Stripe
For 1.5 years, I led creative on a growth marketing retainer for Stripe. As the day-to-day lead across a steady stream of campaigns, I helped guide high-performing, scalable work that evolved alongside the brand. It was a fast-paced, creatively rich partnership that pushed the system in all the right ways.
Project Overview
When I began working on the account, Stripe had just launched a beautifully designed brand system: elegant, meticulous, and highly structured. At the same time, our retainer expanded and we began partnering directly with the marketing team, not just supporting brand. The shift increased both the volume and variety of work almost overnight.
The work spanned demand generation, direct response, event launches, and more. Marketing needed quick turnarounds and measurable impact, while brand prioritized consistency and high craft. My role was to navigate both, keeping the creative sharp and aligned while bridging conversations across teams to keep everything moving forward smoothly.
Scope:
Retainer
Brand:
Stripe
Year:
2024-2025
My Approach
Early on, I saw that the brand system, while beautifully crafted, hadn’t yet been pressure-tested at the scale the marketing team was now aiming for. It was solid, but rigid, and needed more flexibility to support the pace and variety of creative work coming through the pipeline.
That realization shaped how I approached the work. We pitched line work and illustration styles to introduce visual range, explored better ways to present and animate UI, and brought in moments of motion that added personality while staying true to the brand.
On the messaging side, I led copy across campaigns from first drafts to final delivery, collaborating with a rotating team of writers. My role sat between strategy and execution, helping uncover the strongest story to tell in each piece and making sure the voice stayed focused, consistent, and engaging.
The Team
Creative Director Angela Sturrus
Senior Art Director Abby Lane
Business Director Dawn Prudden
Executive Producer Addison Born
Senior Producer Debashis Mazumder
Producer Alyse Patrick
Associate Motion Director Heather Seidel
Senior Animator Sean Thompson
Design Director Paul Lafleur
Associate Design Director Grace Kim
Senior Designer Chris Withers
Designer Randy Renteria
Designer Liam Brettenny
A Daring Change to Workflow
Balancing speed and scale meant rethinking how we worked. As timelines got tighter and output increased, we needed a more efficient way to align early and keep momentum. I saw an opportunity to shift our process in a way that was both practical and creatively energizing.
Since we usually had the brief for a few days ahead of kickoff, I used that time to prep early thinking: rough copy directions, wireframes, layout ideas—anything that could ground the conversation. Instead of a traditional deck, I led live working sessions during kickoff. With all the Stripe stakeholders in the room, we could walk through early concepts, ask questions, adjust direction, and align before the work got too far down the road.
These workshops quickly became one of the most valuable parts of our process. They helped us avoid late-stage surprises, shortened review cycles, and gave everyone a clearer stake in where the work was headed.
Performance and Results
Every month, the marketing team shared performance data, especially around paid social. We used those insights to shape what came next. Whether it meant refining copy, simplifying layouts, or evolving how motion showed up in the work, we adjusted based on what resonated (and what didn't).
The result was creative that stayed on brand and kept improving. Click-through rates climbed, engagement got stronger, and the system became easier to work within as we continued to learn and adapt.
In the end, we delivered thousands of assets across formats. The process got smoother, the collaboration tighter, and the creative better with every round.
More Projects
Let's Work Together
Whether you're hiring, looking for a creative partner, or need fresh eyes on a project, I’m open to freelance, full-time, or consulting opportunities.
