Available for full-time Creative Director opportunities + select fractional engagements
Creative Director & Brand Strategist
Visionary. Translator. Creative Director.
I am a Creative Director and Brand Strategist with more than 15 years of experience. I lead creative teams and direct brand strategy for organizations that need clear creative leadership, from concept through launch.
Leadership snapshot: Creative Team Leadership, Brand Management, Creative Direction
Creative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative DirectionCreative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative DirectionCreative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative DirectionCreative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative DirectionCreative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative DirectionCreative Team LeadershipBrand ManagementCreative Direction
Meet Nina: brand intro video
Visionary. Translator. Creative Director.
Nina Simmons, Creative Director and Brand Strategist, shown in a portrait.
15+ years of creative leadership, from concept through launch.
Selected client experience: Atlanta Black Chambers, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, TK Elevator, Morris Brown College Foundation, Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, and Park Avenue Events. Creative direction, brand strategy, and brand management.
Your vision. Translated. Created. Delivered.
“I believe clarity creates movement,” beside a full-length portrait of Nina in a fuchsia jumpsuit.
The Nina Simmons logo, “Let’s build what’s next,” and ninasimmons.com.
Sound: upbeat instrumental music, no lyrics or speech. It builds through the client logos and fades out at the end.
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
A creative leader with more than 15 years of experience.
I am a Creative Director and Brand Strategist. I help organizations build brands people trust, and I lead the teams that bring those brands to life.
Explore my roles, education, and professional development.
Testimonials
Kind words.
“She became more than my graphic designer. She became a trusted creative and visual partner. Having Nina help turn those ideas into something people can actually see, understand, and connect with has been invaluable.”
Shirley Xavier Founder, YE Foundation & The Xchange Agency
“Nina is more than a graphic designer. She is a valued creative partner and thought provoker who helps transform ideas into meaningful visual experiences.”
Rich Wilkins President & CEO, Rich Speaks Now
“She gave me more than a visual direction. She gave me a framework for presenting myself with greater clarity and confidence as I step into this next chapter.”
Joy Warren Founder & Chief Strategist, Virtual Latitude
“She shines when she’s developing a new brand, reimagining an organization’s look and feel, or developing a fresh creative direction.”
Andrea TheoJohn President, The ADS Agency
“Nina is truly a visionary. She heard me and understood me and what I wanted for my brand. She still does.”
Zaneta James Owner, Cheveux Vierges, LLC
CONNECT
Let’s Build What’s Next.
Let’s talk about creative director roles, fractional leadership, and collaborations.
People rarely need more ideas. They need someone who can listen closely, see what matters, and turn possibility into a direction people can understand and act on.
Professional bio
Hey, I'm Nina.
I'm a Creative Director, Brand Strategist, and visual artist with more than 15 years of experience turning ideas into meaningful brand experiences.
My work sits at the intersection of business strategy, creative direction, and visual storytelling. I've led brand development, creative campaigns, and marketing initiatives, helping organizations clarify their message, strengthen their identity, and connect with the people they want to reach.
I enjoy seeing the big picture, connecting the dots, and bringing people together to move ideas forward. Whether I'm developing a brand strategy, directing a creative team, or guiding a campaign from concept to launch, I believe great work starts with understanding what matters and why.
Outside of my professional work, I'm an artist who believes self-expression creates opportunities for connection, understanding, and positive change.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple purpose: to create meaningful work, positively impact people, and leave something good behind.
My story
I started by making the work. Then I learned to lead what comes before it.
I have spent more than 15 years at the intersection of brand, design, strategy, and leadership. Over time, I became less interested in making one more thing and more interested in asking the questions that make the work matter: Who is this for? Why you? How do you help solve their problem?
That shift changed how I lead. Today, I help the people shaping the vision find the direction inside the idea, align the people around it, and give it form. The deliverable changes. The real work is clarity.
I listen first. Diagnose second. Direct third. Design last.
Where I’m from
Gainesville, by way of Atlanta.
I am based in Gainesville, Florida, after years in Atlanta. Home keeps me grounded. Atlanta sharpened my ambition, expanded my creative community, and taught me how much stronger the work becomes when different perspectives share the room.
Why I do what I do
Because a good idea deserves more than decoration.
It deserves a clear strategy, a strong creative point of view, and a team that knows where it is going. I love the moment creative chaos becomes a shared direction and people can finally see what to do next.
Personality
Idealistic at heart. Driven in practice.
Myers-Briggs
INFP
The Mediator: creative, empathetic, open-minded, and grounded in authenticity.
Enneagram
Type 3
The Achiever: goal-oriented, adaptable, and motivated to turn potential into meaningful accomplishment.
Creative leadership
How I lead the work.
