Somaiyeh Ghaffarnia

I led the comprehensive rebranding and UI redesign overhaul for Securitize, crafting a cohesive visual identity that aligned with the company’s strategic pivot towards both institutional (B2B) and individual investors (B2C). This rebranding effort included developing a brand guidelines system with an all-new color palette, typography, and a suite of graphic and illustration assets to strengthen brand recognition across platforms. I meticulously designed and optimized all UI interfaces in both light and dark modes to enhance accessibility and user experience. My work also included creating seamless UI animations that enrich the user experience, and I collaborated closely with engineering teams to ensure the precise implementation of design assets, enhancing the platform’s functionality and visual appeal.

I led the design of a comprehensive, responsive user interface for an insurance company’s website, optimizing the experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile. My role encompassed establishing a cohesive visual style with custom graphics and illustrations, and crafting intuitive UI animations to enhance navigation and user engagement. I worked closely with an international team to implement and deliver the project, ensuring clear layouts, approachable aesthetics, and seamless functionality across devices. This approach enabled users to access information easily and complete tasks efficiently, allowing the company to connect effectively with clients on all platforms.

As the Lead Visual Designer at Abra, a crypto investment app, I led a 360-degree marketing campaign aimed at enhancing brand visibility, acquiring new users, and driving conversions. Central to this campaign was a special offer—$40 in free crypto for new users—a compelling incentive that set the tone for the entire initiative.

My Role and Responsibilities:
I played a key role in defining and executing the creative vision, ensuring every touchpoint aligned with Abra’s brand identity and resonated with our audience. Key responsibilities included:

Creative Direction: Crafting a cohesive visual strategy that highlighted the $40 free crypto offer as a central value proposition.

Design Execution: Creating high-quality, engaging assets for digital and physical marketing channels.

Cross-Team Collaboration: Partnering with marketing strategists, copywriters, and engineers to deliver seamless campaign execution.

Optimization: Analyzing performance metrics to refine designs and improve effectiveness in real-time.

Assets Delivered:
The campaign included a wide array of assets tailored for maximum reach and impact:

Paid Advertising: Eye-catching banner ads and paid social graphics optimized for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Ads, all emphasizing the $40 free crypto offer.

Organic Social Media: Custom animations, videos, and static posts to drive organic engagement and build community excitement around the promotion.

Landing Page: A conversion-optimized landing page designed to clearly communicate the special offer and streamline sign-ups.

Email Marketing: A series of visually striking email templates featuring bold CTAs and the free crypto incentive, ensuring high open and click-through rates.

Swag: Branded promotional items, such as T-shirts, notebooks, mugs, and more, to create additional brand touchpoints and increase offline engagement.

Campaign Impact:
The campaign achieved impressive results, fueled by the enticing $40 free crypto incentive. Highlights included:

A 25% increase in new user sign-ups during the campaign period compared to the previous quarter.

A 20% higher conversion rate on the dedicated landing page, driven by strategic design and compelling messaging.

15% higher CTR on paid ads, reflecting the campaign’s ability to capture attention and drive engagement.

This campaign not only demonstrated my expertise in executing end-to-end marketing strategies but also underscored my ability to create impactful, conversion-driven designs that directly contribute to business growth.

Ceribell's EEG device is a portable, rapid-response solution for neurological diagnostics, enabling medical professionals to monitor brain activity in real-time. The accompanying app allows for seamless integration with the device, offering easy-to-read EEG data on mobile platforms for faster and more accurate assessments in emergency settings.

I designed the app interface to ensure a user-friendly experience, enhancing accessibility and usability for medical professionals. Additionally, I created a promotional product animation that highlights the key features of the Ceribell EEG system, focusing on its innovative and life-saving capabilities.

For Abra’s comprehensive rebranding and web redesign, I developed cohesive brand guidelines that included a new color palette, typography, graphics, and illustration style to modernize and unify Abra’s visual identity. I also designed both light and dark modes, all user interfaces, and UI animations to enrich the user experience. I collaborated closely with engineering teams to ensure seamless implementation across digital platforms and created targeted landing pages to enhance our marketing campaigns. This end-to-end design work positioned Abra as a more accessible, engaging, and visually consistent brand for its audience.

FalconX's new product, Satoshi, is a cutting-edge solution designed to streamline and enhance cryptocurrency trading and management for institutional investors. It offers advanced analytics, secure trading platforms, and comprehensive tools to help users manage digital assets efficiently. The web page I designed for Satoshi presents the product with a clean, user-friendly interface, emphasizing the product's features, ease of use, and security. The design integrates FalconX's branding with a sleek and modern layout, ensuring a seamless user experience while highlighting key functionalities.

I created impactful design assets for marketing campaigns across clients like Securitize, Abra, and Freedom Financial Network, encompassing paid media, banner ads, email campaigns, and more. Each project involved crafting visually engaging and strategically aligned designs to drive brand awareness, increase conversions, and enhance engagement across digital channels. From dynamic banner ads and tailored email designs to optimized landing pages, I focused on delivering high-performing assets that aligned with each brand’s identity and campaign objectives.

As a designer, a key part of my role involves collaborating closely with channel managers to analyze performance data and optimize ad designs for maximum effectiveness.

