Missy J. Kennedy
  • WORDS
  • ZINES
JOBS

Marketing Coordinator
HMFH Architects
June 2019 – Present 

Project/Business Manager

Stoltze Design Group
June 2017 – June 2019

Administrative & Project Director
CambridgeEditors
May 2016 – May 2017

Teaching Assistant to Lisa Diercks
Professor of Writing, Literature & Publishing
Emerson College, Jan. 2017 – May 2017

Marketing Intern & Temp
Da Capo Press & Lifelong Books
Hachette Book Group, June 2016 – Jan. 2017

Graduate Assistant to Lu Ann Reeb
Director of Entrepreneurship & Business Studies
Emerson College, Sept. 2015 – May 2017
DEGREES

MA, Publishing & Writing
Emerson College ('17)
Boston, MA

BBA, Marketing
BS, Professional Writing
University of Wisconsin ('15)
Whitewater, WI
CLIPS

Lasting Memories of Home
and Horror Through Scents

Chicago Review of Books
November 14, 2019

Ghost Ranch Offers Wild Beauty
​Tamed Long Ago ​by a Boston Brahmin

The Boston Sunday Globe
Sept. 3, 2017

8 Myths and 5 Truths About Millennials
The Boston Globe Magazine
May 24, 2017

PUBLICATION DESIGN

HUMANxNATURE

In 2018, Haley E. D. Houseman and I partnered to publish a print anthology of new nature writing. The work would range from mythology to taxonomy to theology to post-colonialism; the tone would be meditative at times, urgent at others. Haley would edit and illustrate the contributors, and I would design and illustrate their essays. We opted against color printing to make the book more accessible. Creamy paper, neo-traditional fonts, and uncanny glyphs give the text a vintage touch, while ragged columns and oversized treatments keep it in company with contemporary literary zines. Light, gestural author portraits quietly capture their human counterparts, while vibrant line illustrations vibrate off the page throughout—bringing nature to the forefront of the exchange.

​This project was funded through Kickstarter in August 2018 and printed in the fall. It was awarded Second Place in Self-Published, Illustrated at the 2019 New England Book Show. 

Design and essay illustrations by Missy J. Kennedy.
​Editing and portraits by Haley E. D. Houseman.
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Elegant typography punctuated with boldness. Art doesn't overwhelm the design but supports it. Strong graphic artwork balances beautifully with the refined typography." — Judges' Comments

MOONRISE

In 2016, as a graduate student at Emerson College, I decided to take a magazine design course a few steps further. Rather than create a magazine concept from sample content, I pitched the first installment of a zine for emerging women creatives to my class and to my network of mutual followers on social media. The first installment—edited, designed, and produced that semester—centered around ritual in essays and fine art. That summer, I put out a call for submissions to a second installment, which focused on legacies in craft, poetry, and recollection—including a collection of memories of readers' grandmothers (one of my favorite things I've ever worked on). The text is neat but annotated with playful motifs and treatments, while co-opting hyper-formal elements like calligraphic drop caps and catalogue-style attributions—to bring weight and gloss to what feels, at heart, like a well-kept journal.

The first issue was awarded Best in Category in Student Interior Design at the 2017 New England Book Show.

​All told, just under 200 copies of this project (and as many moon stickers) went out to readers. 
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Love the vitality of this! All of the contributors' personalities come through. Legible type! Terrific portraits—we love the variety and quirkiness. Consistent use of design elements, titling type, handwritten-like font, drawn icons—this motif holds throughout. Incongruous and fun juxtaposition of gothic type with the handwritten font. Like the use of the pink color theme throughout—including photographs, icons, type." — Judges' Comments
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT

ARCHITECTUREBOSTON

As a project manager at Stoltze Design, I worked with our clients at the Boston Society of Architects on the final five print, quarterly issues of ArchitectureBoston magazine. Exploring a new theme each month, AB magazine discussed the role and influence of architecture in the environment and in society for over twenty years in print. At Stoltze, we not only designed and produced each issue but also art directed—curating a selection of artists of all media or creating in-house illustration for each issue's theme, and working with the AB editorial team to define the visual story in all-hands, energetic meetings. My role, besides guiding these meetings and contributing direction, was to acquire all the imagery: handling everything from initial outreach to negotiating use terms and compensation, to managing the issue budget. I also managed orders and delivery with the printer, ad placement with the BSA's advertising team, file preparation and production tasks for designers, and communication and scheduling between all parties.

It was a lot of work—and a lot of fun, too. I had the honor of overseeing five great issues: Fab (Winter '17), Port (Spring '18), Food (Summer '18), Ethics (Fall '18), and Safe (Winter '18). (Don't tell anyone, but Food was my favorite.) AB magazine will see a digital rebirth soon. 
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MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

EMERSON COLLEGE

In 2015, as I began my master's degree at Emerson College, I also began my two-year assistantship to the Director of Entrepreneurship & Business Studies, Lu Ann Reeb. Alongside aiding with curricular research, department programming, and planning Emerson's annual student entrepreneurship (E3) expo, I designed a lot of flyers and graphics—for the Director as well as for the Marketing Communication department at large. For an upcoming course, event, or meeting, I was given the message and a direction. I brainstormed, often creating the visuals, then had the designs approved and printed before making the rounds to strategically post them on campus. This process was an invaluable primer in creating vibrant, engaging, and accessible communications, a hands-on introduction to the print and production process, and a regular (even physical) exercise in understanding and reaching an audience—I learned so much here.

Some of the visuals I created are still in use. (And yes—I mixed real paint for that splatter.)
See more of my work and full résumé on LinkedIn.
Writer, illustrator, marketer.
Project wrangler.
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