2023 - NowPortland
Lumen & Field
Senior Visual Designer
Leading identity and print projects from first sketch to press check. Mentoring two junior designers.
Identity systemsPackagingArt directionMentoring
TM.
Contact
- +1 (555) 010-4471
- hello@tessamarlowe.example
- Available from Oct 2026
- Portland, Oregon
about me
Hello,my name is
Tessa Marlowe
I design identities, books and packaging with a playful eye and a careful hand.
Six years across studios and in-house teams, making brands for markets, festivals and independent makers.
Looking for a thoughtful team and a good next brief.
Playful
Precise
Persistent
Say hello any time!
Made with care
Education
- 2015-19
Cascade School of Art & Design
- 2022
Framewise Academy
- 2024
Glyph House Workshop
Skills
Typography
BasicMotion
Editing PhotoRetouching Layout& grids
All skills and tools
Editing PhotoRetouching Layout& grids
Tools
Figma
Layout
Experience
Lumen & Field
2023 - NowPosition - Senior Visual Designer. I lead identity and print work for a six-person studio. Recent clients include:
Harvest Row Market
A stamp-based identity for an 80-vendor farmers market.
Tidewater Sound Festival
Posters and motion for a coastal music festival.
Mossline Tea
One packaging system. Twelve tea blends.
Northwind Collective
06.2021 - 02.2023Position - Brand Designer. Built the shared brand toolkit for a network of nineteen community organisations and produced campaign material for their annual fundraising drive.
Selected projects
See all projects
Don't be a stranger.
Available for a full-time role from October and selected freelance projects.
Write to meroles, in reverse order
Experience
Six years of identity, editorial and print design.
06.2021 - 02.2023Remote
Northwind Collective
Brand Designer
A shared brand toolkit and two campaigns for nineteen community organisations.
Brand toolkitCampaignsTemplatesWorkshops
09.2019 - 05.2021Portland
Paperlane Press
Junior Designer
Fourteen book interiors, six covers and a hands-on introduction to print.
Book designCoversPrepress
Before that
- 2018Halfmoon Print Co. - Summer intern. Ran the risograph, cleaned the risograph, fell in love with the risograph.
- 2017Cascade Student Union - Volunteer designer for event posters and the weekly newsletter.
- 2016Freelance - Logos and menus for two cafes and a very patient dog groomer.
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Visual design and communication
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
2023 - Now
Senior Visual Designer at Lumen & Field
An independent studio working with food, culture and craft clients.
- Role
- Senior Visual Designer
- Team
- 2 designers report to me
- Location
- Portland, hybrid
- Focus
- Identity, packaging, print
What I do here
I lead discovery, visual identity, guidelines and print production, with the same care from first sketch to final proof.
- Own three to four client projects at a time, from proposal to delivery
- Art direct photography and illustration commissions
- Mentor two junior designers with weekly crits
- Keep the studio's print supplier relationships alive and honest
Work I am proud of
Highlights: a stamp-based identity for Harvest Row Market and print-to-motion graphics for Tidewater Sound.
What I learned
Build systems clients can use confidently, even with a home printer and five minutes to spare.
3 identities
identities launched in the past year.
Press checks
hands-on print production.
Weekly crits
weekly mentoring sessions.
06.2021 - 02.2023
Brand Designer at Northwind Collective
The sole designer for a network of nineteen community organisations.
- Role
- Brand Designer, in-house
- Team
- Solo designer, 19 member orgs
- Location
- Remote, monthly visits
- Focus
- Toolkit, campaigns, training
The problem
I built a shared identity and practical templates for small teams without specialist design tools.
What I built
- A shared brand toolkit: one wordmark family, colour pairs per member, and a type system that worked in free office software
- Forty-two editable templates for posters, social tiles, reports and door signs
- Two fundraising campaigns, each with print, digital and a short animated explainer
- Six half-day workshops teaching member teams to make their own material
What changed
Reusable templates reduced routine requests to the central team. Both fundraising campaigns used the same flexible visual system.
42 templates
templates for everyday office software.
6 workshops
workshops for the people using them.
2 campaigns
print, digital and animation.
09.2019 - 05.2021
Junior Designer at Paperlane Press
My first design role, at a four-person independent publisher.
- Role
- Junior Designer
- Team
- 1 art director, 1 editor, me
- Location
- Portland, on site
- Focus
- Book interiors, covers, prepress
What I did
I typeset fourteen books, designed six covers and prepared print-ready files across essays, poetry and cookbooks.
- Typeset 14 titles, from 96-page chapbooks to a 420-page anthology
- Designed 6 covers, two of which were picked for a regional book-design showcase
- Rebuilt the house style sheet so new titles started from a clean grid
- Handled proofs, paper samples and the press schedule for every release
What stuck
Book design taught me restraint: a clear measure, considered leading and margins that give the words room.
