I’m Irene, an art director, visual designer, and illustrator living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Growing up, my parents encouraged me to find solutions to my needs with whatever we had around us. This meant rather than going to the toy store, I fashioned Barbie dresses from tissue paper that I “tie-dyed” with felt tip markers and I wrapped my notebooks with colorful paper to make homework feel more whimsical.
Now, as a “professional creative person,” I apply the same resourcefulness when problem-solving. I’ve always enjoyed making things, but what I love about design is having fun within the constraints and seeing limitations as opportunities to be creative.
I studied design at the University of Southern California and after graduating, I designed and art directed content for companies such as Disney, Chronicle Books, Healthline Media, Imperfect Foods and most recently, at Smartly.io. At Smartly, I art direct team members and external vendors to create performance marketing campaigns for one of our biggest clients, Uber.
I’ve collaborated closely with marketing and product departments in small start-ups as well as one of the largest corporations in the world. No matter the form, I seek to add joy and delight, and turn whatever constraints there are into strengths, not weaknesses.
When not designing, I’m most likely walking my very energetic dog or baking my way through Claire Saffitz’s cookbooks.
