Kittles also designs promotional materials, brochures and advertising for such local clients as CareSource, Dayton Public Schools, The Victoria Theatre and Sinclair Community College.
The statehouse is hardly new to Kittles, who worked there as a graphics manager during the Taft administration. “I was ready for a change and a shorter drive to work, so moved on to the Ohlmann Group in Dayton in 2006.”
At The Ohlmann Group, an advertising and communications firm, Kittles is a senior art director. “We do just about everything, from web to print, trade shows, advertising — we do concept to completion, and have to keep up with technology and trends.”
Since he’s been at Ohlmann, he’s won two Gold Hermes Awards from the Dayton Chapter of the American Advertising Federation for his work.
A friend at the governor’s office heard about the T-shirt design competition and sent the information to Kittles via Facebook. “The parameters had to do with the statehouse or state, and since it was for the Statehouse Museum Shop, I stuck with that theme.”
There were two competitions, one for adults and one for 18-and-younger artists. Kittles used Adobe Illustrator to create his winning design, but says that Photoshop’s his specialty.
“About a month ago, I received an email that mine was selected, and it’s supposed to be in the store (by now). I was thrilled, since I’d done it on a whim, not expecting to win or knowing what the other entries were like.
“One of my friends who works in (Ohio Attorney General) Mike DeWine’s office saw a story about the winners in the Statehouse newsletter and emailed a woman I used to work for to check out the winner — I got a kick out of that.”
Although he’s familiar with most areas of the Statehouse, he’s never been to the cupola of the rotunda. “I have to make an appointment, and after a tour of the Statehouse, they’ll present me with a shirt in the cupola.”
When he was a student at Springfield South High School, Kittles knew he wanted to be an artist, and he went on to graduate from the School of Advertising Art in Kettering after high school.
Kittles, 42, lives in Springfield with his wife, Susan, and 9-year-old daughter, Abbey.
The 18-and-younger T-shirt design winner was Reimi Wakabayashai, a Columbus middle school student.
About the Author