↳ MY STORy

I'm Sarah, a designer based out of San Francisco. My focus is to have a positive impact on the world and those around me through design.

I love building brand worlds through design systems, integrated campaigns and customer experiences, both online and IRL.

After hours you can find me enjoying the sunshine, curling up with my two cats, learning new things, or discovering new music.

Art Director

Amazon

2024 - 2025

Defined and led creative expression for key brands within Amazon Transportation's global portfolio
Partnered with marketing teams to transform complex logistics narratives into compelling brand experiences
Created scalable global design frameworks enabling consistency across 10 regions while accommodating local market needs
Collaborated with XFN partners to deliver integrated marketing campaigns across digital and traditional channels

senior brand designer

Coursera

2018 - 2021

Led creative direction for Coursera's global rebrand, unifying visual identity across product and marketing, including defining core brand guidelines for type, color, photography, illustration and layout, and how to flex their expression across the user experience
Led creative direction for major global marketing campaigns and product launches, managing design team execution across all campaign touchpoints
Established and scaled the email design system to move from reactive designing to proactive and cross-functional systems thinking
Partnered with product and marketing teams to roll out new visual identity across platform and marketing channels for a seamless experience
Directed design team in executing creative vision for high-impact global campaigns, product launches, digital experiences, marketing collateral, out of home, communications, environmental, and more
Spearheaded the creation of component-based systems, templates, toolkits, and guidelines for varying design abilities so colleagues across the org could scalably create the materials needed for their everyday work.
Mentored junior designers on how to clearly communicate design rationale and give feedback through team design critiques that encouraged idea-sharing.
Delegated projects to junior designers based on their strengths, interests, and bandwidth. Identified stretch assignments to create growth opportunities.

Multi-disciplinary designer

Freelance

2018 - Present

Led end-to-end product design for language learning app Bilingual Generation, including brand identity, user flows, and interface design, successfully launching in Apple App Store
Created campaign creative, illustrations, and animations for Anthropic's AI product launches, contributing to brand's rapid growth and market recognition
Developed comprehensive brand identities and design systems for multiple clients:
-Greenplaces: Built out full illustration system and visual language
-NWG: Created presentation templates, iconography, and animated assets
-Bankstreet Ed Center: Established sub-brand identity aligned with parent institution
Led video production for social media campaigns on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for Found Health
Directed creative for Coursera's executive presentations, maintaining brand excellence at high-profile events
Pioneered AI-enhanced design workflows for many clients, reducing production time by as much as 40%

brand designer

Coursera

2016 - 2018

Thrived in a fast-paced startup environment while self-directing multiple projects at a time, quickly grasping complex briefs to provide on-brand solutions
Introduced data-driven design methodology improving campaign conversion rates by 40%
Developed foundational component library and pattern documentation to streamline marketing design production to handle 2x project volume across email, social, and web
Built self-service design tools to enable marketing teams to create on-brand content 3x faster
Fostered a growth mindset through experimentation, curiosity, and staying up-to-date with best practices and emerging technologies

visual & Graphic designer

Holbrook Travel

2012 - 2016

Led strategic redesign of company website increasing conversion rates by 20% through improved information architecture, UX and visual design
Owned projects end-to-end, from high-level strategic direction to production details, utilizing excellent craft, strong design sensibilities, and clear design rationales
Worked directly with external vendors and agencies to complete design projects
Created scalable design templates reducing production time by 50% while maintaining brand consistency

Personal values

Have a positive impact

🌎

Make life more playful

🌈

Uplift and celebrate others

🎉

Express yourself authentically

🦄

Challenge the status quo

🤘

Personal strengths

I'm curious

🧐

I'm intuitive

✨

I'm a little weird

👩‍🎤

I care deeply

💗

I value integrity

⚖️

Things that bring me joy

Dancing

💃

Meeting new animals

😻

Thrifting

👚

Live concerts

🎸

Fresh fruit

🍓

Halloween

👻

↳ Expertise

I craft thoughtful design solutions that champion brand and business outcomes through visual storytelling. Below are some of my areas of expertise

As a design leader my goal is to inspire a culture of excellence by mentoring designers and partners in creative collaboration and best practices. I ensure the long-term scalability and efficiency of team processes and tools with a systems thinking approach to my decision making.

Accessible + inclusive design

Asset management

Brand evangelism

Budgeting resources

Coaching junior designers

Critique & feedback

Future-focused

Process improvement

Scalable design systems

Shaping design vision

Strategic thinking

Talent management

Training & playbooks

I build relationships and partner with teams across an organization to enhance the user experience and I'm just as comfortable working on loose, broadly-defined concepts as I am executing on tactical deliverables.

Research + discovery

Simplifying complexity

Rapid learning + ideation + iteration

Business sense

Relationship management

Systems thinking

X-functional collaboration

I love learning the latest tools, techniques and trends to deliver best-in-class, dynamic visual experiences. Here are some of the tools I like using.