14 books
book interiors sent to press.
6 covers
covers selected for a regional showcase.
House grid
reusable editorial style sheets.
school, courses, workshops
Education
A foundation in communication design, kept fresh through practical short courses.
2024
Type Design Intensive
Glyph House Workshop
A two-week typeface project, from lowercase letters to numerals.
Type drawingSpacingHinting basics
2023
Accessible Design Certificate
Open Ramp Institute
Contrast, reading order, motion sensitivity and useful alt text.
ContrastInclusive typeReduced motion
2022
Motion Fundamentals
Framewise Academy, online
Easing, timing and a short animated title sequence.
EasingTitle designStoryboards
2015-19
BFA Communication Design
Cascade School of Art & Design
Typography, identity and editorial design, with a final thesis on market wayfinding.
TypographyIdentityEditorialThesis: market wayfinding
Thesis
A wayfinding study across four public markets.
Teaching
Guest critic for the second-year identity course.
Next up
A hands-on introduction to letterpress.
Certificates & recognition
Departmental honours
Cascade School of Art & Design, 2019
Accessible Design Certificate
Open Ramp Institute, 2023
Regional Book Design Showcase
Two covers selected, 2021
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Visual design and communication
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
what I can do, and with what
Skills & Tools
The tools and craft behind the work.
Skills
Typography
Layout& grids
BasicMotion
Editing PhotoRetouching Brand systems Packaging dielines Illustration Art direction Print production
Editing PhotoRetouching Brand systems Packaging dielines Illustration Art direction Print production
Tools
From first sketch to final fileIllustrator
Photoshop
Layout & print
Figma
Type design
Sketching
Motion graphics
Video editing
Storyboarding
Prepress
Dielines
Risograph
How I work
- 1
Body text first
Start with a readable paragraph, then build the identity.
- 2
Sketch on paper, then commit
Explore on paper. Develop the strongest ideas with a clear reason.
- 3
Design the wrong uses too
Make guidelines useful in everyday conditions.
- 4
Go to the press check
Check the work on the material it was made for.
Languages
English and working Spanish.
Comfortable with
Clear presentations, practical scopes and close supplier relationships.
See it in use
See these skills in the selected projects.
the desk, on a tidy day
From the idea to everyday use.
- 01
Structure
Start with the visitor’s task and the content needed to complete it. Resolve navigation before polishing individual screens.
- 02
Design
Review key pages at desktop and mobile sizes. Check long headings, empty states and the transitions between pages.
- 03
Handover
Package reusable components, assets and content rules. Walk through the decisions so the site can keep growing.
Visual design and communication
Continue with a clear question.
Tell us which part of the experience you would like to explore.
four pieces, told properly
Projects
Four projects in identity, print and packaging.
Want the longer list?
More selected pieces are available on request.
Ask for the full portfolioExplore with a purpose
Visual design and communication.
A closer look at the experience, decisions and work behind the portfolio.
Look a little closer
- Identity and layout
- Editorial communication
- Collaborative delivery
Identity, 2024
Harvest Row Market
A stamp-based identity that eighty market vendors can make their own.
- Client
- Harvest Row Market
- Studio
- Lumen & Field
- My role
- Lead designer
- Delivered
- Wordmark, stamp kit, signage, totes
stamped, not printed
The brief
Give a growing market a consistent identity without asking vendors to fund specialist printing.
The idea
A wordmark, pictograms and rubber stamps, supplied with ink pads, kraft cards and a one-page guide.
Produce-inspired colors and robust type keep the system legible, even with an uneven stamp.
What shipped
- Wordmark and 24 produce pictograms
- 80 vendor stamp kits with a one-page guide
- Street wayfinding: 12 painted panels and 6 hanging banners
- Tote bags, aprons and a weekly chalkboard template
What I would change
Weather testing led to pigment ink and a more durable kraft stock.
Process
Market visits, vendor interviews and stamp prototypes.
Team
Designers, a sign painter and a local stamp maker.
See also
Created at Lumen & Field.
Outcomes
74
vendors still using the stamp system
0
vendor signage print budget
2x
totes sold in the first season
Harvest Row Market / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01A recognisable mark
- 02A flexible layout language
- 03Applications and source assets
Posters & motion, 2024
Tidewater Sound Festival
A coastal festival identity, carried from posters to the stage.
- Client
- Tidewater Sound Festival
- Studio
- Lumen & Field
- My role
- Designer and animator
- Delivered
- 9 posters, stage screens, 40s title sequence
nine posters, one wave
The brief
Create a recognisable campaign for three days, three stages and forty acts.
The idea
One wave, cropped nine ways. Each poster stands alone while the series stays unmistakably connected.
The motion piece
A forty-second title sequence brings the same wave and poster crops to the stage screens.
