Kara Hollinger

Owner/Creative Mastermind

For Kara Hollinger, hospitality and creativity go hand and hand. It’s practically in her DNA.

From an early age, she was surrounded by her family’s restaurant and mother’s design business. Those influences culminated into a passion for design, branding, food, and the art of entertaining.

Kara studied graphic design and photography at Purdue University. She took a keen interest in design as storytelling and its power to connect people. She spent years with well-established agencies, as both a creative director and art director, and later founded her first agency 3pm Creative Group. Five years later, she transformed agency life once again as co-owner and creative mastermind of the Plaid Penguin.
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Her diverse list of clients represents a dynamic agility to meet business needs of all sizes with unique and varied brand objectives. Her portfolio includes global and national clients that range from the startup to Fortune 100 companies. She has received over 70 local and national awards for her transformative work.

Her newest venture, Made Outside, is the most exciting chapter yet, combining her love of the natural world with her affinity for connection through design and storytelling. Over the last decade, she has studied the consumer landscape, noting the marked shift toward natural products and conscious choice brands. Kara’s own lifestyle has afforded her the deep knowledge of an early adopter, and she’s continued studying global and national trends while immersing herself in the industry. Made Outside is the culmination of her experiences. Guided by the wisdom that a conscious focus on health, wellness, and connection to the outdoors is a necessary part of company culture, Made Outside aims to transform the design space and shift the paradigm to something more benevolent, and ultimately, more enlightened.

Anna Kate Bryan

Senior Graphic designer

Anna Kate Bryan is the senior designer at Made Outside and the synergistic sidekick to proprietor Kara Hollinger.

Anna Kate, or “AK” as she’s known around the office, is an Asheville native who spent her formative years in the Queen City. After graduating from East Carolina University in 2014 with a degree in fine arts, she returned to Charlotte to pursue her design career.

From an early age, Anna Kate was prone to making stuff. At eight years old, she was doodling in Photoshop to the point where her internet privileges would be revoked. To this day, she says, experimenting with graphics and lettering is an “extension of her soul.” She is a true creative, with vast ability to draw, design, paint, carve, weave, print, and make just about anything.

For Anna Kate, design is a functional application of her formal art training and an opportunity to create visual stories for passionate companies. At Made Outside, she is part of a small, but mighty team of inspiring creatives who are “in it to win it.” When she’s not at home doodling on her iPad, with her two cats, and a cup of coffee, Anna Kate is sweating it out at hot yoga.‍

Fun fact: She's a twin!

We are a team of design experts, content creators, and brand strategists with decades of knowledge and expertise.

Kara Hollinger

Anna Kate Bryan

If it's Made Outside, there is no box.