Agency: Battery Video Production:
Denim Splice Team:
Simone Stafford, Drew Joseph, Sarah Xiong, Hugh McAvoy
Splice launched a new product, Splice INSTRUMENT, giving artists instant access to expressive, high-quality sounds that feel uniquely their own. This was our largest product launch to date.
A key design challenge I faced while leading this project was building an engaging marketing campaign with a unifying design system that could connect back to the product. The product was already fully designed, so I partnered with the Creative Director and the Design Lead to create a system inspired by the visual elements of the product. I oversaw the creation of a flexible, responsive framing device that scaled seamlessly across channels, tying the campaign together with a distinct visual identity, while always paying homage to the product.
Splice INSTRUMENT
The product’s shape served as a framing device across all campaign assets, and by placing artists within this frame, we highlighted how they discover and shape their own signature sounds through the product, making the creative process both visible and authentic.
John Legend was the first signature artist featured in Splice INSTRUMENT. We recorded five expressive presets inspired by the grand piano behind his iconic ballad “Ordinary People.”
Because our photoshoot with John happened before we landed on our campaign’s design system, it differed stylistically from our campaign. Knowing we would work with more artists in the future, and potentially not have control of photographic style, the framing device became essential in linking artist content back to Splice INSTRUMENT.
This design system has since been adopted by the INSTRUMENT marketing team, giving the marketing assets for this product a consistent and unique visual identity.
Our goal: Develop brand photography that visualizes Splice’s mission and strengthens brand sentiment.
Our solution: Introduce imagery with a soft, filmic quality, which is a deliberate shift from the previous hard-flash, high-contrast photo style.
Our reasoning: We wanted a photographic approach that places the artist and their process at the center. This more intimate style communicates care and compassion, allowing the emotion of the moment to come through and creating a deeper connection between artist and audience.
To keep our mission at the center, I established a set of guiding principles that aligned everyone throughout the process:
Authentic
Emotional
Active
Intimate
These principles served as touchstones during every shoot, ensuring we stayed focused on creating imagery that truly reflected Splice’s vision.
003.
Southside’s 808 Day
JOB: Splice ROLE: Art Direction, Graphic Design
August 8 — 8/08 — 808
For 808 Day, we collaborated with the King of Trap to host an event in Los Angeles.
The event celebrated the launch of Southside’s latest Splice pack while bringing the community together through various activities, live beat battles, and an intimate conversation with Southside himself.
004.
Co-branded Marketing
JOB: The Atlantic ROLE: Art Direction, Graphic Design
I partnered with brands including REI, Netflix, Dyson, Hewlett Packard, and more, utilizing The Atlantic’s journalistic sensibility to craft impactful visual stories that pushed the boundaries of traditional marketing.
This included digital storytelling with interactive landing pages, engaging social graphics, traditional paid ads, and custom illustration for the site.
ART: Jenna Blazevich
CLIENT: Netflix While our primary goal was to collaborate with clients on compelling, initiative-driven stories, every piece needed to uphold the same level of quality, craft, and editorial integrity expected of The Atlantic’s journalism and art direction.
ART: Eleanor Shakespeare
CLIENT: Texas A&M University
I art-directed numerous illustrators at The Atlantic, leading projects that reached millions of readers and generated significant engagement.
004.
Editorial Art Direction
Job: Splice Role: Art Direction
ART: Michael Haddad
ART: Jordan Moss
ART: Filip Fröhlich
ART: Nhung Le
We launched a series of expert-written blog posts on high-interest music topics. Paired with original artwork, these posts increased overall blog traffic significantly.
Here are three examples from the series, with artwork by Shakeil Greeley.
005.
Hillary for America
Job: Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign Role: Graphic Design
At Hillary for America, email and merchandise served as tools to engage our supporters and raise funds. Our program generated more revenue than any previous campaign.