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"I absolutely love coming up with fresh ideas,"
Kraml said. "Graphic design has always been the visual
form of public relations. The challenges during these hard
economic times are lack of funds and resources. It's very
difficult and expensive to promote New Jersey's messages,
sandwiched as we are between New York and Philadelphia, two
of the largest advertising markets in the country, but we
work effectively to meet all demands."
Initially seeking to follow in the footsteps of his draftman/engineer
father's, Kraml credits Mercer for preparing him to succeed
in the multi-dimensional graphic design field. "I did
not know all that was available to me until I got to Mercer,"
said Kraml, who chose MCCC due to its close proximity and
affordability. After studying architecture for a year, Kraml
switched to Advertising Design. "It was one of the best
decisions I ever made," notes the Steinert High School
graduate.
Designing a logo for City Gardens, a punk/new wave club in
Trenton, was one of the memorable professional projects Kraml
completed while attending Mercer. Exposed to the real world
of graphic design while still in school, Kraml learned to
stay ahead of the curve. "The faculty was great. I learned
a lot." During
his second year at MCCC, Kraml established his own graphic
design company, Kraml Design, and landed a part-time internship
as a draftsman/graphic artist for the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Upon graduating from Mercer, Kraml stayed on at the DEP, taking
on a broad array of graphic design assignments as he rose
through the ranks. These included designing for New Jersey
Outdoors magazine, creating the New Jersey Outdoors website,
and creating layouts for departmental and divisional publications.
Kraml notes that his varied assignments thoroughly prepared
him for the position he landed in 1999 as art director/internet
coordinator at the OAG to increase its web presence and to
enhance its public image and outreach. He landed his current
post in 2001.
This entrepreneur in his own right has also found time to
keep Kraml Design alive and well. Among his long list of clients
are the Trenton Titans, the NJ Devils, De Lorenzo's Tomato
Pies, and the New Jersey Aviation Association.
Kraml can't remember a time when he was not in creative mode.
As early as age 2, he was at his father's side, observing
him in action. His dad, who was a freelance cartoonist for
newspapers while serving in the Air Force in England, continued
this work when he returned home. It also helped that Kraml's
great uncle Joe, who worked at the now defunct Magic Marker
factory in Trenton, periodically brought him sets of professional
art markers.
Just as his father and uncle planted the seed for his creativity,
Kraml is considering doing the same for community college
students one day. "I want to give back to students the
same professional knowledge my professors gave to me,"
he says. "Community college is always a great option,
especially if you are not sure of exactly what you want to
do."
In
terms of career paths, Kraml's advice is clear. "Do what
you love even if it pays less. You can't buy happiness. It
is true that if you do what you love you'll never work a day
in your life."
Visit Kraml Design here.
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