1. Discovery
Gather information and insights to get a sense of the problem, the audience, what’s been done, and inspiration for what’s possible.
I'm a brand strategist and designer who helps mission-driven companies translate insight into strategy and communication design. With more than 25 years of experience guiding Fortune 500s and founder-led startups alike, I bring a deep understanding of business, storytelling, and human nature to my clients’ communications.
My work is grounded in process and lifted by intuition, visual thinking, and a love of beauty and language. Whether defining a brand platform or wrangling messy brainstorm notes into clarity, I do so with humor, empathy, and a results-driven approach.
I’ve served on senior teams, managed creative teams, co-founded a non-profit for civil rights awareness, and taught classes at the Academy of Art SF. My tools and techniques have evolved as I keep up with tech and trends—including most recently integrating AI into my strategic and creative work.
My book, The Elements of Branding, is a practical guide to building brands with purpose.
Gather information and insights to get a sense of the problem, the audience, what’s been done, and inspiration for what’s possible.
Distill information and insights into a brand platform, customer profile, and positioning that guides all creative work.
Express the strategy and the unique brand style, personality, and voice through consistent visuals and copy. Design the brand look and feel, formats, user interfaces, data display, and infographics.
Launch the brand, train your team, and continually embed the brand into internal and external communications. Implement feedback mechanisms and plan for continuous improvement.
INDEPENDENT: Agency 150, Aravo, Bank of the West, Bateman Agency, Clos Du Val Winery, Kimberly Collins Gems, Layla Sleep, Leapcure, Moving Forward, Napa Valley Lodge, OmniAb, Stella Carakasi, Peet's, Woodruff Sawyer
GRAVITY BRANDING: Johnson&Johnson, Novartis
GREENBERG BRAND STRATEGY: Chipotle, Dell, ESPN, Intel, PG&E, PlayStation, Visa
BRAND ENGINE: Chiquita, Claire Newell, Hewlett-Packard, Ling Ling, The Teaching Company
BONFIRE COMMUNICATIONS: Genentech, Harrah's Entertainment, Nestlé, Spansion, Starbucks
MISC AGENCIES: Amazon, Astro Gaming, Bogle Winery, California Olive Ranch, John Deere, Ramey Winery, Vans, Weber Grill
If you need a brand strategy or want to address a design problem, contact me.
I may be a good fit for your project or I may be able to refer you to someone who is. I will get back to you either way.
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