Clear direction. Honest questions. High standards. Enough room for talented people to do what they do best.
01
Start with meaning.
Before we choose a format, channel, or look, we get clear on the purpose, the people, and the outcome.
02
Make direction usable.
A vision only helps when people can make decisions from it. I translate the big idea into priorities, standards, and clear next steps.
03
Give good people room.
I set the destination, clarify the guardrails, and trust the right people to bring their expertise to the work.
04
Ask the question behind the request.
The first ask is not always the real need. I listen for the business problem, the audience tension, and the opportunity underneath it.
05
Protect the team and the standard.
I believe in candid feedback, visible priorities, sustainable pace, and removing the friction that keeps good work from getting done.
06
Finish what matters.
Ideas are only powerful when they move. I keep strategy, people, and execution connected until the vision becomes real.
Atlanta Black Chambers:A brand the whole team can build with.
Atlanta Black Chambers serves 500+ member businesses through programs, events, and advocacy. For more than seven years I’ve led its creative direction as fractional creative lead, building the brand system, tools, and training that let a small team produce consistent work at the pace of a busy calendar.
Atlanta Black Chambers brand graphic
02 Project Overview
Client
Atlanta Black Chambers
Industry
Business advocacy · Membership organization
Engagement
Fractional creative lead, 7+ years
Scope
Creative Direction · Brand Systems · Creative Operations · Team Enablement
03 The Challenge
A small marketing team was producing materials for a constant stream of programs and events, with details that changed often. Without a shared system, each piece started from scratch and the chamber’s presence varied from one flyer to the next. ABC needed a brand people could recognize and a way to produce it that didn’t depend on one designer.
Leadership Spotlight social series
04 The Strategic Response
I built the identity on navy, gold, and teal and applied it across print and digital. Then I designed for the team, not only for the brand: editable Canva templates that protect the brand elements and leave content flexible. I wrote and led “Create Boldly, Brand Correctly” training so staff could create on-brand work without waiting on me.
My role
I set the creative direction and own the brand standards. I created ABC Brand Lab as the home for the chamber’s branding and marketing, advise executive leadership on member- and sponsor-facing communications, and design the highest-visibility pieces myself: presentations, event signage, and campaign graphics.
05 The Work
Events calendar promotional graphicMission statement brand graphicFamily Meeting event flyerEvent flyer collectionAffinity Groups and Committees 2025 one-pagerCommunity Services event setupInstagram presenceMarketing and Branding training session
06 The Impact
The chamber now runs on one visual system. The team updates recurring communications from templates, new programs launch already looking like ABC, and the brand holds together across events, social, and sponsor materials. My role shifted from making every piece to setting the standard others create within.
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center:One brand, many guest experiences.
For Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, I created summer event promotions and updated menus for the hotel’s marketplace and sushi restaurant: social graphics, animated GIFs, and menus, all working within the Hilton brand.
Hilton brand graphic
02 Project Overview
Client
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Industry
Hospitality
Engagement
Project through Nina Simmons Designs
Scope
Hospitality Marketing · Social & Motion Content · Restaurant Collateral
Completed through Nina Simmons Designs, Inc.
03 The Challenge
Several offers competed for guest attention at once: seasonal activities, a marketplace, and a sushi restaurant. Each needed its own character, and all of it had to sit comfortably within the standards of a global hotel brand.
Music by the Lake animated event promo
04 The Strategic Response
I matched the design to how each piece would be used. Menus got clear hierarchy so guests could decide quickly, social graphics were built to read at a glance in a feed, and motion drew attention to seasonal offers. The Hilton standards stayed constant while each venue kept its own personality.
My role
I designed the social promotions, static graphics, animated GIFs, and restaurant menus, adapting one brand to several guest experiences across the property.
05 The Work
Music by the Lake animated promo, Motown summer seriesPaws on the Patio animated event promoWines menuThe Sushi Bar ramen menuPaws on the Patio event menuBeers menuRamen Counter menuMarketplace menu table tentThe Sushi Bar menus, printedMarketplace menus, printedMarketplace menus, alternate viewFood and beverage promotional coupon
06 The Impact
The hotel had a full set of promotional content for its summer programming and refreshed menus for its dining venues, helping guests discover what was available during their stay.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties:A national brand, made personal for 1,200+ agents.
At Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties, I developed integrated creative for agent recruitment, personal branding, corporate communications, and marketing across a network of 1,200+ real estate professionals. The work balanced the consistency of an established national brand with the distinct needs of individual agents, internal teams, and brokerage leadership.
The brokerage needed its creative to do three jobs at once: attract new agents, bring existing agents into internal initiatives, and help each agent market themselves. Every audience needed its own message, and all of it had to stay within the standards of a national brand.
