If life is like a roller coaster, Amanda Keith is the one designing the park. As an art and design senior with a concentration in graphic design, Keith is interning at Disney Imagineering this summer, where she’ll be working to design the posters, handouts and illustrations that make up the storybook experience at the Disney parks.
Throughout college, she’s been able to hone her passion for designing detailed graphics and creating hand illustrations, as well as experiment with typography. A longtime lover of movies, art and history, she’s always gravitated towards creative roles and spaces. For Keith, every design has a story and person behind it. Every design is a labor of love.
Today’s career landscape can be unpredictable for artists. If being an artist has taught Keith anything, though, it’s that if you adhere to your vision, you’ll be pushed in the right direction. No matter what she does, she wants to create memories that last for generations.
In a major that requires hours spent working on projects and painstakingly finalizing details, she’s found comfort in the crazy. For her next roller coaster, she’ll head to Glendale this summer to start making her dreams a reality.
One word that best describes you: Creative
One thing you would bring to a deserted island: Digital camera
Your future plans: Working in the theme park industry and creating memories for generations
One object you can’t do your job without: An iPad with an apple pencil
A Cal Poly class that shaped your life: Concept Art and Storyboarding, (ART 333)
Q and A:
Ishaani Dhanotra: What are you most excited about for the job?
Amanda Keith: The people I’ll meet. I’ve already met a little bit of the crew I will be working under this summer. I’m excited to get to know them, learn from their many years of experience, and gain insight into their creative process and all the small details that contribute to the bigger picture. I want to learn how to make each of those personal and special.
ID: What college experiences prepared you for your future role?
AK: My sophomore year, I competed in the Walt Disney Imagineering Imaginations Design Competition. Every year has a different prompt, but you are given a loose prompt and it’s up to your interpretation to solve a problem. Last time I competed, the prompt was: Think of a space within your college that can provide recreation for students, staff and visitors. My team this year made finals and we placed fourth out of 100+ teams. Our project was called “Moon Path Plaza.” It was focused around the Chumash Tribe, which is native to San Luis Obispo, and their land practices, techniques and culture. We wanted to design a place of appreciation, not appropriation, and give more acknowledgement to the tribe’s history.
ID: What is the biggest challenge in your industry right now?
AK: For me personally, I believe it’s making sure you are keeping up with trends in graphic design. Trends are always changing. The one that’s rising right now is the influx of people using AI to make graphics, specifically on Canva.
ID: How has your major helped prepare you for your future career?
AK: Just meeting everybody and having classes with them, I’ve learned that we all have a similar goal. Being in that environment is very comforting. Students in the art department, we’re all learning together. Because it’s a major that emphasizes meaning over test-taking, we tend to band together to persevere.
ID: What does working for Disney mean to you?
AK: I would say Disney as a whole represents the ability to make dreams a reality. Through the parks, the immersive environments transport visitors to new worlds and unique experiences. I want to be part of the process that creates lifelong memories for generations because you never know if it’s someone’s first, 10th or even last time at the parks.
For the final Peak issue this year, the Peak team chose to hold exit interviews with nine students on the horizon of impact. Whether it’s going pro in a less-than usual sport, starting a cheesecake business or transforming the music marketing scene, nine seniors in the class of 2026 stood out as those led by influence. Check out the rest of the features here.