Raising kids who love to read

Brand: Brightly / Penguin Random House

Role: Art Direction + Branding + Visual Design

Brightly believes that reading has the power to illuminate kids’ lives. Their mission is to provide passionate parents, educators, and caregivers with the tools they need to cultivate a love of books.

I collaborated with the strategy team on brand design and the content marketing website. The result is not just a logo but an expression of visual elements meant to inspire, guide, and engage.

Social Media Design

Brightly’s most significant engagement occurred with posts containing prompts to articles on the site. I redesigned existing templates to target this segment and worked with freelancers to refresh the branding and streamline our workflow. The result was a 125.8% increase in interactions per month.

Email Marketing

At its peak, Brightly consisted of 18 monthly email programs, for which I oversaw the creative direction. Regular audits ensured design consistency, addressed accessibility issues, and optimized the mobile experience. Branding and template libraries allowed testing of different module combinations and configurations.

Wow, those averages! 32% OR - 4% CR

Gift Box Program

Available in the U.S. and Canada, Brightly’s gift box program met a user-defined need for easy, curated, age-appropriate gifting. Perfect for baby showers, unique board book recommendations, one-and-done birthday gifts, and adult coloring fans.

Role: Art Direction + Graphic Design + Prop and Set Styling / Birthday Card Illustrations by Mike Herrod

Product Photography

Brightly promotes age/stage-specific content each month through subscriber emails and on-site articles. These themes are promoted via email marketing, on-site editorial, and social media. A visual narrative was crafted for each campaign, using props and models to bring the books to life.

Role: Art Direction + Prop and Set Styling / Lifestyle Photography by Seana Williamson

  • Baby & Toddler (0-2)

  • Captivating YA Thrillers for Summer

  • Pre-K (3-5)

  • Nature Activity Book for Little Ones

  • Growing Reader (6-8)

  • Summer Reading 2022

  • Tween (9-12)

  • Complete Kindergarten Math Workbook

  • Teen (13+)

  • Delightful Bath Books for Kids

  • Brightly Easter 2022

  • Early Chapter Books

Lead Generation

From engaging interactive printables for kids to informative literacy tips for caregivers, downloadable content helped create effective lead generation opportunities. These printables were fun to design, incorporating playful layouts and typography with hand-drawn art and commissioned illustrations.

Role: Art Direction + Visual Design / Early Reader Illustrations by Penelope Dullaghan