Jennifer Evers luxury listing video
04 The Strategic Response
I treated the corporate brand as the fixed frame and the audience as the variable. Recruitment materials spoke to prospective agents, Listing Challenge promotions used prize incentives to drive participation, and personal branding gave each agent a distinct identity that still read as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Training let agents create locally without breaking the system.
My role
As Senior Graphic Designer, I was the link between marketing and the agent network, translating business and sales goals into campaigns, presentations, and tools. I led design for spring recruitment campaigns and Listing Challenges, developed personal branding for agents, including extensive work for Jennifer Evers, created luxury campaigns for distinct property segments, designed leadership presentations, and trained agents on the brand systems.
05 The Work
Jennifer Evers Buy Invest Sell videoThe Luxe Lowdown series introOpen House animated promoThe Luxe Lowdown: The Art of First ImpressionsNorth Metro ATL as dog breeds videoJosh Cassan animated brand videoUnder Contract listing graphicStarter home social graphic: glamorous tea partiesHi Neighbor postcard mockup, Jaime RicardoJaime Ricardo Atlanta Realtor banner55+ community tri-fold brochure, Jessica PateHola Vecino postcard mockup, front and backJaime Ricardo Real Estate brand card55+ community brochure interior, Jessica PateJaime Ricardo business card mockupSold postcard mockupStarter home social graphic: backyard movie nightsStarter home social graphic: dedicated game roomBuy Invest Sell video thumbnail, Jennifer EversReal Estate Architect February flyer, Josh Cassan
06 The Impact
The personal-branding work contributed to a reported 15% increase in lead conversion. The brokerage gained a consistent set of recruitment, participation, and leadership materials, and agents gained branding and tools they could use with confidence on their own.
15%reported increase in lead conversion from personal-branding work
Park Avenue Events:The planner’s vision, carried to every guest.
With Park Avenue Events, I combined event design with hands-on planning support. I designed invitations, signage, and digital materials, advised on décor, and helped direct vendors on-site, carrying the planner’s vision through to the guest experience.
02 Project Overview
Client
Park Avenue Events
Industry
Events & celebrations
Engagement
Ongoing partner through Nina Simmons Designs
Scope
Event Design · Print & Digital Collateral · On-Site Support
Completed through Nina Simmons Designs, Inc.
03 The Challenge
Every occasion called for a different visual approach, from weddings and milestone celebrations to memorial services. The materials had to honor the people at the center of each event, communicate the essentials clearly, and fit the décor and setting.
04 The Strategic Response
I worked alongside the planner to turn each event’s vision into coordinated details, weighing tone, color, readability, and placement across print and digital. On-site, I helped with vendors and setup so every piece worked in the actual space.
My role
I served as a wedding planning assistant, helped direct vendors on-site, and contributed décor advice and visual ideas. I designed invitations, signage, and collateral for weddings, graduations, anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and memorial services, with occasional wedding websites.
05 The Impact
Park Avenue Events gained a creative and practical partner across a wide range of occasions. Coordinated collateral helped guests find their way through each event, and on-site support helped the planner bring the details together.
Williams Park:One vision. Two distinct experiences.
Williams Park is two entities sharing one name: a media, technology, and artist-management business, and a recording artist and ministry. As fractional brand and marketing lead, I give both a shared foundation while letting each speak to its own audience.
02 Project Overview
Client
Williams Park
Industry
Media, music & ministry
Engagement
Fractional brand & marketing lead
Scope
Fractional Brand Leadership · Brand Architecture · Music Marketing · Digital Experiences
03 The Challenge
One name, different audiences, different goals. The brand needed enough consistency to be recognizable everywhere and enough separation that a music release, a ministry message, and a media service didn’t blur together.
04 The Strategic Response
I started with the architecture, deciding what the two entities share and where each has room to stand alone. From there, each initiative got materials built around its audience and connected by a common identity. The Park Bench newsletter and “Pause. Breathe. Park.” merchandise carry the brand’s personality into editorial content and physical products.
My role
I lead brand architecture, positioning, audience strategy, and messaging, and direct the creative that carries them: two websites, release campaigns, lyric videos, The Park Bench newsletter, and merchandise.
05 The Impact
Williams Park now has a clear brand structure and a reusable library of assets for releases, communications, and merchandise. New initiatives launch with a defined place in the brand instead of starting from zero.
Lifestyles of Luxury Real Estate:A refreshed identity, built for luxury print.
I led the brand refresh for Pamela Parker’s Lifestyles of Luxury Real Estate, from a new logo and visual identity to the ongoing editorial advertising that carries it to an affluent residential audience.
