VIDEO & MOTION GRAPHICS PRODUCER, THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER, WASHINGTON DC
Kimberly Arias is the Video & Motion Graphics Producer at the Pew Research Center. As a member of the digital team, she’s developing a plan to increase the quality and reach of their video products with the intent to disseminate the Center’s findings through video, motion graphics, data viz, and interviews. She is also the President of AIGA Washington DC, the 4th largest chapter of AIGA. Previously, Kimberly was Visual Design Manager at Voto Latino where her team worked to embolden young people to register to vote during the 2016 election cycle. Prior to that, she worked as an in-house designer for numerous years focusing primarily on print, branding, video and ad campaigns. She’s originally from the Washington DC area and, once upon a time, she graduated from the University of Maryland. When she’s not playing with keyframes and expressions in After Effects, she enjoys traveling, listening to techno, and hangin’ with her rescue pitbull, Zelda.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
Washington DC and Washington DC. Proud of it.
DID YOU GO TO DESIGN SCHOOL?
At the University of Maryland I took as many design courses as I could.
LEFTY OR RIGHTY?
Right-handed. Left-leaning.
MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
I’m transitioning from a night owl to a morning person.
FICTIONAL OR HISTORICAL CHARACTER YOU IDENTIFY WITH?
April Ludgate. I actually worked for the Maryland Department of Parks and Recreation while in college.
ARE YOU MUSICAL AND/OR PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?
I’m able to play the piano but I don’t play it often.
FAVORITE BOOKS?
Tom Greever’s ‘Articulating Design Decisions: Communicate with Stakeholders, Keep Your Sanity, and Deliver the Best User Experience’
FAVORITE MOVIE?
‘Arrival’ comes to mind and I view it as a movie about communication and empathy, with a splash of alien stuff. The cherry on top of the sundae is the perfect harmony of Bradford Young’s cinematography, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s original score, and a custom alien alphabet of logograms that a team of designers created for the flick.
FAVORITE TV BINGE WATCH?
Gilmore Girls
FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM?
Instagram
FAVORITE PODCAST?
‘The Daily’ by The New York Times. It helps me bypass noise to get to the most important news.
FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?
Felipe Pantone, Yayoi Kusuma, Anish Kapoor
FAVORITE CHARITY OR CAUSE?
The Design Continuum Fund helps underrepresented future designers go to college.
FAVORITE FREE TIME ACTIVITY?
Combating discrimination against pitbulls. All dogs are good dogs!
COLLECT ANYTHING?
Besides parking tickets? Kidding, I collect fridge magnets from every city I travel to, to give to my mom.
WHICH AREA OF GRAPHIC DESIGN IS GROWING THE MOST?
Storytelling is growing the most. To quote a Forbes article on automation: “The good news is that our ability to build emotional connections is the one skill that computers cannot replace because it’s uniquely human. Robots don’t have a heart; storytellers do.”
DESIGN MENTOR/INSPIRATION/HERO?
The entire AIGA DC board of directors truly inspires me.
GREATEST STRENGTH/WEAKNESS AS A DESIGNER?
Strength: Knowing when to let go (of control, of a draft, of an idea, etc). Weakness: procrastination.
ADVICE TO A YOUNG DESIGNER JUST STARTING OUT?
The notion of a creative ‘genius’ is bullshit. Persistence is the key to success, so don’t quit and don’t drink the Kool-aid. Also, find a mentor.
IF YOU WERE NOT A DESIGNER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
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A MANTRA OR SAYING YOU LIVE BY?
Over the years, I’ve learned that panicking doesn’t do you or your team any good. I try to adopt a mindset akin to this quote by William James: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
