Scaling brand expression across performance marketing

Role

Email Marketing Designer (Contract): Partnered with internal creative and marketing team to define and execute newsletter design direction & execution

Overview

I partnered with Glade Optics, a fast-growing, direct-to-consumer outdoor brand designing ski goggles, helmets, and sunglasses for everyday skiers and riders. As the brand evolved, they introduced updated visual guidelines—but needed a way to translate that identity into high-performing, repeatable marketing outputs. I led the design and systemization of their email marketing design, helping define a scalable creative direction for newsletters while collaborating closely with their internal team on weekly campaigns.

The Problem

Glade had strong brand momentum—but their email experience lacked consistency and structure.

• New brand guidelines existed, but weren’t fully translated into email

• Newsletter designs varied week to week, creating inconsistency in tone and visual identity

• Campaigns were executed quickly, but without a scalable system for creative production

• Email—a critical DTC channel—was underutilized as a storytelling and conversion surface

The challenge wasn’t just design—it was creating a repeatable system that could scale with the brand.

Opportunity

Turn email from a series of one-off campaigns into a cohesive, high-performing brand channel.

Build a flexible system that balances:

Consistency (brand recognition) Speed (weekly production cadence) Performance (conversion + engagement)

Approach

1. Translate brand guidelines into a usable system

I took Glade’s evolving brand identity and translated it into a modular email design system, including:

• Layout structures for different campaign types

• Typography and hierarchy rules for readability and impact

• Image treatments aligned with their mountain-driven aesthetic

• Reusable components for product, storytelling, and promotional content

To anchor consistency across every send, I also defined a branded header and footer system, creating a recognizable frame for all emails and reinforcing brand identity across every touchpoint.

2. Define a clear creative direction for email

Working within their brand ethos—performance-driven, no-hype, mountain-tested —I helped establish a visual tone that felt:

• Clean and confident

• Product-forward without being overly salesy

• Grounded in real outdoor use, not aspirational fluff

The goal was to make emails feel like a natural extension of the brand—not just a marketing channel.

3. Build for speed and weekly iteration

Email at Glade operated on a weekly cadence, requiring fast turnaround and tight collaboration.

I worked closely with the internal creative team to:

• Design and deliver weekly campaigns

• Iterate quickly based on product drops, promotions, and seasonal moments

• Maintain consistency across campaigns while adapting creative as needed

4. Balance storytelling and conversion

Each email needed to do two things well:

• Inspire (brand, lifestyle, product context)

• Convert (drive clicks, purchases, engagement)

I structured emails to guide users through a clear narrative:

Context → Product → Action

This improved clarity while keeping the experience visually engaging.

Impact

• Established a scalable email design system aligned with evolving brand guidelines

• Improved consistency across all newsletter communications

• Enabled faster weekly campaign production without sacrificing creative quality

• Strengthened email as a core brand and revenue channel

• Elevated the overall visual and storytelling standard of Glade’s marketing ecosystem

What I Learned

Designing within a fast-moving DTC environment reinforced a key principle:

Strong creative systems don’t limit expression—they unlock speed.

By defining clear structures and visual rules, we were able to move quickly, stay consistent, and continuously evolve the brand through every campaign.