Design Bio
Erika Knerr is an art director and designer who designed the Blue Night downloadable coloring book that accompanied the public art, site-specific commission by American artist Kiki Smith, also titled Blue Night.
Erika Knerr is currently working remotely on staff at Stiebel Eltron USA, based in West Hatfield, MA in Communications and Marketing. Knerr has worked as an art director, editor and designer for numerous magazines including Fortune, New Observations, Disney FamilyFun and Marvel magazines. She served as art director of New Observations magazine, a non-profit arts journal in New York from 1991-2001, then as the third publisher of the journal from 2011-17.
Coloring Book designed to accompany the site specific artwork.
Cover Images: Kiki Smith, Constellation drawings, 2020. Double hemisphere celestial chart by Louis Vlasbloem, 1675.
First exhibited for Art Basel Miami VIP program & Illuminate Coral Gables.
Dates of exhibition: February-April, 2021
Funded by the City of Coral Gables, FL
Book Design by Erika Knerr
Erika Knerr
ARTIST, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA SPECIALIST
Proactive project manager working with both print and digital media, accustomed to working in swiftly developing, innovative environments.
Experience
Freelance Graphic Designer. Florence, MA. 1998-present
FUNG COLLABORATIVES Artist, Design of Artist Catalogue and Master Vision for Redwood City California. Artist books, catalogue and Kiki Smith coloring book.2021. YANKEE CANDLE Senior Designer, South Deerfield, MA. ARTIST ORGANIZED ART INC. Director and Coorespondent, Easthampton, MA, New Media. Word Press and HTML. WILLISTON NORTHAMPTON SCHOOL The Willistonian newspaper. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Amherst, MA: Cookbooks, Catalogues, brochures, flyers, web graphics for UMass Dining Services. EDGEWISE PRESS NY, NY, Large-format artist monographs. ELSER & AUCONE INC. NY, NY, Art-directed photography and designed undergraduate viewbook for Monmouth University in N.J. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNERS Design Associate, NY, NY, Emerging Markets Newspaper: Traveled to Washington DC, for IMF conference and to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for the African Development Banking Summit.
Stiebel Eltron Inc. USA. Communications & Marketing Coordinator. West Hatfield, MA. April 2018-Jan 2026
Remote. Media buyer and graphic designer at an international German company with manufactruing & engineering excellence in innovative, efficient, all electric water heating products.
Meredith Corporation, FamilyFun Magazine. Graphic Designer. Northampton, MA. July 2013 – July 2015
Focused primarily on design of special interest publications of FamilyFun magazine as well as departments of the magazine and social media infographics. Worked closely with editors, the art staff and researched stock photography and photo archives for feature stories.
Disney FamilyFun Magazine. Senior Designer. Northampton, MA. 6/2010-7/2012
Long-term freelance designer. Focused on special interest publications for FamilyFun magazine and Creative Development. Helped FamilyFun staff through the transition from Quark Xpress to InDesign for the February 2011 Issue. Created InDesign templates for both FamilyFun and KIDS magazine including all sections.
NorthEast Solar Design Associates LLC. Marketing Director/Design Associate. Hatfield, MA. 2009-6/2010
Partner in a solar design and installation company. NorthEast Solar merged with Green in Green Inc. My responsibilities includedeverything from marketing, website development, making scale technical drawings of solar energy systems using Illustrator with a CAD plugin, site visits, photography, customer relations and working with state agencies for solar rebates and incentives.
Green in Green Inc. Managing Partner & Co-Founder 2006 - 2009
A Massachusetts Renewable Energy start-up in 2006. As a designer, installer and distributor working with residential and commercial applications, Green in Green operated at a high level of innovation allowing customers to live with a minimal or zero reliance on fossil fuel.
FORTUNE Magazine. Designer. Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY. 2000 - 2006
Designed features, departments, the Fortune Small Business section, contents and dot.com pages, etc. Worked closely with design director, director of photography, managing editor, and writers to develop stories and design layouts. Hired and art-directed illustrators. Created infographics for layouts. Designed special packages, including Cool Companies, 50 Years of Fortune 500, and others.
New Observations Magazine. Art Director. New York, NY. 1990 - 2000
Managed a staff of six to produce a nonprofit contemporary arts journal published 10 times a year that promoted many emerging and established artists and writers in downtown NYC in the 90”s. Redesigned the magazine to create a new identity. Managed photography and illustration appearing in the magazine and oversaw printing, including press checks. A different guest editor each issue on a specific theme. Coordinated board meetings to discuss proposals for upcoming issues. Curated an exhibition of art related to an issue at Printed Matter. Guest-edited an issue on the theme “Fertility.”
Education
- 2011 Masters Workshop: Design History, Theory and Practice in Rome and Venice, SVA Abroad
- 1989 Master of Fine Arts, Painting and Sculpture, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
- 1985 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tyler School of Art Abroad, Rome, Italy
