Karen Craig has been designing and illustrating for children for nearly two decades. She welcomes working with all clients, both large and small.

Karen's first job was to conceptualize, design and illustrate kids' educational materials for Upstart, now owned by the Highsmith Company.

This led her to a job with Nickelodeon Consumer Products, where she learned the many facets of working within the realm of licensed brands, products and properties.

While at Nick, Karen worked as the senior concept designer on various liaisons with Nickelodeon branding partners, such as Kraft Foods, Ford Motors and FAO Schwarz. She was also closely involved with the Nick Jr., property, 'Blue's Clues.' Her Blue's Clues Style Guide won a Broadcast Design Award gold medal and she has also illustrated over 30 Blue's Clues licensed books.

Some of Karen's surface pattern designs can be found on various Nickelodeon products such as The Fairly Odd Parents, Jimmy Neutron, Blue's Room and The Rugrats packaging. She has also created pattern art for licensed properties such as Olivia for Chorion, Ltd and Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies, for National Geographic Kids.

Karen enjoys creating hand made 'artist books' of all kinds. Her cloth book concept 'Play Pockets' has been published by Innovative KIDS and won a Seal of Excellence from Creative Child Magazine.

She is a big fan of pop-up design. The Museum of Modern Art recently published two of her pop-up card concepts, one of which was selected as a Louie Award finalist by the National Greeting Card Association of America. Additional designs are slated for 2011.

In addition to commissioned illustration projects, Karen is currently developing several picture, soft book and toy ideas of her own, although she has yet to seek out a publisher.

All interested parties, please inquire!

Member SCBWI
BFA Selected Studies in Art, Syracuse University
BFA Toy Design, The Fashion Institute of Technology

BFA Toy Design, The Fashion Institute of Technology