Art Director & Creative Strategist

Blending high-impact art direction with data-driven social media strategy.

A smiling woman wearing glasses and a red knit beanie takes a selfie in a room with pink lighting.

Hi there!

I’m Cecelia. By day, I’m an Art Director working for an Iowan financial institution — which means I spend my time translating high-level business goals into fun, multi-channel creative campaigns that people actually want to look at.

By night, I’m an illustrator, an avid thrifter, and an independent designer creating hand-lettered stickers and merch inspired by pop-punk, grunge, and lots of 2000s nostalgia.

I’ve spent the last decade-plus proving that strategy and raw creative energy don't have to be mutually exclusive. Whether I'm working on digital launches that spike web traffic by double digits, bringing a custom children's book mascot to life, or designing apparel for retail platforms like Hot Topic, I bring the same energy: structured enough to meet rigorous deadlines, yet creative enough to keep things interesting.

Basically, I bridge the gap between heavy-hitting strategy and hands-on design. Let’s make something cool!

The Strategy Part

I know how to manage chaotic, massive workflows without losing my mind or missing a deadline.

The Creative Part

My brain lives in the Adobe Creative Cloud, digital illustration, and typography, but I'm also totally comfortable leveraging new tools to speed up some of the boring stuff.

The Social Part

I don’t just post to post. I look at the data to figure out what hooks people, matches the aesthetic, and drives actual growth.

Portfolio Highlights

  • Two smartphones displaying social media posts about financial topics, including money and credit management, with one showing a notepad, cash, and a calculator.

    That's Money Social Graphics

    Social media graphics for Veridian Credit Union’s sub-brand, That’s Money targeted to Gen Z and Millennial viewers. The goal is to create stop-the-scroll content.

  • Green baseball cap with pink text that reads 'No GODS NO MASTERS' on the front.

    No Gods No Masters Typography Desig for Garbage

    Typography design for the band, Garbage. Featured on their merch in 2021/2022.

  • CASETiFY Collection

    This was the collection I created with CASETiFY. The collection consisted of phone cases and tech cases.

  • 27 Club by MGK Hoodie Graphics

    Designed some graphics for a women’s cropped hoodie for MGK’s coffee shop, 27 Club.

  • Licensed Design for Wicked Clothes

    My original illustrations are available for licensing. This design was licensed to Wicked Clothes.

  • PPAI: More Popular Than Congress Shirt

    This was a shirt I designed for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa fundraiser.

Email Me for More Details

Creative & Art Direction

Art Direction
Leading the visual evolution of comprehensive brand campaigns from concept to execution.

Creative Direction
Overseeing high-level creative vision and defining overarching campaign narratives.

Brand Identity & Systems
Designing cohesive visual frameworks, guidelines, and brand transformations.

Campaign Development
Concepting and launching omni-channel campaigns that drive audience action.

Typography & Lettering
Creating specialized typography systems and original hand-lettered designs.

Visual Merchandising
Styling and directing creative layouts for catalogs and retail assets.

Character Development
Designing original illustrated characters and translating them into brand assets.

Mood Boarding & Concepting
Curating visual inspiration, color palettes, and stylistic direction for new projects.

Social Media & Digital Strategy

Social Media Strategy
Architecting content plans that target specific demographics and increase engagement.

Audience Growth & Analytics
Monitoring digital performance metrics and leveraging data to scale web traffic.

Digital Rollouts
Executing coordinated launches across digital, web, and social touchpoints.

Content Creation
Designing platform-specific graphics, motion elements, and promotional media.

E-commerce Management
Operating independent storefronts, optimization pipelines, and digital listings.

Trend Forecasting
Identifying and translating cultural aesthetics, music subcultures, and millennial/Gen-Z trends into commercial design.

Operational & Collaboration

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partnering with executive stakeholders, external vendors, and internal teams to execute complex projects.

Creative Workflow Management
Structuring end-to-end production pipelines from initial brief to final delivery.

Project Management Tools
Utilizing Workfront, Asana, and other project management software to keep multi-channel projects running smoothly.

Creative Proofing & Review
Managing collaborative feedback and approval cycles using tools like ZiFlow.

Rigorous Deadline Management
Balancing unique brand identities for multiple simultaneous projects under tight turnarounds.

Freelance Client Management
Handling independent client relationships, creative briefs, and custom merchandise partnerships.

Experiential Marketing Support
Collaborating on physical marketing touchpoints, including event collateral and live mascot development.

Stakeholder Alignment
Translating complex corporate business objectives into clear, high-impact creative solutions.

Let’s Work Together

Have a project that needs a little creative assistance or a role that needs some serious design muscle?

Drop your details here and let’s talk strategy, aesthetics, or our favorite alternative bands.

I respond within 24 to 48 business hours.