s portfolio of editorial publications. At peak, managed 20 issues per year across titles (≈64 pages each); developed typographic systems, master pages, grid structures, style sheets, and coordinated with printers for color management and file prep.
Marketing Designer at Book of the Month Club
January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2012
Coordinated monthly catalog production for five book clubs, collaborating across editorial, design, production, manufacturing, and sales.
Assistant Art Director at MediaPost
January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2011
Designed feature layouts and editorial spreads for three magazines; managed production scheduling across all three publications.

Education

Graduate program at Columbia University
August 24, 2007
Publishing design
Bachelor of Arts at Pomona College
May 13, 2007
Graduate at DesignLab
April 1, 2024
Web design
Graduate at General Assembly
June 12, 2017
HTML and CMS
BA at Pomona College
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
Publishing Graduate Program at Columbia University Journalism School
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
UI and HTML Courses at DesignLab & General Assembly
January 11, 2030 - November 18, 2025
Graduate Program in Publishing Design at Columbia University, Journalism School
January 11, 2030 - May 18, 2026
B.A. at Pomona College
January 11, 2030 - May 18, 2026

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Other, Consumer Goods, Retail
    paper Book covers

    Graphic design for print and ebook covers

    paper Aon insurance company
    Print collateral, brochures, ebooks, slide decks and web ads. graphicdesigner print brochure ebook slides presentation display advertising pitchdeck infographic