UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since his time growing up in the Finger Lakes region in New York, alumnus Brian Kappel has long had a passion for Penn State.
The second generation Penn Stater took a unique path that provided a one-of-a-kind experience in Happy Valley and paved the way for a successful career in art and design.
In the latest episode of the Penn State Alumni Association's "The People of Penn State" podcast, Kappel shared the highlights of that path, starting with his days as a student at University Park.
"During the summer, in every odd weekend that we could, my family seemed to find our way back down to Happy Valley. Be it for Arts Fest or antiquing or anything kind of in between, all roads kind of led back to Happy Valley for the family," Kappel said of his deep-rooted ties to Penn State.
"Both of my parents are alumni, my aunt was a Nittany Lion, and then my sister actually started three years before I did. I, of course, was the one that was going to zig instead of zag. I'm like, 'Oh, I'm going to go to Ohio State.' Then my mother brought me down one summer weekend and said, 'Oh, just walk around campus and see what you think.' And I came back and I was like, 'I'm going to stay here, this is where I want to be.'"
After graduating from Penn State's School of Visual Arts in 1998, the now Portland-based designer and visual artist has gone on to complete work for the College Football Playoff, Nike, Jordan Brand, and a mural for the Paterno Library Starbucks. He also owns his own design company, Space Monkey Designs.
His mural in the Paterno Library Starbucks came about through some serendipitous circumstances. Kappel had scheduled a late-summer trip to University Park in 2018, with the intention of touring the campus with his daughter, who was a prospective student at the time.
A few days after he booked the trip, he received a call from the Starbucks marketing team asking if he'd be interested in collaborating on an art piece for their Paterno Library location, with an install date during the exact same timeframe he was scheduled for the summer trip to campus.
You couldn't write a better story.
The 40-foot long, “Moby Dick”-themed mural is a clever interpretation of the popular coffee chain’s nod to the Herman Melville classic.
Kappel’s work depicts the iconic Starbucks siren gazing at the sea where a scene from the book unfolds on the mural. It was created with laser-cut plywood layered and colored with a print of his design. The piece is anchored with an open copy of “Moby Dick" surrounded by one of the book’s quotes: “What I’ve dared, I’ve willed; and what I’ve willed, I’ll do!”
"It became a truly great project and great collaboration with the folks at Starbucks, and I'm thankful I was able to play a part in it," Kappel said.
You can listen to the audio version of the full podcast conversation or watch the video version on YouTube.
About 'The People of Penn State'
Spreading the good news and accomplishments of Penn State and its alumni is at the core of the Penn State Alumni Association's mission.
Hosted by Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford, graduate class of 2020, "The People of Penn State" podcast shares the stories of Penn Staters who are making an impact professionally and/or within their communities.