On May 13th, I had the privilege of graduating with Cum Laude honors from Kent State University with a BFA in Visual Communication Design. These last four years have been a wild ride to say the least, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world.
Ever since I began my college career, I knew I wanted to be a part of people’s lives; a part of their story. This is quite the general idea, but the idea is still there, so it was just figuring out how to narrow it down and figure my part in all of that, and this is where the design comes in.
The last four years have taught me that graphic design is more than just pretty pictures painted across all forms of media technology, everyday lives, etc. Design holds a very special power that much of the world, in my humble opinion, is lacking. I am speaking of empathy.
Empathy, I believe, is the crux of design; it’s the reason we as designers do what we do. No logo is just a logo, there's a story behind it. There’s a business owner with an idea, a mission, and a story they want to tell, and it is our jobs as creatives to see it through in the most genuine way possible. Now, graphic design isn’t only branding and identity, this was just a simple example, but my point here folks is that there is a story to be told and a narrative behind everything you come across.
With this, I’ve figured a way for myself to be a part of everyone’s stories, and this is through my new and improved brand: The Czatt Collective.
This has been years in the making and it all finally came together with the ending of my academic career. Without the teachings and mentors I have had through my last four years, I would have not an inkling of any of this. The Czatt Collective’s mission is to “unlock your story”, because everyone has a story, but sometimes you need a key to unlock all that hidden creativity. With this, I want to show the world visual empathy and what it can do no matter the area of effect (i.e. one singular person or a large community).
Visual Communication offers a great deal to people, and it’s my mission to offer that. I’ve adopted a saying this last semester of school and it’s as follows: “life is better with just a bit of color”, and I feel it is now my duty to nurture that thought.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me, mentored me, and taught me these last four years, without a doubt I owe all of this to you.
Now, welcome to The Czatt Collective!
Kyle Czatt
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