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Every project begins with a story worth telling.

Portrait of a person at Skid Row Pride wearing pink eye shadow, holding up their ponytail against a blue background.

01

Creative Direction

I lead campaigns that start with vision and end with impact. My approach combines clarity of strategy with the intimacy of storytelling, ensuring every campaign connects on a human level. What story needs to be told? Why now? Who is at the heart of it, and how do we honor their voice? What do we want people to feel and carry with them after engaging with it? Documentary instincts keep the work grounded, while an editorial eye sharpens the message so it lands with authority. From brand launches to social impact initiatives, I direct creative that translates values into visuals and strategy into action.

Campaign Strategy & Development

Brand Storytelling

Creative & Design Direction

Integrated Marketing

Editorial & Content Design

Social Impact Campaigns

02

Product Design

My work spans product design, UX/UI, design systems, and visual communication, but the constant is clarity. I refine the details while keeping the larger system in view, making sure every screen, interaction and component belongs to a coherent experience. I don’t design in isolation. I design in context, considering the user’s full journey, the product ecosystem, and the broader story the work needs to tell.

Product Design

UX & Interaction Design

Information Architecture & User Flows

Design Systems

Research Synthesis & Usability

Complex Systems & Data-Dense Interfaces

03

Photography & Film

I see stories in the details others pass by. My work lives at the intersection of documentary and editorial: honest, emotional and refined. I photograph and direct films for brands and organizations that want their story told with clarity and impact. From portraits to campaign imagery to short-form films, I create visuals that are lived-in, story-driven and impossible to fake. The goal isn’t just to capture a moment, but to build a moment people remember.

Portraiture

Editorial Photography

Documentary Photography

Lifestyle & Event Photography

Social Reels & Short-Form Content

Brand Storytelling

Documentary Films

FAQs

Can you lead a project, or do you just execute?

I do both. I’ve led work from early discovery and definition through design, iteration and delivery, while staying close enough to the details to make the work strong. I’m comfortable bringing structure to ambiguous problems, aligning people around a direction and carrying that direction through to execution.

How do you approach collaboration?

I bring a clear point of view without assuming I have all the answers. Depending on the work, that may mean collaborating with product, research, engineering and subject-matter experts, or with writers, producers, strategists, photographers and other creatives. I try to understand who has the right expertise for each decision, ask good questions and keep everyone working toward the same idea.

What makes your work different from other designers or photographers?

I bridge disciplines without treating them as separate worlds. My background spans product design, visual design, creative direction, photography and film, so I think about structure, usability, visual language and story at the same time. That range helps me see the larger system, communicate ideas clearly and move comfortably between highly technical work and the human experience around it.

How do you ensure the work connects with real people?

I start by paying attention. In product work, that might mean interviews, research, observing a workflow or understanding where an existing experience is failing people. In photography and film, it means being present long enough for something real to emerge. In campaign work, it means understanding who we’re speaking to before deciding what we want to say. The medium changes; the instinct doesn’t.

What kinds of projects are you best suited for?

I’m drawn to work with something substantial at its center: a complex product that needs to become clearer, a brand or campaign with a real story to tell, or a documentary subject that deserves care and attention. I’m especially useful when the work needs both structure and strong visual judgment, when clarity, craft and human understanding all matter.

What’s your process?

I’m context-first and big-picture by nature. I start by understanding the full landscape around the work: the people involved, what they’re trying to accomplish, what already exists, the constraints, and how this piece fits into the larger system or story. I want to understand the whole before I start solving the part. From there, I make the problem concrete. In product design that may mean information architecture, workflows, states and interaction models; in creative direction it may mean the central idea, narrative and visual language; in photography or film, it often begins with research, observation and access. Then I make, test, refine and keep checking the details against the larger intent. I don’t follow one rigid methodology. The process changes with the work, but the principle stays the same: understand the context, hold onto the big picture, and make every decision serve it.

Testimonial

“Working with Melissa was a pleasure from start to finish. Her editorial sensibility and calm presence put everyone at ease, and she captured images that go beyond portraiture. They tell the story behind the story. The results elevated the cover shoot into a visual narrative that felt deeply authentic.”

— Emilie Villeneuve, Chief Editor of Vivant Magazine

“Working with Melissa was a pleasure from start to finish. Her editorial sensibility and calm presence put everyone at ease, and she captured images that go beyond portraiture. They tell the story behind the story. The results elevated the cover shoot into a visual narrative that felt deeply authentic.”

— Emilie Villeneuve, Chief Editor of Vivant Magazine

“Working with Melissa was a pleasure from start to finish. Her editorial sensibility and calm presence put everyone at ease, and she captured images that go beyond portraiture. They tell the story behind the story. The results elevated the cover shoot into a visual narrative that felt deeply authentic.”

— Emilie Villeneuve, Chief Editor of Vivant Magazine