- 9 screen-printed posters in three colourways
- Stage screen loops for three stages, four aspect ratios
- 40-second title sequence and 6 act-intro stings
- Wristbands, lanyards and a 24-page programme
What I would change
Test motion on the venue screens earlier, especially in daylight.
Process
One wave drawing, nine selected compositions.
Three-pass screen prints with a custom blue ink.
See also
Built on the motion fundamentals course.
Outcomes
3
sold-out festival days
600
poster sets sold
2026
repeat festival commission
Tidewater Sound Festival / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01A recognisable mark
- 02A flexible layout language
- 03Applications and source assets
Packaging, 2023
Mossline Tea
Twelve blends, one tin and a distinct pattern for every flavour.
- Client
- Mossline Tea
- Studio
- Lumen & Field
- My role
- Lead designer, illustrator
- Delivered
- 12 tins, gift box, sample sachets
the pattern is the flavour
The brief
Help an independent tea company move from cafés to shop shelves with a practical packaging system.
The idea
Brush-drawn waves, ripples and dots distinguish the blends. One ink per tin keeps the collection coherent.
Making it
Hand-drawn patterns, matte labels and a gift-box dieline tested around the real tin.
- 12 tin labels, one die, twelve patterns
- Three-tin gift box with a sliding sleeve
- Sample sachets, shelf talkers and a tasting card
- A short pattern guide so future blends can be added in-house
What I would change
A shallower lid rim makes the second version easier to open.
Process
Taste the blends before drawing their patterns.
Matte labels printed locally in small runs.
See also
A note from the founder.
Outcomes
38
first-year stockists
12
blends on one label die
3
blends added using the pattern guide
Mossline Tea / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01A recognisable mark
- 02A flexible layout language
- 03Applications and source assets
Self-initiated, 2025
Paper Margins
A self-published zine about the marks designers leave in the margins.
- Client
- Nobody, on purpose
- Format
- A5, 32 pages, risograph
- My role
- Editor, designer, printer
- Run
- 4 issues, 150 copies each
two inks, thirty-two pages
Why
One issue each season, one theme and two inks: a small space to experiment outside client work.
How it is made
Collected notes and stories, redrawn and printed in cobalt and fluorescent pink. Misregistration becomes part of the character.
- 4 issues so far: Crits, Proofs, Apologies, Rulers
- 32 pages, A5, saddle stitched by hand
- 150 copies per issue, sold at two bookshops and one bakery
- A pattern of 40 redrawn proof marks, free for anyone to use
What it taught me
A fixed page count and two inks make the editorial decisions clearer.
Process
Collect, edit, design, print and fold by hand.
Contributors
Designers, printers and an editor friend.
Next issue
Next issue: notes about what we took out.
Outcomes
600
hand-folded copies
3
sold-out issues
11
contributors
Paper Margins Zine / Handover
What carries forward.
- 01A recognisable mark
- 02A flexible layout language
- 03Applications and source assets
references, lightly edited for length
Kind words
A few words from the people behind the projects.
“Tessa listened to eighty vendors and came back with rubber stamps. It was exactly what we needed.”
JR
Jonah ReyesMarket director, Harvest Row Market
“Print, stage graphics and motion, delivered with care from first sketch to press check.”
PN
Priya NatarajanProgramme lead, Tidewater Sound Festival
“Tessa tasted every blend before drawing a line. That care is there in the finished tins.”
EF
Elliot FinchFounder, Mossline Tea
6
years in practice
31
completed design projects
19
teams trained on their toolkit
0
file-related reprints
Want to talk to them?
References available on request.
Request referencesBefore the next step
Visual design and communication.
A closer look at the experience, decisions and work behind the portfolio.
Ask about the detailsWorth checking
- Identity and layout
- Editorial communication
- Collaborative delivery
the part where you write to me
Say hello
Tell me about the role or project you have in mind.
A full-time role
A freelance project
A talk or workshop
References
Something else
As soon as possibleThis autumnNext year
Send the note
Contact
- +1 (555) 010-4471
- hello@tessamarlowe.example
- Pacific time, 9 to 6
- Portland, Oregon
proof day at the studio
Good to know
What kind of role are you looking for?
A senior or lead visual design role in a small team that ships real print alongside digital. I am happiest where I can own a project from brief to press check and mentor along the way. Hybrid in Portland is ideal; fully remote works with a couple of visits a year.
How do you quote freelance work?
By project, after a short call. You get a one-page scope with what is included, how many rounds of feedback, and what would change the price. Half up front, half on delivery, and no surprises in between.
Can I see more work than the four projects?
Yes. There is a longer portfolio with about a dozen smaller pieces, from menus to a wedding suite. Ask in the form above and I will send it, or we can walk through it on a call.
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