hey there!

it’s nice to

meet you!

I’m Sarah, a designer & occasional educator based in tiny, coastal Rhode Island. For over a decade, I worked in branding, packaging, and franchise development for some of the world’s best-known toy brands.

Now, I’m looking to bring my thoughtful approach, cheerful disposition, and collaborative thinking to a new creative opportunity.

a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Branding

☺

Visual Strategy

☺

Art Direction

☺

Design Education

☺

Photo + Video Direction

☺

Packaging Design

☺

Branding ☺ Visual Strategy ☺ Art Direction ☺ Design Education ☺ Photo + Video Direction ☺ Packaging Design ☺

Like many in-house designers, my work required deep fluency in the brands I supported, including their history, positioning, and future direction. I collaborated with a wide range of partners across projects spanning branding, marketing, product design, franchise development, and more, all in service of a holistic brand vision.

This work ranged from shaping future-facing initiatives to supporting behind-the-scenes innovation. Deliverables included both the expected, such as presentation design, ideation, web design, and digital content, and the unexpected (artwork for baby doll eyeballs, stickers for a ride-on scooter, and styling “food” for a Play-Doh photoshoot).

Below is a sampling of this work, with additional detail available upon request due to IP sensitivity.

selected work

  • Play-Doh Brand Website

    Strategic redesign of the Play-Doh website to strengthen product storytelling, spark creative exploration, and modernize the brand experience.

    Live website can be viewed here.

  • Play-Doh x Marvel

    Branding and packaging system for a Play-Doh × Marvel collaboration, unifying two iconic brands through a cohesive visual architecture.

  • 2025 New York Toy Fair

    Designed Play-Doh’s 2025 New York Toy Fair exhibit, creating large-scale graphics, signage, and product displays to tell the story of upcoming products, including a Barbie collaboration.

    (Updated photography coming soon.)

  • Baby Alive Brand Website

    Website design for Baby Alive, a doll brand focused on authentic, real-life nurturing play experiences.

  • Social Media Styling

    Social media styling and graphics concept for Baby Alive, designed to amplify emotional connection and celebrate the joy of nurturing play.

  • Photo Direction + Creative Design

    Photo art direction and creative design for a new Baby Alive brand expression, guiding casting, wardrobe, and set styling to create a bright, fresh visual language.

  • Photo Direction

    Directed lifestyle photography for various brands and products, overseeing talent, wardrobe, and set design; crafting shot lists and objectives; and guiding talent and photographers on set.

  • Art Direction

    Directed visual brand development for a STEM-forward brand, leading freelance designers and defining the brand’s visual styling, photography, and illustration style.

  • App Art Direction

    App art direction, collaborating with a developer to ensure the app aligned with the overall brand identity and inspired kids interested in light coding.

  • Event Design

    Designed the event experience for Makers, a STEM-forward toy brand, at the 2017 World Maker Faire, including large-scale graphics, bespoke swag, and gamified activities.

  • Brand Design + Art Direction

    Led the branding refresh and art direction for FurReal, designing a gender-neutral visual identity and logo to reflect that all kids enjoy interacting with and caring for animals.

  • Brand Concept Design

    Branding concept for Marvel Rising, an animated series and toy line, defining the visual identity that guided final artwork.

  • Album Art

    Art for Providence-based doom metal band.

Teaching & Student Work

Sometimes, you can find me teaching graphic design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where I love bringing a relatable and authentic approach to teaching young designers.

Student work coming soon.

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Sarah made her way up to Rhode Island after a handful of years in Georgia and beautiful Baltimore, Maryland (MICA GD/MFA 2013.)

She’s also a mom (one human, two dogs), wife to a specialty coffee roaster (very convenient!), and a friend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Let’s chat!