By Cait Kearney

Why do you design? Who do you design for? What matters to you?

It is questions like these that educator, designer, and former AIGA Philadelphia President Kelly Holohan asks to not only guide her students, but also her own work.

“Start with what you care about, you don’t need permission to begin,” said Holohan. 

Holohan’s design work focuses on LGBTQ+ activism and women’s rights. For her, design is more than selling a product or service; it’s about conveying messages for the greater good. 

“I’ve always been drawn to the emotional and communicative power of design—not just how something looks—but how it makes people feel and act,” said Holohan. 

Holohan earned an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. Early in her career, she worked mostly on projects that were commercially driven, but kept feeling a pull toward work that was more meaningful and socially engaged. Her drive to create intentional, visual forms of resistance elevated after completing graduate school. She also said coming out gave her the clarity and urgency about the kind of work that she wanted to create.

“My work became more focused after I came out as a lesbian,” Holohan said. “I began to understand on a more personal level how design could create visibility, foster belonging, and push back against systems of exclusion.”

Going forward, Holohan’s work became more explicitly activist, rooted in her queer identity, feminist values, and community-centered storytelling. Today, she tries to bring that same perspective into everything she creates—whether it’s a collaborative poster campaign, a classroom critique, or research into how design can amplify underrepresented voices.

Caption: The Q Deck, designed by Kelly Holohan 

Holohan’s recent project, a deck of 60+ educational cards called “The Q Deck,” aims to increase visibility and knowledge of LGBTQ+ people, terms, and events, and to encourage faculty and students to engage in dialogue about LGBTQ+ topics. “The Q Deck” was awarded an Art & Change grant from the Leeway foundation that Holohan used to hire a queer writer to assist with the cards. 

“The project is ongoing. I have been trying to figure out how to get it out in the world since it was important to me to use actual images of these people and events. So securing image rights has been a speed bump when thinking about mass production,” said Holohan.

Holohan was globally recognized for “The Q Deck,” earning third place in Print Magazine’s prestigious and competitive PRINT Citizen Design Award (2024). Entries were community-based campaigns designed to address issues of social justice and judged on innovation, originality, impact, and execution. 

Caption: Posters from “Sorry We’re Closed,” designed by Kelly Holohan

Some of Holohan’s other works include “Sorry We’re Closed,” a collection of posters supporting LGBTQ+ rights. She was also featured in The Philadelphia Citizen for co-leading We the Women, a Philly-based poster collective that addressed women’s challenges in the U.S. following the 2016 election. 

“Posters are one of my favorite forms of activism because of their accessibility and their history,” said Holohan. “They don’t require a gatekeeper or a gallery, and they can live in the world.”

1. For those looking to be more intentional with their work and to affect change, Holohan said to start with what matters to you.
2. Next, she said, is to seek out your community. Talk to people, and find out who is missing from the conversation. 

“People are at the heart of it all,” said Holohan. “Activism isn’t solo; it’s about collective power.”

Throughout her career, Holohan has helped countless young creators find their voice. 

Holohan began adjunct teaching immediately after completing her bachelor’s degree and is now celebrating her 25th year as a full-time educator. She’s a Professor and heads the MFA and BFA program in Design and Illustration at Tyler School for Art and Architecture at Temple University.

To guide students in finding their voice, Holohan assigns her graduate classes a theme, like “leadership” or “belonging,” for the semester. Students use the theme as a jumping-off point for their work and explore what they’re passionate about in the context of it. 

For the past six years, Holohan has co-led the charge to reconstruct the Tyler’s design curriculum, launching new BFA degree programs in Illustration & Emerging Media (IEM) and in User Experience & User Interface Design (UX/UI), in addition to a reenvisioned BFA in Graphic & Interactive Design (GAID). The new and improved curriculum encourages cross-disciplinary participation and gives students more opportunities to take specialized classes specific to their interests. 

Despite her busy schedule as an educator and creator, Holohan served as AIGA Philadelphia’s Education Chair, Vice President, and President for over a decade. 

“I got involved in AIGA because I was looking for community—and I stayed because I found one,” said Holohan when asked why she joined AIGA. 

When asked about her favorite AIGA memories, Holohan says there are far too many to count, but for her, it’s the relationships that matter most. One of her more recent AIGA initiatives was a social event she co-organized at Tavern on Camac, Philadelphia’s oldest gay bar. The event was queer-focused, and she recalled how wonderful it was to connect with fellow designers in a relaxed setting. The event centered on LGBTQ+ members and allies fostered a sense of belonging, with several attendees saying that it was the first AIGA event that they had attended.

When asked to give a piece of advice for students or emerging designers, Holohan said, “Don’t worry about having it all figured out because no one does. Above all, let your work reflect who you are—not just what you can do. Design is a powerful tool, but the most meaningful projects come from an authentic place.”