Kelly Walters is a designer and educator whose work investigates the intersection of black cultural vernacular in mainstream media. She feels her role as a designer is to understand how socio-political frameworks and shifting technology influence the sounds, symbols and style of black people. Walters has worked as a designer for SFMOMA, the RISD Museum, Alexander Isley, Inc. Designers and Blue State Digital. She has produced websites, digital social campaigns, books and other printed matter. Kelly is also founder of Bright Polka Dot, an independent design studio that focuses on print, digital and textile design. Walters has previously taught at the University of Bridgeport, the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of San Francisco. From 2015–2016, she was awarded an Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) Teaching Fellowship in the Graphic Design program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Walters received dual degrees at the University of Connecticut, earning a BFA in Communication Design and a BA in Communication Sciences. She completed her MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.