Kelly Linhares
Delivering engaging experiences, as a versatile design director,
versed in digital, UI/UX, print, and creative strategy.
I thrive at the intersection of
brand, growth marketing, and product.
A creative leader with 20+ years of experience building teams and brands through multi-channel storytelling.
SHOELACE LEARNING B2B and B2C Ed-Tech SaaS & Gaming
Creative Lead, Marketing & Brand
September 2023 – Today
- Optimized creative on TOF landing pages, topping a 39% conversion rate
- Refined email marketing and onboarding flows, often seeing +50% open rate and reaching +5% CTR
- Defined and delivered on campaigns for all marketing channels; digital, social, performance, event, and product marketing
- Built a corporate brand portal encompassing visual guidelines, voice and tone, personality, corporate values, writing style & inclusive language, ensuring brand adherence across all functions
- Directed brand focus for creative teams in UX/UI, product, and game design
SCALEPAD B2B SaaS – Managed Service Provider
Creative Director
February 2022 – September 2023
- Developed and executed brand architecture & strategy across 5 products
- Launched corporate website, resulting in 87% spike in organic search traffic YoY
- Defined creative strategy through all marketing channels
- Built corporate brand portal, visual guidelines, voice and tone, personality, corporate values, writing style & inclusive language, and ESG
- Established more efficient creative sprint process for managing workflow
- Grew and maintained creative team with high-performing hires
- Mentored and directed multi-disciplinary creative team
- Directed brand focus for UX, product development, and success teams
LASSO CRM B2B SaaS – Customer Relationship Management
Art Director
September 2016 – February 2022
- Developed corporate website, reducing bounce rate by 30% YoY
- Built HTML email template library for CRM product
- Delivered email marketing strategy and design implementation to partners
- Performed email optimization, a/b testing & reporting for maximum deliverability
- Designed brand portal to include visual guidelines, corporate values, and UX components
- Created content (writing/video) for top-of-funnel and middle-of-funnel engagement
- Supported product development through UX/UI design strategy
- Lead creative team, managed workflow in digital, social, and product marketing
ON THE MOON CREATIVE GROUP Agency
President/Creative Director
October 2008 – Present
- Maintained long-term client relationships for self-owned business
- Provided creative services for print, digital, and website & management
- Copy and content creation for email and social marketing
- Directed photo/video shoots, brand development, product naming and logo design
ELEVATE & TRIMARK SPORTSWEAR Corporate/Sport Apparel
Art Director
March 2007 – October 2008
- Designed all marketing and sales assets; catalogues, trade show/event, advertising
- Ensured brand integrity within product for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver
- Developed and scaled specialized brand that became a staple product
- Directed website production, product photo shoots, press approvals
- Obtained PR opportunities for business growth
SWISSMAR IMPORTS Lead Graphic Designer // October 2005 – March 2007
PARETO MARKETING Graphic Designer // January 2005 – October 2005
L.A. ADVERTISING Production Artist // December 2003 – April 2005
COMPASS GROUP Graphic Designer // December 2001 – December 2003
ROGERS MEDIA Graphic Designer // April 2000 – August 2001
HTML, CSS, Web Applications, Editing, Design, Brand, Conceptualizing, Interactive Design, Graphic Design, Typography, System Design, Digital Design, Directing, Advertising, UX and UI, Social, Photography, Management Experience, Client Relationships, User Testing, B2B, B2C, Marketing, Creative Strategy, Video, Presentations, Product, Customer Experience, Content, Brand Identity, Print, CRM, Brand Guidelines, Storytelling
Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, XD, Dreamweaver, AfterEffects, Premiere, CSS, PHP, HTML, Figma, Sketch, WordPress, Elementor, Divi, Hubspot, Mailchimp, Sendgrid, Klaviyo, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, Teams, Sharepoint, Email on Acid, Litmus, Unbounce, Asana, Slack, Monday, Teamwork
CERTIFICATION
GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE
Ontario College Advanced Diploma – Graphic Design
Inspiring & Motivating Individuals
University of Michigan
Foundations of UX Design
Google
Intro to UX Design
Georgia Institute of Technology
Practical Accessibility for Designers
LinkedIn
Developing a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Program
LinkedIn
Unconscious Bias
LinkedIn
Pfft… anyone can win awards, but it means nothing if your peers don’t like you.
