Anabel Keagy, a freshman communication studies student, has always loved art. But it wasn’t until she began to dabble in digital art by collaborating with her father over the past few years on some tasks for his graphic design business, Simmer Creative, that she realized her work could have use in the real world. Now, Keagy has begun a sort of design business of her own, reaching out to local restaurants, bakeries and food companies to do freelance design work, sometimes even without pay.

Keagy says she sought out restaurants and bakeries in particular because of her unique art style, sampled above. While the designs produced by her father’s business tend to be on the more serious and formal side, her own style tends to be more bubbly, colorful and fun. With an emphasis on color and texture, Keagy knows that her art is perfectly suited for food-oriented businesses, and many are in need of the branding services that she can provide. 

“I always loved drawing, but I don’t think I would've gone into the digital art world without my dad,” she says. “He taught me how to look at logos and design differently.”

So far, she has completed work for Playa Bowls, a nationwide acai bowl company with a location even in Puerto Rico; and Flying Monkey, a bakery in Reading Terminal Market specializing in whoopie pies and butter cake. For Playa Bowls’ Center City storefront, she created a social media graphic to be shared on Instagram. The post received enough traction online that four other Playa Bowls locations reposted it, and it also received a “like” from the company's main Instagram account. Keagy, on the other hand, received some free bowls for her efforts. 

For Flying Monkey, Keagy created a range of drawings on spec for a holiday sticker. She was impressed when the company ended up not only choosing her simplest design, but also paying to buy the rights to the work, though she was initially nervous going into the project.

Keagy says that she developed her skills through her involvement with the Communication Studies Program’s media team, managing social media accounts for the major. She was inspired to reach out to local businesses when she found herself looking for additional work to supplement what she was doing with the media team and decided to take advantage of her location in a major city, messaging local eateries directly on Instagram.

“It’s really exciting,” she says. “I’m happy I started with the media team because I probably wouldn’t have thought to do it, or I would have but not in this capacity.”

She says that seeing the engagement grow, as well as seeing the followers on her personal art account increase, energized her and gave her confidence to venture into the world of social media design. The communication studies major itself, she says, is ideal for keeping her career and study options open and making the most of her future — which will likely be art-related.

“Art communicates. Annabel has constantly understood and utilized that fact,” says Scott Gratson, director of the Communication Studies Program and her professor in CMST 111: Communication and Public Life. “Her art is provocative, informative, and engaging. She brings a sense of fun to her work, and that draws students. Her artwork is always a highlight for our program. I'm excited to see what she will be creating next. It's always a pleasure to view!”