I'm a creative director and brand strategist with 25+ years of experience turning complex ideas into clear, compelling design. I care about the work, the people I work with, and the organizations I work for — and I bring that same commitment whether I'm leading a team, managing a brand system, or sitting down to build something myself.
My professional journey began in 1999 at Transamerica Reinsurance, where I started as the sole in-house designer, responsible for everything creative, end to end. When Transamerica was acquired by AEGON, and later when SCOR acquired the business in 2011, I was retained through each transition and trusted with more. Over 25 years I grew from production artist to senior designer, de facto brand manager for the Life & Health division, and Scrum Master for the global marketing team.
My work spanned print, digital, video, web, and social media, always with an eye toward brand consistency across 25+ international markets. I produced executive presentations for ratings agencies and C-suite leadership, designed and published long-form annual publications distributed globally, and managed multiple brand refreshes including updated logos, color systems, and taglines. The work was measurable — email campaigns averaged 47% open rates and 31% click-through rates, publications averaged 600 lifetime views per edition, web traffic grew 40%, and print costs dropped 50%. That work also earned a 2007 PICA Award of Excellence for European brochure design.
One of the most meaningful things I did in that time had nothing to do with design software. I saw that our global marketing team needed a better way to work, so I built the case for Agile adoption, earned leadership buy-in, and co-led a two-year transformation as Certified Scrum Master alongside a colleague as Product Owner. Watching that team gain confidence, clarity, and momentum was as satisfying as any project I've ever designed.
My process has four parts: Imagine, Explore, Design, Create. Every project starts with a vision. We test it, refine it, and make something that lives in the world. That hasn't changed in 25 years.
In March 2025 I founded Gibbs Design, partnering with organizations to build brands that are strategic, scalable, and built to last. In the first year, a focused LinkedIn content strategy for one client grew their daily reach by over 3,900% and nearly tripled their follower growth. I work best with organizations that are doing serious work and want to look like it.
I'm currently open to in-house Creative Director opportunities and select freelance partnerships. If you're building something that needs to be both beautiful and functional, let's talk.