Kevin Kern

About Kevin Kern

I’m a creative professional with a passion for creating dynamic and memorable branded environments. A leader with over 30 years’ experience in the development of both national and international environmental graphic design programs for various property types, I’m a skillful leader capable of managing all phases of a design project from initial visualization through implementation and construction administration. My expertise includes branding, visioning, naming, identity development, environmental graphic design, wayfinding programming, specialty amenity and architectural signage design, along with marketing & business development. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Architecture from The Maryland Institute College of Art in 1992 and started my design career as an in-house illustrator, developing presentations for a holiday display company providing seasonal decor for large commercial properties world-wide. This experience quickly led to the field of environmental graphic design. While employed by international architectural design firms, I’ve had the privilege to work collaboratively on numerous ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) and ULI (Urban Land Institute) award-winning national and international projects. These include Easton in Columbus, Ohio, which is credited as the nation\'s first neo-traditional retail town center development, Kingsley Town Center in Fort Mill, South Carolina, The Mall of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Nexton in Summerville, South Carolina, named Best Mixed-Use Community and Best Master-Planned Community in the U.S. Additionally, my design work has appeared in numerous graphic and sign design publications to great accolades. I’m a member of SEGD (Society of Experiential Graphic Design), having served as the Charlotte Chapter Chair for several years, ULI (Urban Land Institute) and AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts. I currently serve as a Principal and the Director of 505Design’s Branding and Environmental Graphic Design Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. I live in Fort Mill, South Carolina and the proud father of three (almost fully adult) daughters. In my spare time, I can be found outdoors, gardening, running or scheming the next family adventure.

Experience

1. Associate Principal Experiential Graphic Design Discipline Lead, Charlotte

   505design At Cooper Carry

   Sep 2023 — Present · Charlotte, NC, US

   505Design at Cooper Carry is a multi-disciplinary, narrative-based design firm providing project visioning, architecture, interior and graphic design services for both national and international clients. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina and Boulder, Colorado, we’ve recently merged (September 2023) with Cooper Carry Architects, providing even greater services and capabilites across additional locations in Atlanta, Washington DC and New York City.As part of Cooper Carry’s larger mixed-use ecosystem, we bring expertise from 17 design studios specializing in everything from restaurants to laboratories, universities to resorts, and urban planning to wayfinding. This expertise provides an extra layer of quality to our designs to ensure it is grounded in reality and impactful. We provide a more cohesive product, fully integrated with the site, architecture, and interiors. Our experience spans a wide range of mixed-use projects that incorporate office, residential, restaurants, and retail but also includes hospitality, urban placemaking, and exhibits. We work with municipalities to ensure signage and wayfinding is compliant with existing ordinances, as well as assist in creating master sign plans for approval when required for larger pursuits. We listen and enjoy helping stakeholders reach their goals in ways that are beneficial to communities and development partners. The result is a more fully-integrated, higher-performance product for our clients.Our firm’s full-service branding and experiential graphic design studios ensure each project is unique, creating better user experiences through brand identity development, exhibit design, signage, and wayfinding. We offer the talents of experienced professionals trained in exhibit, digital, brand, graphic, and industrial design, integrating graphic design seamlessly into architecture and landscape for an immersive environment.

Education

• Maryland Institute College of Art

  BFA, Interior Architecture

  1989 — 1992