I work with progressive changemakers and do-gooders to advance liberal causes through design and collaboration. 

The work is graphic design, as well as art, community-building, activism, citizenship, strategy, entrepreneurship, and very much Midwest. To inspire and motivate. 

The work is with nonprofits, activists, startups, artists, and changemakers on a variety of projects where my role can include branding, creative direction, digital strategy, web design, social content, and print design.

The work scope can be integrated/multi-channel campaigns, small one-off projects, or longterm partnerships.

The work can also collaborate with a number of experts with complimentary creative skills in web development, illustration, graphic design, typography, copywriting, photography, video, and animation. 

Long-Form Bio

– This lays it on thick and in the third-person –

Justin Kemerling is an independent designer, activist, and collaborator living in Omaha, Nebraska focused on making it beautiful, moving people to action, and getting good things done. 

He works primarily with community organizations, political campaigns, and changemaking entities in need of branding, graphic design, web design, and art direction. His self-initiated projects and collaborations explore ways to move forward important causes and ideas with design, art, and other forms of creative expression. 

In 2022, Justin gave a talk for TEDx Omaha called The Intentional Impact of Images. He talked about explicit and implicit messaging in graphics, both online and offline.

Justin’s artwork has been exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and regularly in Omaha. His poster design has been published in several design books including Design for Obama, 100 Days of Active Resistance, and Green Patriot Posters, which is now part of the permanent collection at the RISD Museum in Rhode Island. His projects have been featured by HOW Magazine, Communication Arts, Design Observer, and Behance. He has also won numerous statewide design awards over his 19-year career including several judge’s citations for branding and poster design. 

In 2013, Justin was honored by Nebraska Appleseed with the Milo Mumgaard Emerging Leader Award for utilizing design to inspire social change. At a concert in Neligh, Nebraska last year, a hat and T-shirt he designed was worn by Willie Nelson during his performance. In 2010, he designed the slides for The Filter Bubble TED Talk which can be viewed on TED.com. In 2022, he gave a talk for TEDx Omaha about looking at images critically.

He has presented to design organizations, student groups, and startups about working as an independent designer, the importance of design principles for your work, and the value of design for nonprofits and companies.  

Justin is a cofounder of a small coworking space called Round and Round in Omaha’s historic Dundee and he serves on the board of directors for Design Alliance Omaha. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

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