MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
I’m Melissa Utykanski, a senior pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design, graduating in the Spring of 2024. Since I was very young, I’ve had a passion for the arts. I was a competitive dancer for over 12 years and continued dancing in college on the MSU Dance Team for three years. Alongside that, I always enjoyed making things with my hands. High school was where I really dove into drawing, painting, clay, and mediums alike. With the support of my family, friends, and teachers, it was then that I realized I could make my passion for creativity the center of my career. Entering MSU I knew very little about graphic design, but I quickly fell in love with it and I am very excited to continue contributing my work to the design community.
WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?
Aside from my professors and peers, I often find myself visiting Kelli Anderson’s work. I love how she uses both physical and digital processes to make her unique work.
WHAT ARE YOU READING, LISTENING TO, WATCHING (BOOKS, MOVIES, TV, SOCIAL MEDIA, MUSIC)?
I just finished reading Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell and am currently watching Chambers, a short television series. I also enjoy listening to the podcast “Graphic Design Is Fun.”
DO YOU CURRENTLY, OR DO YOU PLAN TO, DESIGN FOR ANY CAUSES OR CHARITIES?
I do not currently design for any causes or charities, but the thought to do so has crossed my mind a lot more recently in my Arts and Cultural Management class, where we look at everything about non-profit organizations and what it takes to run or be involved with them.
DO YOU FEEL THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS PREPARED YOU TO SEARCH FOR AND FIND A JOB?
Design school has prepared me with the skills and confidence to enter the workforce. It really is what you make of it, and I feel proud of the portfolio pieces I have accumulated over the last four years and am eager to figure out where I will land professionally.
