Education: BFA, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, 1984; MFA, University of Washington, 2000. At SPU since 2005.

Karen Gutowsky-Zimmerman comes to Seattle Pacific University after spending 20 years as a professional designer and educator in the visual communication industry where she worked as an art director for a variety of local and national publications. Ms. Gutowsky-Zimmerman taught as a visiting lecturer of design at the University of Washington and was a co-partner of Z Group, a Seattle design firm specializing in corporate branding, environmental experiences, and digital communications. She has managed and completed design projects for a wide variety of national and international corporations, including AT&T Wireless, Microsoft Corporation, Alaska Airlines, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Ms. Gutowsky-Zimmerman currently serves on the Seattle Chapter Advisory Board of the American Institute for Graphic Design Professionals (AIGA). Her committee work is focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for Seattle AIGA and Seattle Pacific. Her interests lie in the methodologies of collaborative processes, how information is experienced, and the development of visual narratives through historical references. Her design work has been recognized, exhibited, and published by Communication Arts, Graphic Design USA, Society of Publication Designers, Icograda, AIGA, and the Society of Illustrators. She is co-author of the book Conversations: Connecting Generations of Women. She has also been a panelist, presenter, and workshop leader on the subject of image and meaning.

At SPU, Ms. Gutowsky-Zimmerman leads the Visual Communication major, is advisor for the Cascade Yearbook and the SPU AIGA student club, and teaches courses in visual communications, graphic design histories, information design, human centered design, and design systems thinking. In 2010, she was voted Professor of the Year by the Associated Students at Seattle Pacific (ASSP).