Kristin Hawkins

AD of Creative Services at UHCL

Houston, Texas, United States

About

I’m a senior graphic designer who believes thoughtful design begins with better questions. Before opening InDesign or Illustrator, I’m thinking about the audience, the context, the real goal behind the project, and the hurdles we’ll need to overcome along the way. What problem are we actually solving? How will someone use this? What would make it clearer, easier, or more meaningful? How can we elevate the experience—or improve the process behind it? My favorite projects are the ones that require more than aesthetics—long-form publications, complex stories, and cleverly subtle visual systems that help people navigate information without friction. Art can be beautiful without function, but design should function before it’s beautiful. Over the years, I’ve worked across corporate, agency, nonprofit, and higher-education environments, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver thoughtful, practical design under real-world deadlines. I’m especially energized by work that: • Balances creativity with strategy • Respects audiences and context • Improves experiences in small but meaningful ways • Values curiosity over ego Design doesn’t always need a deep debate, but it does benefit from asking the right questions at the right time. Always happy to connect with people and teams who care about creativity, clarity, and collaboration.

Experience

  • University of Houston-Clear Lake (Full-time · 2 yrs 6 mos)
    • Assistant Director, Creative Services
      Mar 2026 - Present · 4 mos

    • Senior Graphic Designer
      Jan 2024 - Mar 2026 · 2 yrs 3 mos

      Responsible for graphics and marketing materials for University Advancement and Special Events. In 2024, I had the pleasure of designing the 2024 UHCL Annual Report, spearheading the look and feel for the State of the University event, and designing the season brochure for the Bayou Theater. My major contribution was designing the collateral and suite for the 50th Anniversary Alumni Gala, which included coordinating across multiple teams and vendors. The Marcomm team also undertook a massive rebranding project, working directly with SimpsonScarborough, and developed multiple assets and training for a multi-departmental initiative.

  • Digital Designer at Fossil Group, Inc.
    Jul 2022 - Dec 2023 · 1 yr 6 mos

    Contract employee through LHH. Collaborate with the North America and Latin America market marcomm teams in a production role for digital media. Produce and export graphics for social media, email campaigns, and the Fossil website. Edit photography assets for the Fossil ecommerce site, as well as partner sites and associated brands (Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Puma, Sketchers, Armani). Create point-of-sale graphics each season for vendors, and brick and mortar stores. Develop duplicate designs in Canadian French and Spanish for international markets.

  • Graphic Designer at Black + Gray Studio
    Jan 2022 - Jun 2022 · 6 mos

    Designed print collateral, tradeshow graphics, social media posts, and motion graphics for clients in oil and gas, education, and technology sectors.

  • Graphic Designer at National Oilwell Varco
    Feb 2020 - Jan 2022 · 2 yrs

    Collaborated as part of the graphic design and marketing team to deliver consistently branded print and digital for the global NOV company. Drew illustrations tailored for use internally and externally. Designed lower thirds, intro and outro animations, and built a folder and asset structure to streamline the production of the internal video series Engine Room. Assisted social media team as a digital camera person for the weekly NOV live shows. Worked with the web dev department to design and improve various web projects.

  • Graphic Designer at Ward
    May 2019 - Feb 2020 · 10 mos

    My duties as Graphic Designer included investor pitch presentation decks, social media graphics, print collateral, signage and billboard design, publication ads and direct mail pieces. I also managed client social media accounts, including content creation, scheduling, and copywriting.