When I joined Freedom Financial Network in March 2018, the brand lacked a cohesive identity, with creatives not adhering to any guidelines, resulting in an inconsistent brand presence across channels. As a Senior Visual Designer, one of my primary objectives was to establish and unify the Freedom Financial brand, enforcing a visually consistent, cohesive identity across all platforms, products, and communication channels.

This branding project involved months of in-depth research, where I analyzed industry best practices and audience expectations to develop brand guidelines that set the tone for all future visuals. The resulting document represents the culmination of this effort, including standards for color palette, typography, graphics, and imagery to ensure alignment in all creative assets. Through this work, I successfully built a comprehensive brand framework that guided our team in creating consistent, compelling visuals that strengthened Freedom Financial's identity across every touchpoint.

This document here and all the examples included in it is a result of months of research and work that I did as a Senior Visual Designer at the Freedom Financial Network.

As a Lead Marketing Designer, I bring a strategic approach to designing high-performing marketing emails that resonate with target audiences. My process involves ideation and conceptualization to align each email with brand goals and campaign objectives. I develop eye-catching static and animated banners that capture attention, carefully craft layout designs to enhance readability and user experience, and optimize every element for maximum engagement. My experience spans the entire email design lifecycle—from initial creative concepts through to deployment—ensuring each email delivers strong results, aligns with brand identity, and drives measurable outcomes.

Here are some examples of marketing emails I designed to showcase this expertise in action.

With over a decade as a Visual Designer, I have extensive experience in crafting impactful motion graphics that serve diverse goals—promotional, educational, and user-centric. My expertise spans the complete motion graphic process, from ideation and storyboarding to final execution. I specialize in creating animations for social media paid ads, educational brand assets, and interactive elements that enhance user experience.

Each project begins with a thorough conceptualization phase where I determine the visual style, narrative flow, and key messaging. I then develop detailed storyboards, ensuring a cohesive vision across characters, icons, objects, and transitions. My hands-on approach involves designing and animating all elements, paying close attention to fluid transitions and visual consistency. Additionally, I handle audio editing, including music and voice-over integration, ensuring that every sound complements the visual experience.

Here are some examples of my work, showcasing motion graphics that effectively capture attention, convey key messages, and align with brand objectives.

With over a decade of experience as a Visual Designer, I have developed a strong foundation in creating impactful video content tailored to diverse audiences and platforms. My role encompasses the entire production process, from concept to final delivery. This includes generating initial concepts, storyboarding, and selecting locations that enhance visual storytelling. I work closely with writers to develop clear messaging and scripts, ensuring that each video aligns with brand goals and resonates with the intended audience. I also oversee the art direction and video shoots, bringing together all visual elements to create cohesive and engaging narratives.

My responsibilities extend to post-production, where I handle video editing, incorporate music and voiceovers, and prepare videos in formats optimized for web, mobile, social media, paid ads, and educational or informational content. Each piece is meticulously crafted to elevate brand presence, inform audiences, and drive engagement across channels.

Working on the Boston Children's Hospital Interactive Media Wall was an incredibly rewarding experience that spanned two full years, culminating in a large-scale, immersive installation in the hospital's lobby. This interactive wall is designed to bring joy, comfort, and a sense of wonder to young patients and their families, providing a visual escape through vibrant and dynamic scenes.

My primary responsibilities included creating two complete interactive scenes—the Grass and Beach scenes—each featuring over 100 meticulously designed characters that interact playfully within their environments. I also supported the design and animation of a third scene, ensuring that all visuals aligned with the hospital's uplifting and child-friendly atmosphere.

In my role, I was involved at every stage of production:

Research and Ideation: Conducted in-depth research to create engaging, relatable scenes that would resonate with children and foster a calming experience.

Storyboarding and Animatics: Developed detailed storyboards and animatics to visualize the flow and interaction of each scene.

Character and Scene Design and Animation: Designed, developed, and animated all characters and interactive elements, bringing the Grass and Beach scenes to life with movement and charm.

Rendering and Optimization: Carefully rendered all animations to ensure smooth performance and high-quality visuals for a seamless experience.

Cross-functional Collaboration: Worked closely with coders and engineers to integrate the animations into an interactive system, ensuring responsive and captivating interactions on the media wall.

This project was a testament to the power of thoughtful design and collaboration, resulting in a unique installation that brightens the hospital environment and supports the well-being of children and their families.

During my time as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Digital Media and Design Department at the University of Connecticut, I had the opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects showcased on this page. My role involved collaborating with faculty and fellow researchers to explore innovative design solutions and multimedia applications. I engaged in tasks such as conducting research, developing design concepts, and implementing digital strategies to enhance the quality and impact of our projects. This experience allowed me to refine my skills in digital media while contributing to meaningful work that aligned with the department’s mission of advancing design and technology in impactful ways.

I have extensive skills in 3D design, covering a comprehensive range of techniques and processes. My proficiency in modeling allows me to create detailed and accurate three-dimensional objects suitable for various applications, including product visualization and animation. I have a keen eye for materials, enabling me to apply realistic textures and finishes that enhance the overall aesthetic and authenticity of my designs. My expertise in lighting allows me to effectively manipulate light sources to set the mood and emphasize key elements within a scene. In terms of rendering, I ensure that the final output is high-quality and visually compelling, presenting my designs with clarity and precision. Additionally, I am skilled in animation, bringing static models to life through movement, enhancing storytelling, and creating engaging user experiences. Together, these skills enable me to produce immersive and dynamic 3D designs that resonate with audiences.