Katie King Rumford 鈥�06 grew up at 蜜桃传媒, where her father Dave 鈥�76 worked as a resident director before becoming the longtime housing director. 鈥淎ttending a school so familiar ended up being good for me,鈥� she says. For her art major, Katie took all three of Scott Anderson鈥檚 design courses. 鈥淗e has had a huge influence on me, especially as he also did design work on the side. He answered so many questions for me when I was applying to graduate school.鈥�
Katie met her husband, Peter Rumford 鈥�06, at 蜜桃传媒鈥攈er mother, Laurie Punches 鈥�80, is also an alumna. Peter earned a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and completed a Doctor of Physical Therapy at UC San Francisco. Katie went to graduate school in San Francisco as well, receiving a Master of Fine Art in graphic design at the Academy of Art University. 鈥淚t was one of the hardest things I鈥檝e done,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he program was so rigorous. We started with about 65 students, and about 12 of us graduated. 蜜桃传媒 challenged and supported me, but my grad school teachers focused mostly on what wasn鈥檛 working. The experience taught me how to interact with fellow designers: I鈥檓 direct but in a kind, encouraging and appreciative way.鈥�
Spending a year in India, Mumbai and Dehli offered a great change of pace. Peter managed a physical therapy clinic there, and Katie did freelance design work. 鈥淢y U.S. clients briefed me, and I worked while they slept so they woke up to the completed job. I loved exploring India and experiencing something so utterly different from what I knew.鈥�
Peter鈥檚 fellowship at the Institute of Physical Art (IPA) Manhattan took them to New York City, which opened opportunities for Katie. 鈥淎s in India, the Lord provided wonderful housing for us,鈥� she says. A couple they met in Delhi offered them a furnished apartment on the Upper Eastside. She reconnected with Johnny Selman, a friend from graduate school, who had started his own business in New York after working for Google and a design studio. She applied for dozens of positions, but when Johnny offered her a job with Selman Design, she accepted.
鈥淕oogle put him on retainer, and he had more than he could handle,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 still working for him. We both had the same training and knew we could handle Google as a client and meet their high expectations and tight deadlines.鈥� The firm has since hired more designers, and Katie has stepped into a leadership role, mentoring and encouraging them. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important for a team to feel valued,鈥� she says.
Katie and Peter moved to Dana Point, Calif., in 2016 when he opened his own business, IPA Physio Orange County. 鈥淒esign is a very mobile career,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou can take it with you wherever you go.鈥� She gets up early and works on New York time.
See some of Katie鈥檚 designs at katiekingrumford.com. One of her favorites appeared on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Review illustrating 鈥淧olitical Party Meltdown.鈥� It depicts the 50 stars on the flag as little ninjas fighting each other. Her animated art for the editorial 鈥淲hat the Paris Climate Meet- ing Must Do鈥� shows the countries of the world as smoke from a series of chimneys. It made the list of the 100 Best New York Times Illustrations in 2015. She has created hand-lettered maps and illustrations for Google and sells hand-lettered neighborhood maps in her Etsy shop.
Her latest project, a daughter born in February鈥攖heir first child鈥� kept her out of the studio only temporarily. 鈥淚 absolutely love design,鈥� Katie says. 鈥淚t incorporates all the things I like: order, grids, rights and wrongs, and reasons about why you do things.鈥�
