Strategic Design & Storytelling for Business Impact
As a practical innovator, I build strategic design cultures that inspire and empower teams to drive real business impact. I push the boundaries of what’s possible—solving customer challenges, creating engaging content, and enabling teams to execute with purpose. My expertise spans original digital programming that drives revenue through storytelling, branding initiatives that establish global creative identities, data visualization that simplifies complex narratives, and immersive digital storytelling that fosters a creative-first culture. By leveraging strategic planning, audience insights, and cutting-edge design, I craft solutions that not only engage but also generate measurable business outcomes.
Visual Storytelling
Fostering a Creative-First Culture
Transform a traditional text-driven editorial culture into a digital-first, visually creative organization capable of producing immersive, multimedia stories.
Selected work from 2023-present
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development, Strategy
The Cases of January 6th
36 Days Adrift
Lethal Restraint
Death of Tyre Nichols
50 Years of Hip-Hop
Trump Investigations
Purdue: The seeds of change
Afghanistan: In a new light
The Protein Problems
Data Visualization & Interactive Design
Engaging Audiences Through Simplified Visual Storytelling
Create compelling interactive experiences and data visualizations to elevate audience understanding of complex news stories.
Redesigned the visual language of AP’s interactive storytelling, integrating modern design principles to make data visualizations both engaging and intuitive.
Delivered rich, user-centric interactive designs that drive exploration and comprehension.
Enhanced the accessibility of complex information through sleek, minimalist visuals.
Selected work from 2024-present
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development, Social Strategy
AP News Election Results
Maui Wildfires Interactive
Thanksgiving Buying Power
Paris 2024 Hometown Heroes
AP Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Car Energy Waste
Driving Revenue Through Digital Storytelling
Original Programming
Develop new revenue streams by creating and monetizing original digital video content, such as mini-documentaries that engage and inform audiences.
Leverage AP’s extensive archival video resources and journalistic expertise to conceptualize and produce pilot mini-documentaries. Pitch these innovative digital products to prospective advertisers and distribution partners to unlock incremental revenue.
Created a scalable framework for producing original content, driving increased engagement across digital platforms.
Generated incremental revenue streams via targeted advertising and strategic partnerships.
Selected work from 2022-present
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development,
AP News Design
Establishing a Global Creative Identity
Enhance production output while ensuring consistent brand identity across all digital products.
Developed a cohesive global brand identity system, enabling producers and editors to streamline design workflows and focus on content creation.
Delivered a clean, recognizable aesthetic that differentiates each video product for a global audience.
Increased output efficiency by embedding brand consistency directly into existing video workflows.
Selected work from 2022-present
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development,
Next-Generation Audiences
Anticipating Tomorrow’s Consumers
Adapt to shifting audience preferences and consumption habits shaped by generational and cultural changes, emerging technologies, and evolving media landscapes.
Using a sprint process to create a social strategy to build and grow younger audiences while creating targeted engaging content that establishes brand recognition and generates revenue.
Selected work from 2020-present
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development, Social Strategy
VOICES OF PROTEST
Explore the powerful stories of protestors crying for change all across the US.
Product Design & Brands
RED ELIXIR - ASCENIV - CANTOR FITZGERALD
Designed marketing products to drive sales and increase brand awareness among consumers. Developed content strategies focused on attracting new customers through advertising, branding, and informational campaigns.
Worked with Red Elixir Energy Drink on marketing, sales, and brand awareness initiatives. Developed social media content for ASCENIV by ADMA Biologics to enhance branding and audience engagement.
Created a range of content for Cantor Fitzgerald, including promotional videos, app design, conference materials, billboards, and various print assets.
Selected work from 2020-2023
Role: Creative Direction, Design, Development,
ASCENIV FACEBOOK AD
“Be creative, Design, Explore, Innovate & bring ideas to life”
—Darrell A.