Kirsten Mishay
Kirsten M. is a multidisciplinary illustrator, creative art director, and graphic designer based in New York City with more than 12 years of experience across branding, product design, and storytelling. A visual problem-solver at heart, she blends illustration, graphic design, print production, and creative direction to build cohesive brand worlds that connect and communicate with impact. She has led product launches, developed packaging and retail displays, created merchandise and coloring books, and partnered with both global brands and emerging startups to bring ideas to life with clarity and personality.
Most recently, Kirsten worked in the toy industry with MGA Entertainment, where she led design initiatives across packaging, style guides, retail displays, and digital launch assets for internationally recognized brands. Prior to that, she held creative roles at lifestyle and e-commerce companies and built her own woman-owned studio, K10 Design +, producing original illustrations, prints, and soft goods for retail and licensing. Her expertise spans Adobe Creative Suite, illustration, photo editing, and hands-on printmaking, including screen printing and linocut block printing. Whether crafting brand systems or one-of-a-kind art pieces, she approaches every project with strategic thinking and an authentic creative voice.
Kirsten earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Chapman University and is currently completing her Master of Fine Arts in Illustration at Academy of Art University, with graduation anticipated in 2026. A first-generation Mexican-American creative, she is passionate about inclusive storytelling and believes human-made art holds enduring value in an increasingly AI-driven world. As she continues freelancing and contract work, her long-term vision is to build a fully independent creative practice—ideally collaborating with major production companies such as Illumination or Paramount Pictures—while staying rooted in authenticity, craft, and joy-driven design.
• First Aid
• CPR & AED
• Academy of Art University
• Chapman University
• AIGA
• Creative Mornings
• Creative Mornings
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people in my circle, like family and friends. Honestly, if it wasn't for their support, I'd probably be more stressed. They've been a huge help in my career and just in general. Having that support system has been essential to everything I've accomplished.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't let people talk down to you. Stand up for yourself and be confident in your work, because people will look at you like a child. At least that's been my experience, even with all of my experience. And because there's so few women in the industry and successful women in other industries, there is support, but there's also competition, unfortunately. So as long as you're genuine in the connections you make, and confident in what you do, and just not let anyone step all over you, that's what will get you to where you need to go.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Everyone thinks it's easy. Everyone thinks they can do it themselves. I think this is just an age-old tale where it's like, oh, I can make that. Okay, then do it. And then right now, it's like, oh, I can do that digitally. I grew up with college where a lot of the digital stuff was kind of at a takeoff point, so I was learning traditional but the tablets were coming in strong. A lot of the work that I've done has been digital, and I've been going back to the traditional stuff over the last couple of years just to keep it different. New people coming in, I mean, they make some cool stuff, I'm not gonna lie, there's some pretty amazing things, but there's just something about pen to paper that unless you're doing that, there's a part of your brain that's not working fully. With everything in this day and age, especially with AI, it's a tool and a lot of people just want to replace everything. But I keep telling people, it's going to become a point in the world where handmade or human-made is going to be so niche and luxury. It's going to become a luxury item.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
With everything in this day and age, authenticity is most important to me. Keeping things authentic and true to my own voice and my own story is what matters most. In a world where AI and digital tools can replicate so much, staying genuine and maintaining that human touch in my work is essential.