Lifestyles of Luxury brand logo animation
02 Project Overview
Client
Lifestyles of Luxury Real Estate
Industry
Luxury real estate
Engagement
Brand refresh and ongoing creative direction
Scope
Brand Refresh · Creative Direction · Logo Design · Luxury Editorial Advertising
03 The Challenge
Refresh an established luxury brand without losing what made it credible. The new identity had to feel more distinctive and polished, keep Pamela’s personal character, and stay recognizable across recurring publication placements.
Lifestyles of Luxury brand identity board
04 The Strategic Response
I paired a refined identity with approachable messaging, so the brand reads as luxury without feeling distant. I extended the direction into publication layouts and created the “Inside the Manor” editorial concept, giving recurring ads a consistent format that builds recognition over time.
My role
I led the refresh from start to finish: setting the visual direction, designing the logo, and establishing the standards. I continue as creative director for the brand’s editorial print advertising and ongoing marketing.
05 The Work
Lifestyles of Luxury logo lockupLifestyles of Luxury monogramInside the Manor magazine feature, October 2026A Higher Standard of Home magazine spreadLifestyles of Luxury brand stylingLifestyles of Luxury brand journalLifestyles of Luxury business card
06 The Impact
The refresh gave the brand a new logo and a cohesive visual foundation that now runs across its ongoing marketing. Each recurring placement reinforces the same identity, giving Pamela a consistent, recognizable presence in the publications serving her audience.
YE Foundation:Creative that brings guests into the mission.
For YE Foundation’s Roots & Renewal and Prelude to the Garden, I directed the creative that connected guests to the foundation’s cultural mission, from campaign concepts and sponsor messaging to the experience in the room.
02 Project Overview
Client
YE Foundation
Industry
Nonprofit · Arts & culture
Engagement
Creative direction for two signature events
Scope
Creative Direction · Campaign Development · Experiential Design · Fundraising Communications
03 The Challenge
A mission-driven event has two jobs: help guests feel the purpose, and give them a clear way to act on it. YE Foundation needed both, along with sponsor communications that made the case for support.
04 The Strategic Response
I treated each event as one connected story. Signage, welcome materials, sponsorship messaging, and a cultural impact calendar carried the same narrative. Interactive engagement concepts, including the Cultivating Possibilities card, turned interest into a next step: guests could explore initiatives and indicate how they wanted to contribute.
My role
In partnership with the foundation’s leadership and event stakeholders, I led creative direction, campaign concepts, event experience design, and fundraising and sponsor communications.
05 The Impact
The foundation gained a coordinated set of campaign and event materials for its storytelling and sponsor outreach. Guests left with tangible ways to engage, and the team left with a starting point for follow-up conversations.
Morris Brown College Foundation:One evening. One visual presence.
For one of Morris Brown College Foundation’s annual fundraising galas, I designed the digital presentations and print signage, giving the evening one visual presence across screens and printed materials.
02 Project Overview
Client
Morris Brown College Foundation
Industry
Higher education · Philanthropy
Engagement
Annual fundraising gala, through Nina Simmons Designs
A formal fundraising gala leaves little room for confusion. Presentations and signage had to work together, read clearly at very different sizes and distances, and match the tone of the evening.
04 The Strategic Response
I built one typographic and layout system, then adapted it for each format: presentations viewed from across the venue and signage read up close. Clear hierarchy kept the content easy to follow in both.
My role
I designed the gala’s full set of digital presentations and print signage and carried one visual approach through every piece.
05 The Impact
The foundation had a cohesive set of gala materials. The presentations supported the evening’s messaging, and the signage carried the same look throughout the venue.
TK Elevator:Complex priorities, made clear for the room.
In fall 2025, I joined TK Elevator’s North America marketing department as a creative consultant for the company’s annual Sales Team Summit. The job was to take what leadership needed to say and make it land with a room of sales executives.
02 Project Overview
Client
TK Elevator
Industry
Corporate · Elevators & mobility
Engagement
Contract creative consultant, fall 2025
Scope
Creative Consulting · Executive Communications · Presentation Systems
03 The Challenge
Leadership’s priorities arrived as complex business information. Before anything could be designed, someone had to decide what mattered most, what order it belonged in, and how it would read on screen in a live session, all on a fixed event deadline.
04 The Strategic Response
I started with the message, not the slides. I organized the content into a clear narrative, then used hierarchy, typography, and layout to put the key points first. One presentation system within the corporate brand kept different sessions and speakers feeling like one summit.
My role
I worked between senior leadership and the marketing team, interpreting executive input, refining messaging, and shaping how each priority appeared on screen. I built the presentations and the visual system behind keynote sessions, sales communications, training, and internal messaging.
05 The Impact
The work gave leadership a clear, consistent way to deliver its priorities to the sales organization across keynotes, sales sessions, and training, and kept every presentation aligned with the brand.
