Art is a form of expression, a lifestyle and a reciprocated emotion.
For Mackenzie Hansen, art is also a pathway to an exceptional career.
A graphic design junior at San Diego State, Hansen has taken her passion for graphic design and created a design and marketing company called Mash Marketing and Design Co.
At a young age, Hansen said she knew that graphic design was her calling.
“I got started in sixth grade when I went to work with my aunt who is a graphic designer,” Hansen said. “From then on, I knew I wanted to do that for my career.”
To many art students, their work means so much more than just a step toward an art degree. It is a form of personal expression or a start to an artistic legacy.
“Graphic design has always been special to me because it is a way to communicate to the public using art,” Hansen said.
Hansen’s art style stems from organic shapes and natural imagery from everyday visuals, but specifically, she said she wants to blend styles together to create something fresh, unique and never before seen.
“I am inspired by nature and organic shapes,” she said. “I love water color and hand lettering and I love to incorporate that with modern graphic design styles.”
Her company, Mash Marketing and Design, was created with a combination of great student minds, bringing together her artistic vision with her friend, business partner, co-founder and marketing junior Natasha Woode.
“We decided we wanted to start a company,” Hansen said. “Since she was a marketing major and I was a graphic design major, we thought it was perfect to start a marketing and design firm.”
Through the ambitious startup, Hansen said she is able to push herself and create exceptional designs for the public to see.
“Mackenzie is always trying to learn new things to do with her art and advance her skills,” Woode said. “Working with her is really great, she has such an open mind to everything, so it is easy to bounce ideas off of each other and she accepts all suggestions really well.”
After four months of development, the company has grown noticeably larger and is currently working with a couple of clients, including another student startup, Soul Spot Sunscreen, an all-natural sunscreen company.
Hansen creates designs for logos and packaging, while coming up with strategies for brand expansion and marketing for their clients.
As a graphic designer, Hansen is able to design and brand a company on multiple social media platforms and across all mobile devices.
The company is also able to advertise and promote a business through the use of their graphic design work.
However, working with clients can be tough when balancing school and other responsibilities.
The process is slow, but Hansen makes sure that the work is exactly what the client wants.
“Sometimes it can be really hard to find a balance,” Woode said. “School can be very demanding and even draining, but Mash is really important to us and we don’t see it as work. [It] lets us take a break from our schooling and lets us spend some time doing what we enjoy while simultaneously developing our company.”
Whether it is creating a new logo and graphic for the brand, or making sure the color scheme is consistent with the brand’s theme, Hansen said she enjoys the work that is put into their company every day.
While taking art classes at SDSU, Hansen stays motivated and looks for ways to grow.
Her passion makes running a startup company in college a win-win situation, improving artistic skills while applying them to the development of her company.
Even if the company does not turn out the way she expects in the future, Hansen has solid plans for her graphic design career.
“I would love to work for a design agency and be working towards being a creative director,” Hansen said. “I would also like to do freelance work on the side or have a hand lettering company.”
The future is bright for Hansen as she continues to grow as a graphic design artist.
“Art is an abstract field of study and an even more abstract concept,” Hansen said.
As an art student, finding your calling and the time and motivation to maintain your passion is hard, but Hansen said she somehow makes it work.
She said her art-driven state of mind allows her to take much more out of her artwork and convert that effort into honest progress involving herself and her company.
“I want to create a firm that combines the art of graphic design with print and more organic handwork,” Hansen said. “I hope to continue to develop Mash further [as] graphic design is something that I both love, which is why I decided to major in it. The idea of making Mash my career is encouraging and motivates me to always try to progress my skills, knowledge and experience.”
Companies looking to partner with Mash Marketing and Design can contact Hansen at mashdesignco@gmail.com.
