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Page 6 of 10 Justin Thomas Kay
MKE to NYC. - attended New Berlin West High School, New Berlin, WI
- graduated 2004, BFA Communication Design
- currently a graphic designer + typographer for Complex magazine in New York
 Justin Thomas Kay “MIAD kept me focused and disciplined, and gave me the building blocks to help push me to where I am today.” Passion could be Justin Kay’s middle name. Initially starting out as an Illustration major at MIAD, Kay later decided to change his major to Communication Design. That change proved to be just the one he needed to pave a successful path after graduation that took him from Milwaukee to Brooklyn. With a day job as a graphic designer and typographer at a high profile NY magazine, and free lance and independent design work beyond his 9 to 5, Kay proclaims, “I am my work...my work must be my life passion.” Q. What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? A. Honestly? I had no clue. I guess my clearest vision was a comic book illustrator -- I had piles and piles of notebooks scrawled with characters and beasts, and fake role playing games that I would make up with full story lines so my stepbrother could play them. I think some even involved twenty-sided die. Q. What is your first memorable experience with art and design? A. My grandmother is an amazing artist, as was my father. Aside from being wonderful, beautiful people, they are my largest inspiration. My grandmother has been a creative person her whole life in many ways -- her focus has shifted now to creating an impressively extensive family tree including all the legal documents she can find. It fills up almost two large bookcases. I get my compulsive drive to work on my own projects from her.  OneOneNine, a self-published zine Q. How did your MIAD education affect where you are today? A. My decision to go to art school was extremely personally motivated, especially once I switched the illustration major to communication design. MIAD kept me focused and disciplined, and gave me the building blocks to help push me to where I am today. I am 100 percent happy with my decision. No regrets. Q. What was the most valuable thing you learned at MIAD? A. I learned the importance of typography and structuring information. Oh, and how to appreciate hummus and pita which I had for the first time as a MIAD freshman. What can I say -- I was a sheltered young man from the suburbs.  Complex magazine cover Q. What would you tell a high school student who is considering attending MIAD now that you have experienced life after graduation? A. The ‘status’ of schools is not important. What is important is the overall environment and lifestyle a college can provide for you. MIAD gave me access to a great group of people to work with and an amazing work environment. Go for it. Q. What are your goals for the future, in art and design and in life? A. My goals are to continue to do what I love and be around loved ones. I will never settle for just ‘work.’ I am my work, and thus my work must be my life passion or I will never be satisfied with what I am doing. Short term, I’ll be marrying my fiance, Karli Stein, and continuing to work. Long term, my goal is to open a book store that I can also work out of and freelance for a living. Q. Are there any specific parts of your resumé that you’d like to share? A. By day, I’m a graphic designer for Complex magazine which is a huge accomplishment to me -- I’ve been reading it for about three years, so I’m very happy to be here. In my free time, I work non-stop on independent and freelance projects. Q. Please define how you saw your major while you were in school, and how that definition has changed over the years.  Complex magazine page spread A. When I was in school, I saw it as a tool to help me gear up for my life [after school], not as an excuse to not have a ‘real’ job and just mess around. My perception hasn’t changed, and actually, with how lucky I have been to land such an amazing job, it just reinforced my opinion on my education. 
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