CFPB
During my five years as a federal contractor with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I developed creative solutions to uphold and evolve the established CFPB visual brand across print, web, social media and video products. To streamline processes between departments, I delivered replicable templates for social media platforms that could be updated in non-traditional design programs by communications staff. Additionally, I was the de-factor staff Illustrator, building innumerable concepts consistently stylized with the overarching design system that grew their library of assets by hundreds. I also served as the brand guardian, often called in to consult with external vendors on contracts for visual communication projects, both internal- and external-facing. Over the course of my tenure, I brought upwards of a thousand project requests over the finish line.
Illustrations for the web
Per the CFPB design system, “Illustrations are an important tool for introducing the subject matter of a page, event, or topic. Illustrations are vector-based graphics that support primary headers and text. They function as the brand’s top-level illustration style with detail and clarity. Illustration is universally relatable and accessible to all audiences. The content … should always be politically and socially neutral.”
Essentially, the CFPB used these illustrations, built from common geometric shapes, to help make complex topics more approachable. Research showed the users often visited the Bureau’s site looking for answers in times of stress and uncertainty, so the illustration style and bright, saturated color palette was chosen to set the tone visually: things aren’t as scary as they seem, we’re here to help.
Social media graphics
Some social media posts were standalone graphics. In these instances, I used illustrations in combination with text. Additional information and/or a call to action was usually in the body on the post itself, but research showed a strong visual led to greater engagement across all audiences.
Medical debt infographics
The infographic on the left was created to complement the CFPB's report "highlighting the complicated and burdensome nature of the medical billing system in the United States. The report reveals that the U.S. healthcare system is supported by billing, payments, collections, and credit reporting infrastructure where mistakes are common, and where patients often have difficulty getting these errors corrected or resolved" (from consumerfinance.gov). The report and this accompanying infographic were presented to Congress by Vice President Kamala Harris on April 11, 2022.
The infographic on the right was created to further detail the process of obtaining charity care assistance for medical debt. Although this is an unused draft project, it was styled to be visually consistent with the main medical debt infographic, creating a theme for all graphic elements of the campaign.
CFPBeople kit
CFPBeople kit created to streamline production of a variety of people representative of the diverse American population. Working much like traditional paper dolls, a design would select the gender, skintone, hairstyle and clothing from the options in this kit as a starting point. From there, anything is possible—I eventually introduced body diversity as well, including different heights and weights and abilities.
No FEAR Act/EEO training module
Perhaps the project I’ve been most proud of during my time at the CFPB was one that arose when a stakeholder’s expectations weren’t being met by an external vendor. I was brought in to consult on the project and to provide visual direction for a training module that all federal employees at the Bureau are required to review and complete annually.
The stakeholder wanted a more engaging experience for what was admittedly a relatively mundane but very important topic. After cleaning up the general user interface elements, I then created more than 150 new illustrations to support the concepts in a way that’s appropriate and consistent with the CFPB’s brand and tone. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and many of these illustrations are used in other applications as well.
Social media templates
The CFPB’s Office of Public Affairs (later re-named Digital Communications) regularly issued public announcements via Twitter that fell under several content umbrellas. Due to the regularity and frequency of these announcements, I created templates to help consumers easily identify this kind of information on the Bureau’s social media. Later, I helped the Digital Comms team create templates from these graphics that could be modified in the social media publishing platform Sprinklr.
Stock photography in social media graphics
During the height of the COVID pandemic, the CFPB experimented with using stock photography in social media posts. Research informed the Digital Communications team that consumers wanted to see real people in their social posts, but due to obvious public health concerns, we couldn’t schedule any custom photoshoots. Turning to stock imagery for the first time since the Bureau’s inception, I helped establish the photography standards for the design system.
If you’re looking for an art director who just "gets it", that’s Amy.
She’s not just an exceptional designer—she’s a brand strategist who understands how to make visuals work across platforms, resonate with audiences, and keep up with the ever-changing world of social media and digital trends. She has an incredible instinct for what’s next and knows how to translate that into designs that feel fresh, relevant, and impactful.
Beyond her creative brilliance, Amy is the kind of person you want on your team when things get stressful. She brings a steady, positive energy to every project, making even the most high-pressure moments feel manageable. No matter the deadline or challenge, she delivers with speed, precision, and a clear vision.
She’s the total package—smart, strategic, and a joy to work with. Anyone lucky enough to have Amy leading their creative direction is set up for success.
Highly, highly recommend.