ABOUT JEANINE
Design has always been how I make sense of complexity.
Jeanine Kelley
SENIOR BRAND & EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
I’m a senior multidisciplinary designer, creative director and independent studio founder with more than 20 years of experience connecting business strategy, visual identity and human experience.
THE THROUGHLINE
My path has never been about collecting disciplines. It has been about understanding how they connect.
Architecture taught me to think in systems. Retail management taught me how businesses and customer experiences operate. Digital design taught me how people navigate information. Independent creative leadership taught me how to listen, make decisions and carry an idea all the way into the world.
Together, those experiences have shaped the kind of designer I am today: strategic but hands-on, highly adaptable and invested in the quality of the complete experience.
THE PATH HERE
Experience built
layer by layer.
01. foundations
Learning to see systems, not just surfaces.
Growing up in Southern California, I was drawn early to the relationship between structure, space and human experience. Four years of architecture and design studies gave me a foundation in proportion, hierarchy, problem-solving and purposeful composition. As my interests expanded into interior, graphic and digital design, I taught myself HTML and CSS and began exploring how those same principles could shape experiences across screens.
02. BUSINESS FROM THE INSIDE
Understanding what happens beyond the design file.
Working in home retail management gave me a practical education in the customer journey and the interconnected systems behind a business. I saw how merchandising, operations, logistics, communication and service shape an experience together. That perspective still influences my work: a brand is never just an identity—it is something people encounter at every touch-point.
03. AN UNEXPECTED STUDIO
Turning a difficult moment into useful creative work.
In 2020, a temporary shutdown interrupted my role as lead designer at a local graphics company just as people around me were trying to create new sources of income. I began helping founders translate early ideas into logos, marketing materials and websites. What started as a way to help became an independent creative practice—and an opportunity to guide businesses through the complete journey from uncertainty to launch.
04. BREADTH WITH PURPOSE
Becoming more adaptable with every challenge.
Since then, I have continued expanding my knowledge across brand strategy, UX/UI, website design, campaigns, production and emerging creative workflows. Working across wellness, healthcare, construction, hospitality, nonprofit and professional services has taught me how to enter unfamiliar territory, ask better questions and build a visual system suited to the specific business rather than relying on a familiar formula.
DESIGN IN SERVICE OF OTHERS
Meaningful work includes finding ways to give something back.
Some of the opportunities I value most have allowed me to support nonprofit organizations and people navigating difficult circumstances. I have contributed design and digital support to causes including animal health and community events, using the same care and professional standard I bring to commercial work.
Those projects reinforce something I believe deeply: design can create clarity, build trust and help good work reach more people.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Ready to contribute to something bigger.
Building an independent practice has given me breadth, resilience and an unusually close understanding of how creative decisions affect real businesses. I’m now looking to bring that experience to a company and team that values thoughtful design, collaborative problem-solving and high standards.
I’m especially interested in opportunities that will let me contribute at a senior level while continuing to be challenged—learning from other talented people, strengthening a shared creative vision and helping the organization produce work we are genuinely proud of.
CURRENT DIRECTION
Relocating to California · Open to California-based and remote roles
ALWAYS LEARNING
Curiosity is part of the work.
Studying
Consumer behavior, brand strategy, accessibility, UX/UI, digital marketing and evolving visual culture.
Exploring
Emerging technologies and AI-assisted creative workflows that strengthen—not replace human judgment and original thinking.
Outside the Studio
You’ll usually find me near the beach, spending time with my dog, Sophi, or writing and developing a new idea.
OPEN TO THE RIGHT FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITY
Let’s create work
we’re proud of.
Senior brand, visual and experience design · California and remote