About

Kimberly Carter is an illustrator creating bold, character-driven artwork for businesses, events, and licensed products. Her work blends playful illustration with thoughtful design to create memorable visuals for marketing campaigns, promotional materials, and consumer products.

Kimberly collaborates with businesses, organizations, and creative teams to develop custom illustrations for event graphics, promotional campaigns, marketing materials, and branded merchandise. In addition to freelance projects, she creates artwork for licensing and develops locally inspired illustrated products.

Based in the Chicago area, Kimberly enjoys working with both national brands and local businesses, bringing personality and storytelling to every project.

Art and design have been part of Kimberly’s life since childhood. She has always been drawn to creating expressive characters and playful imagery that bring warmth and personality to visual storytelling.

One of her earliest artistic inspirations came from seeing Andy Warhol: A Retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1989. The exhibition left a lasting impression and helped shape her interest in illustration and graphic art.

Kimberly studied art at Columbia College Chicago before transferring to the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago, where she earned a BFA in Communication Design with a focus on advertising.

Early in her career, she spent ten years working in graphic design, creating logos, catalogs, packaging, and sales materials. Over time, she realized she missed the creative process of drawing and illustration, which led her to begin freelancing and later launch a boutique stationery business.

Discovering the world of surface design brought her work full circle, allowing her to combine her background in design with her lifelong love of illustration.

Today, Kimberly creates custom illustrations for clients while also developing artwork for licensing and retail products.

If you're interested in working together or licensing artwork, feel free to get in touch.

kim@kimberlykcarter.com
708-738-2750