Grace horner

San Francisco, CA (Open to Remote)
grace.denise.horner@gmail.com650.391.7244
Digitally forward Senior Visual Designer and Brand Creative with 8+ years of experience leading brand systems, digital marketing design, lifecycle campaigns, web experiences, and cross-functional creative strategy for high-growth fintech, SaaS, and consumer technology companies. Proven track record building scalable visual systems, driving conversion-focused design initiatives, and elevating brand consistency across web, email, product marketing, paid media, and integrated campaigns. Experienced collaborating with Product, Growth, Marketing, Content, and Executive stakeholders to create high-performing, user-centered brand experiences. Strong expertise in AI-powered creative workflows, visual storytelling, growth experimentation, and data-informed design strategy.
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Jan 2024 - Present

Senior Marketing & Creative Strategist

Valon

Lead integrated marketing and creative strategy initiatives across digital channels to drive brand growth, user engagement, and customer acquisition.

Direct end-to-end creative development for multi-channel campaigns including web, email, lifecycle marketing, paid media, product launches, and brand storytelling.

Partner cross-functionally with Product, Growth, Marketing, and Content teams to ensure cohesive and scalable brand execution across all customer touchpoints.

Develop and manage strategic content calendars, campaign roadmaps, and creative planning processes to support ongoing business objectives and brand visibility.

Utilize performance analytics, user insights, and campaign metrics to optimize creative strategy, improve engagement, and increase marketing ROI.

Champion innovation through experimentation with AI-powered creative workflows, emerging platforms, and scalable design systems.

Lead concept development and creative direction for high-impact campaigns aligned with business goals, brand positioning, and conversion objectives.

Translate market trends, competitive insights, and consumer behavior into actionable creative and marketing strategies.

Creative Strategy
Brand Leadership
Lifecycle Marketing
Growth Design
AI Workflows
Nov 2022 - Jan 2024

Senior Visual Designer

Valon

Led brand experience initiatives across the organization by building scalable self-serve design systems, templates, brand libraries, and creative enablement processes.

Developed and defined Valon’s visual identity system, including illustration style, brand standards, and scalable visual guidelines used across teams.

Built and maintained centralized creative libraries including stock photography systems, illustration assets, and reusable marketing components.

Collaborated cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Content, and Marketing teams to ensure cohesive brand experiences across digital and marketing channels.

Advocated for modern design, accessibility, media, and conversion optimization best practices across the organization.

Managed website design and maintenance including new page design, UI updates, CMS updates, legal revisions, and front-end implementation support.

Strengthened stakeholder relationships across departments to align creative strategy with business objectives and customer experience goals.

Design Systems
Brand Identity
Web Design
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Creative Operations
May 2022 - Oct 2022

Brand Designer

Clockwise

Designed high-performing digital and print marketing assets supporting integrated campaign initiatives and brand growth.

Contributed to company-wide rebrand efforts through the creation of brand systems, documentation, and scalable visual guidelines.

Presented creative rationale and strategic design thinking to stakeholders and cross-functional leadership teams.

Collaborated closely with copywriters, marketers, and designers to maintain a consistent and elevated brand experience across
channels.

Managed multiple concurrent projects while maintaining high-quality creative execution under tight deadlines.

Rebrand
Marketing Campaigns
Visual Systems
Stakeholder Communication
March 2020 - May 2022

Visual Designer

Earnest

Designed integrated marketing assets including landing pages, print campaigns, digital experiences, lifecycle creative, and growth marketing materials.

Created motion graphics and video assets for web, product marketing, presentations, and app experiences.

Built scalable templates and reusable components that improved team efficiency and contributed to shared design systems.

Partnered with business and product stakeholders to identify user needs and develop conversion-focused visual solutions.

Contributed to visual design strategy through exploration of new creative directions, standards, and scalable systems.

Developed user-centered design solutions informed by business goals, audience behavior, and growth experimentation.

Advocated for design thinking, collaboration, and visual storytelling principles across the organization.

Growth Marketing
Motion Design
Landing Pages
UX Collaboration
March 2019 - March 2020

Visual Designer

Apple

Created premium, on-brand digital experiences for Apple across web, email, event, and campaign marketing channels.

Designed modern, pixel-perfect visual interfaces emphasizing typography, layout systems, and elevated brand aesthetics.

Maintained exceptional visual quality and consistency from concept development through final production execution.

Applied user-centered thinking to optimize interaction design and content hierarchy across digital experiences.

Collaborated across cross-functional teams to deliver cohesive 360° campaign experiences aligned with Apple brand standards.

Enterprise Brand Design
Email Design
Digital Experiences
Typography
Oct 2017 - Feb 2019

Designer

eBay

Designed integrated marketing collateral including landing pages, email campaigns, display ads, presentations, and digital marketing assets.

Contributed to quarterly brand innovation initiatives and large-scale campaign refreshes for the eBay brand ecosystem.

Presented creative concepts and strategic visual solutions to internal teams and stakeholders.

Collaborated with copywriters, account managers, and fellow designers to develop integrated advertising and marketing campaigns.

Researched emerging design trends and applied modern visual strategies to maintain brand relevance and innovation.

Integrated Campaigns
Advertising Design
Brand Innovation
Presentation Design
Aug 2016 - June 2017

Junior Graphic Designer

Blurb

Supported the creation of promotional email campaigns aligned with quarterly marketing goals, retention initiatives, and revenue objectives.

Collaborated with marketing and creative teams to develop cohesive paid social and digital advertising assets.

Produced product photography and visual assets for email marketing, blogs, website content, and digital campaigns.

Email Marketing
Photography
Paid Social

Skills

Brand & Creative Leadership

Brand Systems • Visual Identity • Art Direction • Creative Strategy • Campaign Development • Design Systems • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Creative Operations • Stakeholder Management • Team Enablement • Conversion-Focused Design • Marketing Strategy • Creative Problem Solving

Digital & Marketing Design

Web Design • Landing Pages • Lifecycle Marketing • Email Marketing • Growth Design • Paid Media Creative • Motion Design • Presentation Design • Social Creative • Performance Marketing • UX/UI Collaboration • Marketing Automation Support • A/B Testing • Creative Optimization

Visual Design Expertise

Typography • Illustration • Digital Design • Photography • Layout Design • Print Design • Motion Graphics • Storytelling • Visual Communication • Editorial Design • Iconography • Brand Guidelines

AI & Emerging Technology

AI-Powered Design Workflows • Generative AI Tools • Creative Automation • Prompt-Based Creative Exploration • AI-Assisted Ideation • Emerging Design Technologies

Tools & Platforms

Figma • Adobe Creative Suite • Adobe Photoshop • Adobe Illustrator • Adobe InDesign • Adobe After Effects • Sketch • Principle • PowerPoint • Keynote • Airtable • Asana • JIRA • Slack • Google Workspace • HTML/CSS • Claude

Digital & Marketing Design

Web Design • Landing Pages • Lifecycle Marketing • Email Marketing • Growth Design • Paid Media Creative • Motion Design • Presentation Design • Social Creative • Performance Marketing • UX/UI Collaboration • Marketing Automation Support • A/B Testing • Creative Optimization

Education

University of San Francisco

Bachelor’s Degree in Design
Minor in Fine Arts | 2017