M.F.A., University of Baltimore
B.A., Wheaton College

Elisabeth Kvernen is a graphic designer and engaged educator with broad experience working in multiple design disciplines. She has worked with non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, universities, and small businesses — both locally and globally. Past clients include the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, the Louvre Museum, the New York Public Library, and the Kennedy Center.

Elisabeth earned her M.F.A. in Integrated Design from the University of Baltimore. Her work explores themes of culture, place, and identity within the field of visual communication design, looking in particular at design artifacts and design traditions within diverse (and sometimes underrepresented) cultural and social groups. Her 2021 project, CalligraphyQalam.com, highlighted the rich traditions of Arabic, Ottoman, and Persian calligraphy. This project received a 2022 w3 Gold Award, a 2022 Indigo Silver Award, and a 2022 Communicator Award of Distinction. Her current initiative, The Vernacular Type Project, documents hand‑lettered public signage around the world, celebrating the distinct cultural identities expressed through everyday typography.

Local engagement with Harrisonburg’s immigrant and refugee community, focusing on creative visual expression around themes of identity and place, is another central theme in her work. Her curation of the exhibit, “Here + There: Exploring Multi-layered Identity through Photography,” which featured photographic composites created by high school students from refugee backgrounds, received a 2022 Gold Anthem Award in two categories. Her project, “The Face of COVID—Documenting Extraordinary Times through Multimedia Storytelling” a visual collaboration between JMU students and local high school students, received a 2023 Bronze Anthem Award in the Partnership or Collaboration category.