How PCA&D Prepared Graphic Design Alumna Emma Ries for a Fast Career Start

Now designing billboards for regional businesses at Oak Tree Outdoor Advertising, Emma Ries also runs a growing independent nail art business she launched as her PCA&D senior thesis.

Graphic design alumna Emma Ries is proof that a Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D) education prepares students for more than one kind of creative career.

A month after graduating from PCA&D, Ries landed a job as a graphic designer at Oaktree Outdoor Advertising, where she designs billboards for businesses and organizations across the region, putting the skills she learned at PCA&D to work every day.

At the same time, she’s growing Pretty Sharp Nails, an independent nail art business that began as a hobby, evolved into her PCA&D senior thesis and has found its moment as nail art becomes a bigger part of fashion and self–expression than ever.

Her path shows how PCA&D equips students with both the skills to land creative roles across industries and the tools to build something entirely their own. We caught up with Ries to talk career readiness, craft and building two creative pursuits at once.

How did PCA&D prepare you for life after graduation?

Career prep is built into the curriculum there. We spent a full semester on interviewing and job applications, built our own portfolio websites in one class, and worked on resumes and did mock interviews in another. My foundation year – the drawing and color theory courses everyone takes first – also made me a much stronger, more well–rounded designer. By the time I graduated, I already had a professional portfolio and real interview experience, so I felt ready instead of nervous. Shoutout to Professor Ellie Cochran for teaching me everything I need to know about web design.

What did you love about being a student in Lancaster?

Lancaster is such an art-driven city – art and music are everywhere, and I loved that. PCA&D is right in the heart of it on Gallery Row, so you’re surrounded by art just walking to class. It’s pretty unique; a lot of the other art schools I looked at weren’t in a place that art-centralized. On top of that, the location itself was just so convenient – there was always something to do between classes or after, and getting into the city never felt like a hassle. I really loved everything about being there.

How did you land your job at Oaktree Outdoor Advertising?

Someone in my network saw my graduation post and mentioned her company was hiring newly graduated designers. She passed my portfolio along, I interviewed, and I started about a month after graduation. I’ve designed boards for Souvlaki Boys, York College, and State Farm, among others. No two days look the same, and I’m using what I learned at PCA&D every single day.

You also run an independent nail art business, Pretty Sharp Nails. How did that start?

It actually started during the pandemic. All the nail salons were closed, I was bored, and I bought a basic gel nail kit with maybe six colors. I kept doing my own nails, and my collection just kept growing from there. Once I got to PCA&D and found out about the senior thesis project, I knew right away I wanted to build it around nails. One of my friends had done her thesis on upcycled clothing a couple years before me, and her concept inspired the direction I took mine.

Nails feel like they’re having a real cultural moment right now. What’s that been like to watch?

It used to be that nail art was something you could really only get at a salon. Now it’s become part of how people put together an outfit, especially for things like concerts – I’ve done commissions for people wanting a specific look for a show. There’s a whole community around it on Instagram and Pinterest, and I really think it’s become its own art form.

What’s your favorite part of doing commission work?

Giving someone the nails they requested and seeing their joy from how I’ve captured their vision – that’s my favorite feeling in the world. I recently did a Lady Gaga–inspired set for a client’s daughter and could not wait for her to see them. It’s like giving someone a gift you made yourself.

What does it feel like to be living the creative life professionally, on both fronts?

Honestly, it’s a huge accomplishment. I know a lot of people struggle to find jobs right after school, so being able to start so quickly, and to keep building my nail business at the same time, means I never really had a break to get comfortable doing nothing. It set me up to hit the ground running and made me a lot more confident than I expected to feel this early on.

Where can people see your nail art?

You can find my work on Instagram @prettysharpnailz.