Kelly Holton (‘07 Graphic Design)
Experiential design leader Kelly Holton (‘07 Graphic Design) has built a visionary career rooted in spatial storytelling, transforming physical spaces into deeply immersive, living environments
For Kelly Holton (’07 Graphic Design), the core of graphic design has always been storytelling. Today, she isn’t just telling stories on paper or screens, she is crafting immersive environments that invite people to step inside and become part of the narrative.
As a Senior Principal, Brand Activation Director, and the Kansas City Office Director at Populous, Holton blends human psychology, local culture, and immersive environments to create some of the most memorable sports and entertainment venues in the world. Creating these environments is rooted in her education at the Kansas City Art Institute, where she cultivated strategic design thinking that allowed her to transition from a 2D-focused student to an experiential design leader.
Growing up in St. Louis with a deep passion for art, Holton was looking for a program that offered a fine arts environment with a career-focused trajectory. The graphic design department’s intimate studio culture and the school's tight-knit community provided exactly that.
For Holton, the greatest takeaway from the Graphic Design program was its thought-driven approach. Instead of merely exploring aesthetics or chasing trends, KCAI taught her how to think like a designer.
“It was about how you develop the “reason why” for everything you do.” Holton says. “The research, the creative thought process, the design thinking, I was set up for success. Understanding how to strategize design and storytelling is the substance of what I do now.”
She credits the faculty for shaping her young mind, including James Reittinger, tyler galloway, who heavily influenced her design thinking, and Paul Diamond, who brought business strategy to the classroom. She also fondly remembers the impact of her typography professor Brockett Horne, as well as Kelly Salchow, an Olympian whose work ethic and focus on design systems left a lasting mark.
"Understanding how to strategize design and storytelling is the substance of what I do now.”
After graduating in 2007, Kelly initially focused on non-profit clients to make a tangible community impact. She worked in museum exhibit design for civil rights and cultural institutions, learning how to structure a narrative journey through physical environments.
Today, she wears many hats. She leads an experiential branding team that amplifies the story of a place through physical experience, serves as the Office Director managing talent and culture for the Kansas City office, and sits on the Americas Regional Board to help guide the broader ecosystem of Populous. Regardless of the project, her goal is to conduct deep observational research to uncover the authentic voice of the community.
“Our venues sell experiences,” Holton notes. “For us as designers to be inspired and create really unique experiences, it's about digging deeply into consumerism, real curiosity and behavioral observations. Fans do so many unique things and create traditions on their own. You have to let those thrive.”
Balancing consumer data with a genuine curiosity about human behavior, she helps create spaces where fans can see their own passion reflected in the architecture.
Designing for the Future: Climate Pledge Arena
One of Holton's most notable career achievements is her work on the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, famously the first net-zero carbon arena in the world. Built underneath the historic Paul Thiry-designed roof from the 1962 World’s Fair, the venue required a delicate balance of historic preservation and bold, future-facing innovation.
Holton and her team brought the environmental mission to life by bringing nature indoors. They designed a 250-foot-long subterranean living wall featuring 38 plant species, completely immersing fans in the local ecosystem. They also crafted immersive stairwell environments for fans exiting the arena, with one designed to feel like walking through an underwater kelp forest and another mirroring a Pacific Northwest forest. These elements ensure fans leave with a powerful reminder of the venue's sustainability mission.
“It was inspiring to be a part of this project and seeing a venue like that go beyond all standards of sustainability.” Holton says. “It has a lot of really rich stories that people remember and we bring that story to the forefront of the fan experience. Fans engage with the meaning and the power of the venue and are reminded of the mission.”
This seamless blend of sustainability and storytelling ultimately cemented the arena as a transformative space for everyone who walks through its doors.
Welcoming the World: KC 2026
Building on her success of crafting unforgettable, large-scale fan experiences in Seattle, Holton is now turning her visionary eye toward her own backyard for one of the biggest sporting events in the world. After living in Kansas City for over two decades, Kelly considers herself a "super fan" of the city. Now, she gets to help design how Kansas City welcomes the globe for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kelly is heavily involved in designing the FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Free and open to the public, the festival will feature watch parties, concerts, and entertainment, acting as a massive, inclusive celebration of KC’s signature charm and hospitality. Additionally, she is working on KC House, a hospitality hub in the Plaza designed to showcase Kansas City's business, innovation, and creativity to international visitors in a more intimate setting.
“This is an opportunity for people of the region to be a part of FIFA regardless of whether they're attending a match.” Holton says. “I've been inspired by the Royals or Chief parades, celebrating together has so much power. Being part of something bigger than yourself, experiencing it together, it’s a celebration of people and culture.”
Recently named a 2026 Women Executives-Kansas City (WeKC) honoree by Ingram’s magazine, Holton is highly aware of the changing landscape of sports architecture. Inspired by the explosive growth of women's sports, like the KC Current's historic purpose-built stadium, she takes her role as a female executive seriously, striving to mentor and develop the next generation of women leaders in the practice.
“It helps when you see other women executives at the table, you see a reflection of yourself and how you join that table yourself.” Holton stated. “I think it's really inspiring and really motivating”
When it comes to the next generation of KCAI students hoping to carve out their own paths, Holton’s advice is to stay curious and keep an open mind.
“Follow your passions. I chose my paths based on my interests... and I didn’t expect to be where I am now. People understand that you’re in it for design, creativity, and quality.”