KIANNA MKHONZA

Dear Above Ground Art Supplies,

My name is Kianna Mkhonza, and I'm a graphic designer and website developer based in Toronto. I'm so excited to present my application for the Graphic Designer, Marketing and Digital Content Specialist position with you at Above Ground. Enclosed, you'll find my resume, cover letter (both in the navigation bar above), and a selection of work samples that showcase my skills and experience. I invite you to scroll through and enjoy my portfolio. I would be thrilled to hear from you so we can further discuss how my creativity and expertise could be a great contribution to your team.

MORE ABOUT ME:

Since graduating from OCAD University's Publications and Communication Design BFA, I've been working as a designer and developer, both freelance and in-house, so I know very well how to make things pixel-perfect within tight turnarounds. This past year my skillset has found me working as a Production Intern at Penguin Random House Canada, specializing in typesetting complex files and coding responsive, accessible ebooks using HTML & CSS. There I've learned that mistakes are inevitable - but always possible to fix.

SKILLS:

⇨ Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

⇨ HTML + HTML5

⇨ Adobe Creative Suite

⇨ Figma

⇨ Front-End/Responsive Web Dev

⇨ Print Production

WORK HISTORY

Production Intern, Typesetting & Ebooks

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA

JAN 2024 - PRESENT

Managing the sparkly, revolving door of production for various confidential projects between ebooks (digital skillset, coded with HTML/CSS) and typesetting (printed materials, made in InDesign with strong consideration of print output).

Graphic Designer

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL

JUNE 2023 - SEPT 2023

Designed and typeset a 100-pg festival guide, plus brochures and merchandise, for Ottawa’s annual international animation festival. Self-organized and self-directed; managed multiple timelines and collaborations at once.

Graphic Design Assistant

STRIKE DESIGN STUDIO

JAN 2022 - JAN 2023

Conceptualized and designed across a variety of mediums to complete client projects; tasks included creating email marketing journeys, logo creation, branding style guides, posters for social media and print, as well as data entry and related administrative tasks.

PROJECT SAMPLES

TAKE A LOOK

Here's a small sampling of work I've created! While I can't share everything (the projects I've worked on at Penguin are not yet available publicly), I hope the following selection of work represents a diverse range of ability including print and digital media, branding, typography, and web design. You'll find examples from my time at OIAF, my web residency with On-Display For-Review, my workshop zine with Whippersnapper Gallery and, below in the gallery section, some graphics I've created for either social media or print. They all share a glimpse into what I'd call my design aesthetic.

(This guide does not include the cover material, as that was designed by Matthew Rankin; my job was the design and typesetting of the guide's interior).

*Due to the large size, this file was compressed to a lower quality.

OIAF: 2023 Merchandise

PDF

Imagining possible merchandise options for the 2023 Ottawa International Animation Festival.

A Website for an AI Artist

WEBSITE

Created during a 2-month web residency with On-Display-For-Review.

Dreaming Otherwise: Workshop Anthology

ZINE

Dreaming Otherwise was a virtual six-week poetry and collaborative writing workshop. Layout and design of the zine was done by me.

LITTLE GALLERY

CONTACT

As written in my cover letter: My background in working with creative organizations, combined with my understanding of design principles for both print and digital media, make me well-suited to contribute to your marketing and design efforts. I am particularly excited about the opportunity to combine my design skills with my passion for art in a retail environment that I’ve admired the entire time I was a student. Plus, before entering the corporate world, I worked as a Customer Experience Rep at Indigo Books—and I know what catches the eye. I’m confident that my creative skills, technical abilities, and enthusiasm for design and marketing would make me a valuable addition to your team. If you agree, please do reach out. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute and I thank you for your consideration.