Everyone, meet Abby. Abby, meet everyone.

We’re thrilled to introduce Abby Clawson Low, the mastermind behind many of the fun and forward-thinking products (not to mention the clever packaging) that give the Kate Spade and Jack Spade brands their classy-gets-hip trademark looks.

As Senior Art Director of Kate Spade, Abby designed handbags, ad campaigns—even shoes—and these cool things, too:

• The “Things We Love” section with its MeBox, vintage scarves, HumanClock and everything else a style-conscious urbanite should know about, featured Behind the Curtain at Kate Spade.com. (Also check out “Arguments for Looking at Books Instead of Reading Them.”)
• Cute/quirky invitations featuring pop images and kitschy sayings like this and this: front/back (note the vintage stamps; Abby’s a collector).
• This favorite colorful and inventive collaged agenda book that uses pictures of popsicles, old photos, love notes and garrish rings to recreate the character of a month or season.

Before becoming the diva of design at Kate Spade, Abby worked briefly as Senior Art Director for Martha Stewart Living, and before that, just outta school, Abby designed for a boutique design studio in SoHo called Design MW, where she also interned the summer between her junior and senior years in college. Here, she worked on projects for Chronicle Books and Takashimaya New York, as well as on these (recognizable) things:

• The West Elm logo
• WilsonWenzel.com
• This promo for Domtar Paper

But a few years before all of this, Abby was a little babe born in LDS Hospital who called the Avenues home until she was nine years old, when her family moved to the Bay Area. She returned to Utah to attend BYU for five years, where she received a B.F.A. in Graphic Design.

Just two weeks ago, after three years of heading up creative at Kate Spade, and “working with a wonderful in-house design team,” Abby decided to strike out and started her own design studio. Check out her website here. You can also browse her new blog here.

Three cheers for this once-local girl who’s made it in the big city, but remains down to earth. We knew we liked Abby as soon as she referenced our local favorite “chocolate chocolate” donut at 7-Eleven. We can’t wait to see what she rolls out next.

{Here’s the inside scoop:}

Name: Abby Clawson Low

Occupation: Designer/Art Director

When I grow up, I want to be: A teacher and a mother.

The best thing about growing up in Utah was: going to the Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah with my dad and siblings on Saturdays to look at the dinosaurs and bones.

If/when I have 24 hours in Utah, I always:

1. Go to 7-Eleven to get one of those purple-y chocolate cake donuts that only exist in Utah.

2. Look for great old records at Randy’s Records (my Grandma Clawson’s favorite music store).

3. Pierpont Avenue (great midcentury furniture).

4. Lamb’s Diner (great breakfast/brunch place with a lot of history.

5. Deseret Industries (wish we had these in NYC).

6. Visit all of my family (could take a week or more).

7. Cutlers for their amazing sugar cookies (or cookie dough).

Utah has the best: Thrift stores, hands down.

Now I live in: Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York (a block from lovely Prospect Park).

Brooklyn has the best: Architecture.

If I could be anywhere right now, it would be: In Paris, near the Jardin du Luxembourg.

Five hearts:

• Google images
• A.P.C.
• Forever 21
• Vintage “Paris Review” covers from the ’60s and ’70s
• Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

Five hates:

• Humidity
• Loud phone talkers
• Being far from my family
• Eating on the run
• Blisters

I cannot live without my: Google Analytics!

The last party I went to was: Publicolor’s 10th Anniversary Stir, Splatter + Roll Benefit

And I wore: A (very large) white Tyvek jumpsuit (provided to all attendees for painting) over

• Kate Spade chocolate patent leather Mary Jane heels
• Tan slacks
• Vintage pink blouse with red trim and white polka dots

My favorite project I’ve ever worked on is: Kate Spade ad campaign (See here and here, latest coming out this fall in Vogue and other fashion magazines).

My favorite product I designed is: Kate Spade Clear Umbrella

My favorite product on earth is: Burt’s Beeswax lip balm with its peppermint scent. (This is a hard one as I have many “favorite products on earth.”)

  

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007 at 12:10 am and is filed under Hatched In The Hive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.