Being both a thinker and a maker is central to how I work. I help organisations make sense of complexity, then translate it into stories people can understand, connect with and feel.

Meaning before making.

I'm a Creative Director and Brand Strategist with more than two decades of experience across advertising, design, digital, culture and purpose-led organisations.

I understand before I make. I help organisations uncover what makes them distinctive and find the story that is uniquely theirs. Then using creativity, storytelling and the arts I shape it into something that captures the minds and hearts of their audience.

Finding the thread.

Understanding means sitting with complexity for just long enough; listening for the story beneath the surface and gathering the threads from conversations, people and ideas until something clicks.

That's where clarity emerges. An organisation sees itself more clearly, people align around what matters and the story starts to unfold.

The medium can change. The idea, story and purpose remain at the heart.

Creative strategy informed by the arts.

My creative practice has always extended beyond ‘traditional’ design. I've spent much of my life making, performing and collaborating through visual art, music, theatre and dance. Those experiences have shaped how I see creativity: art can make people feel, understand and imagine the world around them in new ways.

That's the lens I bring to strategy and creative direction. I love ideas that invite people in, reward curiosity, create connection and make something meaningful feel tangible.

Alongside my client work, I continue to develop my own art practice and guest lecture in design and creative process at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Both keep me curious, experimental and connected to the role creativity can play in helping people see and experience the world differently.

Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa, I work across creative direction, brand strategy, storytelling and visual communication.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with many great designers over the years and Vanessa tops them all due to being so well rounded. She has the design skills, people skills and the professionalism of a master. Her work enabled easier discussions with the internal team as they became excited about the new designs. We’ve had great feedback from customers and staff alike. The whole team loved working with Vanessa and I would recommend her to anyone seeking fantastic design work.”

Bryony Hall
UX Creative Director & UX Manager at BBC

“Not only does she produce amazing creative work but Vanessa is one of the most professional designers I have worked with. Vanessa always provides a full rationale alongside her creative work. This has made the decision making (between multiple awesome concepts) easier and helped communicate designs and concepts to stakeholders smoothly. Her work is so good we have also framed many of her designs and hung them on our wall.”

Tui Te Hau
Director of Public Engagement at National Library of New Zealand

“The best quality of Vanessa is her ability to efficiently gain an understanding of your organisation and what you are trying to achieve, so she is very clear on the objectives. From there she would present us with a variety of high level concepts of which one or more would be ‘pushing our boundaries’ or challenging us in a positive way. Often we would use some or all of a concept to enhance our proposition and challenge the norm in our market.”

Alex Bamford
General Manager, Bamford

Converse

Floating Rock

Goodnature

Kiwibank

Lacoste

Loyalty NZ

Lexus

Manatu Wahine Ministry for Women

Meta (Facebook)

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

National Library of New Zealand

Reebok

Spark

Tiger Beer

Trilogy

W. M. Bamford & Co.