Experiential Design - Art Direction
I create immersive, design-led environments that turn brand storytelling into physical experiences. From pop-ups and trade show showrooms to conceptual campaigns, each activation blends art direction, spatial flow, and brand narrative to bring ideas to life beyond the screen.
Mattel Games Showroom - Toy Fair 2025
Goal: Design an immersive showroom environment that elevated brand presence, clearly communicated product stories, and guided buyers through a cohesive, high-impact experience.
Challenge: The challenge was designing for multiple product lines within a single space while maintaining clarity, visual hierarchy, and consistent brand storytelling under tight timelines and high buyer visibility.
My Role: I led the art direction and spatial design, defining the visual language, layout flow, environmental graphics, and styling. I collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the space translated brand identity into a physical experience that supported sales and storytelling.
Scope: Experiential design, spatial layout, environmental graphics, art direction
Overview
Led the visual direction and spatial layout for the Mattel Games showroom, spotlighting UNO, Adult Party Games, and Kids Games. Concepted tone-on-tone wall graphics, branded patterns, and storytelling moments that unified diverse product lines under one cohesive visual narrative.
Production
Managed coordination between design, marketing, and fabrication teams to execute a 1,600 square-foot showroom footprint. Oversaw production of printed graphics, wall murals, shelving layouts, and prop integration. Worked with external vendors to source materials and ensure color accuracy across multiple lighting zones. Directed onsite installation and quality control to maintain design fidelity from concept to completion.
Strategy
The strategy emphasized designing a modular, gallery-style environment that could flex between audiences, playful for kids and elevated for adults. By creating a central “Game Hub” surrounded by themed product zones, each brand retained its individuality within a unified Mattel story. Oversized graphics, layered textures, and interactive displays invited buyers to experience the brands hands-on while maintaining a clean, high-design aesthetic consistent with Mattel’s premium positioning.
Girls in Bar Bathrooms - Pop-Up Concept
Goal: Create an experiential brand activation that brought the game into real-world social spaces, extending the brand beyond the tabletop and into a highly shareable, culturally relevant environment.
Challenge: The challenge was designing an activation that felt authentic to nightlife culture while remaining approachable, safe, and visually compelling, with strong moments for social sharing and audience participation.
My Role: I led the creative concept and art direction, shaping the visual identity of the pop-up, defining the environment design, signage, and interactive moments, and concepting content designed for social amplification across platforms.
Scope: Brand activation, experiential design, social-first environments, art direction
Overview
A conceptual pop-up bringing the Girls in Bar Bathrooms party game to life as an immersive nightlife experience. Designed bar-themed zones, influencer-friendly photo moments, and branded touchpoints blending humor, social energy, and feminine design cues.
Production
Developed concept mockups for the activation, including a detailed floor plan, branded signage posters, and themed drink menus for the playroom bar. Designed entrance wristbands, server tees, and environmental graphics to visualize how the experience would come to life. Created photobooth scene renderings to capture the tone and atmosphere of the event.
Strategy
The strategy aimed to extend the game’s core idea of women connecting in unexpected spaces into a real-world social activation. The environment followed a night-out flow, entering through a playful bar check-in, transitioning to the “bathroom confessional” photo booth, and ending at a communal cocktail area for gameplay and content capture. Every design element, from lighting to typography, reinforced the campaign’s tone of confidence, humor, and community.
SwaMFest Verses - Vendor Experience 2022
Goal: Create a visually distinctive experiential presence within a large-scale convention center that captured attention, communicated the brand quickly, and stood out among a dense field of competing vendors.
Challenge: The challenge was designing an activation that could cut through visual noise in a crowded vendor environment, maintain clear brand recognition from a distance, and function effectively within spatial, logistical, and production constraints typical of large convention settings.
My Role: I led the art direction and experiential design, defining the visual tone, environmental graphics, layout flow, and branded touchpoints. I worked closely with partners to ensure the activation was bold, cohesive, and immediately legible, while creating an engaging experience that resonated with attendees moving through a high-traffic space.
Scope: Experiential design, environmental graphics, spatial layout, art direction
Overview
SWaMFest is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s premier networking, educational, and professional development event for small, women, and minority-owned businesses. I led creative direction for the indoor vendor experience, designing the event’s visual identity, signage system, and spatial flow to create a polished, professional environment that encouraged networking and engagement among exhibitors and attendees.
Production
Oversaw environmental production across the full event footprint, including stage backdrops, registration areas, workshop signage, and vendor booth graphics. Coordinated with VASCUPP representatives and local fabricators to ensure brand alignment and smooth installation under tight turnaround timelines. Managed vendor setup and day-of logistics, resulting in a professional, high-impact environment that reinforced SWaMFest’s role as Virginia’s leading platform for small and minority business growth.
Strategy
Our strategy focused on transforming a large indoor venue into a cohesive and energetic space that celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of the SWaM community. We designed a guided experience that emphasized connection, learning, and visibility for vendors by using directional graphics, consistent color cues, and branded wayfinding moments. The layout balanced functionality with aesthetic clarity, ensuring a seamless flow between workshops, exhibitor booths, and networking zones.
“Across every activation I’ve designed, I’ve learned that unforgettable brand experiences aren’t driven by perfection. They’re driven by emotion. The beautifully imperfect, human moments are where real connection happens.”
— Alyna Draper