BU Today feature: BU Alums Make Latest Forbes “30 Under 30” List
This article was originally published in Bostonia on January 30, 2020. By Amy Laskowski
In 2014, artist Amber Vittoria had a high-profile job at an advertising agency in New York City, working with Fortune 500 companies in the realms of luxury, fashion, and food and beverage. Burnt out by the long hours, she took a new job as a digital designer at Avon Cosmetics that afforded her a more manageable 9-to-5 schedule. She started using her free time to work on her own artwork. Vittoria (CFA’12) has turned her side gig into a full-time career, and today she’s a sought-after illustrator working with clients like Google and Warby Parker.
Her accomplishments have landed her on the annual Forbes “30 Under 30” list of “breakout talents and change agents,” one of nine BU alums who made the roster. Vittoria appears on the art and style list; other categories include sports, finance, and Hollywood and entertainment.
“The list features 600 trailblazers in 20 industries,” Forbes notes. “Choosing these honorees among thousands of nominees is long and daunting, a three-layer process that relies on the knowledge and authority of our wide-reaching community, skilled reporters, and expert judges. The final product: a collection of bold risk-takers putting a new twist on the old tools of the trade. The future looks bright.”
Vittoria’s illustrations explore the portrayal of women in art and media. In “You Are Not What You Eat,” the example of her work cited by Forbes, a female figure dramatically bends to fit in the frame, her limbs and torso comprising enormous fruits. In 2018, Vittoria reached out to sneaker company K-Swiss to see if it would be interested in collaborating on a design, and the company asked her to create a promotional sneaker for International Women’s Day. She designed a brightly colored shoe, dubbed “This Space Is for You,” which was sold in limited quantities and given to female influencers.
“I’m pretty fortunate that the brands I work with have a similar voice with my work, which is about femininity, the female form, and breaking down stereotypes,” Vittoria says. “Before, I struggled to find work that I could relate to and brands that wanted to do the same thing.”