BIOGRAPHY

Chris Costello is an award winning graphic designer, coin designer, illustrator, and typeface designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied design, calligraphy, and illustration and graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Visual Communication.

Chris has experience in advertising and in-house marketing services as a creative director, art director, and graphic designer. He has created illustrations for some of the nation’s leading book publishers and by the early 2000’s, he was designing websites for filmmakers and writers including NY Times best-selling authors Matthew Pearl and Robert Kurson.

Since 2010, he has worked with The United States Mint as an Artistic Infusion Program Artist and is credited with over 25 United States coin and medal designs. In 2019 he received a Coin of the Year Award for best gold coin and continues to contribute innovative designs for America’s coin and medal programs. In 2018, he began a contract with The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom and is credited with designing £2 commemorative coins for 2020 and 2021.

Chris is currently the Senior Graphic Designer and design team manager with The Trustees, the oldest land conservation and historic preservation organization in the world. He also serves as an advisory board member for Middlesex Community College and is a member of the Board of Trustees at The Cyrus Dallin Art Museum in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Costello-studio2-web

  • Disciplined and decisive creative leader with skills in staff management and client services.
  • Able to energize creative teams and resolve conflicts with patience, empathy, and respect.
  • Proficient with Adobe CC InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, WordPress, and project management software.

P R O F E S S I O N A L

2019–PRESENT
THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS—Boston, MA
SENIOR DESIGNER, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Creative lead and team manager. Designs for publications, special events, fundraising, social media, art installations, interpretive signage, and property wayfinding. Coordinates design and layout for quarterly membership magazine, Special Places. Contributing to increasing public engagement and 25% membership growth since 2020.

2010–PRESENT
UNITED STATES MINT—Washington, DC
ARTISTIC INFUSION PROGRAM DESIGNER | COINS AND MEDALS
Designs for America’s commemorative and circulating coin and medallic issues. Contributed drawings to over 60 US Mint design programs with selected original artwork appearing on 25 US coins and medals including two Congressional Gold Medals. Presented on creative process at 2017 United States Mint Artist’s Symposium. Winner 2018 Coin of the Year Award for American Liberty 225th Anniversary Gold Coin.

2004–PRESENT
CHRIS COSTELLO DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION—Arlington, MA
DESIGNER AND ILLUSTRATOR
Provides creative direction and design strategies for financial services, real estate, book publishing, small business, and non-profit sectors. Clients include The Royal Mint, The Colombian Mint, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic Press, MIT, Oxford University Press, IBM, Net Lease Capital Advisors, and Harper Collins. Designed Papyrus, Blackstone, Letterpress Text, Mirage, and Virus fonts distributed by Monotype.

2008-2018
NRT/COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE—Waltham, MA
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Designed print and digital marketing materials, corporate communications, and consumer advertising for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. Created and conducted annual design workshops and software training sessions for creative team members. Consistently won awards for creative excellence and set a design standard for the New England real estate market that was imitated by competitors.

V O L U N T E E R

2017–PRESENT
MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE—Bedford, MA
MEMBER, ADVISORY BOARD
Identifies current industry trends and provides recommendations for development of the Graphic Design curriculum. Critiques portfolios of program graduates at end-of-semester reviews.

2015–PRESENT
CYRUS DALLIN ART MUSEUM | TOWN OF ARLINGTON—Arlington, MA
MEMBER, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Provides graphic design, advertising art, public presentations, fundraising, and other volunteer services to further the museum’s mission “to advance the legacy of the celebrated American sculptor, Cyrus E. Dallin”.

A W A R D S

2019
Coin of the Year Award
Winner Best Gold Coin—2017 American Liberty 225th Anniversary Gold Coin reverse design

2018
Henry Johnson 100th Anniversary National Medal Design Competition
First place winner and designer of both sides of silver medal commemorating World War I war hero Henry Johnson

2005–2012
Graphic Design USA—American InHouse Design Awards
Winning entries for Advertising, Annual Report, Invitation, and
Brochure categories

E D U C A T I O N

2000–2003
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY—Boston, MA
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Visual Communication