At Learning A-Z, I started as the only in-house designer and grew into a leadership role as Art Director. Even while mentoring another designer and managing contractors, I remained highly hands-on — responsible for nearly half of the creative work produced. I directed campaigns, photoshoots, and brand systems that scaled with the company’s growth.

The Challenge

With multiple products and a growing educator audience, the challenge was building and protecting a unified brand identity while scaling creative output.

Key challenges included:

• Evolving brand consistency while the company rapidly expanded
• Leading campaigns that required cross-department collaboration and multimedia support
• Balancing hands-on design work with mentoring and leadership responsibilities

The Scope of Work

• Brand Guidelines & Systems: Developed style guides, templates, and scalable brand systems.
• Photoshoots & Multimedia: Directed shoots with the Multimedia team (shot lists, model selection, on-site creative direction, product/screen prep).
• Campaign Ideation & Execution: Pitched, led, and executed major annual campaigns (Back-to-School, Teacher Appreciation) including e-commerce redesigns.
• Collaboration & Mentorship: Mentored an in-house designer, directed contractors, and supported cross-functional teams in applying brand standards.
• Design Leadership: Even with a small team, produced ~50% of creative work personally.

The Outcome

• Established a unified brand identity across multiple product lines
• Built yearly campaigns that became cornerstones of the company’s marketing calendar
• Developed a library of brand-aligned multimedia assets through directed photoshoots
• Elevated design standards while mentoring team members and managing contractors

Reflection / Takeaways

• Learned how to grow a design function from a solo role into a leadership position
• Balanced mentoring and directing others with remaining a highly hands-on contributor
• Strengthened skills in cross-functional collaboration and long-term brand stewardship