Hello, world! My name is Kaitlyn, and I’m an art director pursuing optical poetry in NYC.
I often describe my creative career as constant baptisms by fire (affectionately).
My first role at AKQA was in the human resources department where I honed my downy soft skills for a year and a half before transferring to creative. Partially self-taught, majorly-mentored, and incredibly grateful – during my tenure at the agency, I practiced tenacity, stayed curious, and got really comfortable not knowing things but figuring them out. I touched a breadth of projects from digital, to print, to branding, and 360º campaign work. And during those projects, I worked within art director and designer capacities.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve led art and design direction for startups like skincare brand Peachy and bathrooming startup TUSHY. I’ve worked across a range of mediums including branding, websites, performance creative, email marketing, product and app design, packaging, and more. Beyond visual design, I’ve also built operational design systems—creating processes for strategy, creative workflows, and project management that helped these teams move faster, collaborate better, and scale more silky smoothly.
As I look to the future, I want to continue working with brave, culture-conscious brands who are passionate about innovation and inclusivity. And as I reflect on the past, I see how new experiences – like moving coasts, continents, and/or departments during different life chapters – have shaped me into the curious creative I am today.
↳ Happy to chat freelance opportunities – email me 
↳ Career switch story detailed here.
Hello, world! My name is Kaitlyn, and I’m an art director pursuing optical poetry in NYC.
I often describe my creative career as constant baptisms of fire (affectionately).
My first role at AKQA was in the human resources department where I honed my downy soft skills for a year and a half before transferring to creative. Partially self-taught, majorly-mentored, and incredibly grateful – during my tenure at the agency, I practiced tenacity, stayed curious, and got really comfortable not knowing things but figuring them out. I touched a breadth of projects from digital, to print, to branding, and 360º campaign work. And during those projects, I worked within art director and designer capacities.
Given my penchant for navigating ambiguity to create beautiful outcomes, I joined Peachy as their first creative hire in 2021. Since then, I’ve led their creative team in redefining and refining Peachy’s brand language across both visual and written touch points. I’ve also served as the team’s project manager and have built the department from the ground up – applying design thinking throughout and creating countless color-coded Notion documents to foster easier processes for my team and its collaborators.
As I look to the future, I want to continue working with brave, culture-conscious brands who are passionate about innovation and inclusivity. And as I reflect on the past, I see how new experiences – like moving coasts, continents, and/or departments during different life chapters – have shaped me into the curious creative I am today.
↳ Happy to chat freelance and mentorship opportunities – email me
↳ Career switch story detailed here.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Art Director, Peachy,
New York, NY,
October 2021 – Present
Art Director, AKQA,
San Francisco, CA,
July 2021 – October 2021
Visual Designer, AKQA,
San Francisco, CA,
February 2019 – June 2021
Associate Designer, AKQA,
San Francisco, CA,
August 2017 – January 2019
HR Coordinator, AKQA,
San Francisco, CA,
November 2015 – July 2017
ESL Teacher, YBM ECC,
Seoul, Korea,
November 2013 – March 2015
CLIENTS
Peachy, Apple, Facebook, Levi's, ServiceNow, Audi, Peet's, Floodgate, SME Climate Hub
EDUCATION
University of California, Berkeley,
Bachelor of Arts Double Major,
Practice of Art and Media Studies
California College of the Arts,
Continuing Education, Design
SKILLS
Adobe Creative Suite (all the usual suspects), Figma, Sketch, Final Cut Pro, Procreate, Principle, Illustration
SOCIAL
SKILLS
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects), Figma, Sketch, Final Cut Pro, Procreate, Principle, Keynote, Google Slides
SOCIAL
