Splice Design Group

Cathy Schaefer

Cathy began her design career with the internationally renowned firm Chermayeff & Geismar Associates in New York City, where she worked for ten years. As Senior Design Director, Cathy was responsible for corporate identity projects including HarperCollins Publishers and Viacom and was the key person for accounts such as Knoll and Monadnock Paper Mills.

Cathy relocated to Mexico City for five years, established her own design entity, Schaefer Asociados, and continued to partner with Chermayeff & Geismar on various projects. She participated in the creation of several children's museums in various regions of Mexico and functioned as lead creative director for projects, including visual identities, environmental graphics, signage systems and promotional materials. She later moved to Boston and continued as a freelance designer for seven years, prior to relocating to Maryland in 2009.

In addition to graphic design, Cathy paints in oil and has exhibited widely in the Boston area. Originally from Minneapolis, she studied graphic design and painting at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received a BFA in graphic design in 1986, graduating in the top three percent of her class.


Ken Karlic

Ken began his career as Art Director in several design studios in the Chicago and Baltimore areas and as Publication Manager at The Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. At the Science Center, Ken was responsible for creating an in-house design group and overseeing the development of hundreds of graphic projects per year, including brand identity, print, signage, exhibition graphics and outdoor banners. Ken later became Design Manager, and as one of seven senior staff, he was responsible for managing a team of ten in the Exhibits Department, including content development, fabrication, audio-visual and graphic design.

Prior to co-founding Splice Design Group, Ken Karlic led his own studio, Karlic Design, for 15 years, serving a wide range of corporate and institutional clients, including Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, Standard & Poor's and Zurich Financial Services.

In addition to graphic design, Ken paints in watercolor, and his work is in private and institutional collections including Johns Hopkins Hospital. Originally from Chicago, he studied graphic design and painting at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and received a BFA in graphic design in 1986.