By Jessica Meditz
jmeditz@queensledger.com
A recent Queens College graduate now has the chance to be close to people’s hearts — or perhaps, their wallets.
Dana Komsky, a Long Island resident and artist who graduated from the college this spring, is now partnering with Discover on designing their student cards.
Komsky, who majored in design, shares her passion for art with the world through social media.
She goes by the screen name, “@colorintheworld,” on Instagram and TikTok, where she has thousands of followers who she motivates each day with her cheerful rainbow designs.
“I started out on Instagram and eventually moved to TikTok during the pandemic to share my art, because that’s when it got really big. I started growing from there,” Komsky said.
“On TikTok, I was able to video my art and involve myself in the process with raw footage and vlogging the experience,” she continued. “I love working with rainbows and lots of colors because it’s so much fun, and I like to make the world a little more colorful.”
Inspired by her talents and seeking out a young artist’s perspective, Discover approached Komsky online to ask her to partner with them in designing their Student Cards.
As part of the campaign, Komsky created three potential card designs: “Go with the Flow,” “Rainbow Frogs” and “For the Foodies” — which she eventually became inspired to make with the help of her friends.
Folks ages 18 and up are able to vote for their favorite design on Discover’s website through August 26. The winning design will be featured on the Discover Student Card.
“Go with the Flow”
She explained that “Go with the Flow” is an abstract design created using a fluid art painting technique, which allowed her to select the desired colors, pour it onto a canvas and let the paint “do what it wants.”
“For the Foodies”
“For the Foodies” is a lighthearted concept inspired by the snacks that college kids indulge in during late-night study sessions, such as chips, popcorn and pizza.
“Rainbow Frogs” was a more deliberate decision, Komsky said, because they are hand-drawn with a specific meaning in mind.
“I used a rainbow realism style to inspire people to look at things differently,” Komsky said.
“I specifically chose the frogs to represent students leaping forward into a new chapter in their lives as they move forward through college and apply for a credit card.”
“Rainbow Frogs”
Komsky, who’s been sharing her art and passion with the world since her senior year of high school, said that she’s amazed that her art has gone from high school art class to a national level, and is excited about her artwork being permanently featured on a card.
“Discover brings a fun and exciting aspect to the card process — between involving my friends and peers and seeing them get excited to get a credit card with my work,” she said.
“I am proud to say that I can make the experience of getting a card more fun and a little less daunting for students, because doing that for the first time can be intimidating.”
She’s also thankful for the small arts community within her major at Queens College for their continued support.
As for the future, Komsky hopes to continue her success by inspiring others to be more colorful via social media, but most importantly, she aspires to keep using her art and skills to make a difference in the world.
