Design Intelligence: Behind the Work
Every visual system I build starts with human insight. These case studies unpack the strategy, psychology, and creative frameworks behind selected projects — showing how design becomes not just beautiful, but intelligent, functional, and future-ready.
CASE STUDY 1 | LATIMER.AI
“Elsa helped me take the core idea and turn it into something investors, institutions, and everyday people could understand. She translated the soul of the work.” — John Pasmore
🚀 Launched a Premium, Culture-Centered AI Brand
→ Secured Global Speaking Stages + Investor Interest
Latimer.AI required more than a visual identity. It needed a narrative and positioning system capable of translating culturally significant technology into institutional trust.
As Creative Director, I defined and led the full brand architecture — shaping narrative strategy, creative direction, and messaging systems that allowed the platform to scale with clarity, credibility, and integrity. This work positioned Latimer as a context-aware intelligence platform trusted by global partners, institutions, and investors.
The engagement reflects my role as a creative leader focused on translating complexity into systems that scale responsibly.
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Latimer is a technology platform addressing one of AI’s most persistent failures: the inability to account for historical and cultural context. Operating at the intersection of culture, computation, and accountability, the platform is designed to reduce bias in digital communication by grounding intelligence in historically informed data.
With applications across higher education, healthcare, and institutional environments, Latimer is actively used by HBCUs and global partners seeking more accurate, context-aware AI systems. As the work entered larger public and institutional conversations, the challenge became not technical capability, but how to communicate responsibility, depth, and long-term trust at scale.
My role was to establish a cohesive narrative and positioning system capable of translating this complexity clearly to institutional, investor, and public audiences.
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No cohesive narrative or positioning system to communicate the depth, responsibility, or long-term implications of the work
Messaging lacked clarity around mission, accountability, and institutional relevance
While the technology was powerful, its public expression lacked the authority required to build investor confidence and institutional trust
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Established the narrative and positioning framework that translated Latimer’s cultural and technical depth into institutional credibility
Defined the language, structure, and storytelling system used across executive messaging, investor materials, public platforms, and partner communications
Set creative direction for how Latimer shows up visually and verbally, ensuring consistency, restraint, and long-term coherence
Positioned Latimer as a context-aware intelligence platform built for trust, global partnership, and responsible scale
The brand shifted from an abstract concept to a clearly articulated platform trusted across cultural and institutional contexts
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Latimer achieved greater legibility and credibility with institutional partners, media, and decision-makers
Executive messaging gained coherence, enabling sponsorships, strategic partnerships, and press
The company secured global speaking platforms and strengthened alignment with HBCUs, increasing visibility, trust, and funding interest
CASE STUDY 2 | 54kibo
Positioning a Visionary Founder
in the African Luxury Space
54Kibo was founded with a strong mission: to reintroduce African design to the world as modern luxury. The founder, Nana Quagraine, had deep artisan relationships, a functioning e-commerce platform, and early traction — but lacked a cohesive creative direction to elevate the brand beyond a marketplace model.
The challenge was not product availability, but luxury coherence: how to unify diverse artisans, materials, and geographies into a brand that could command higher price points and long-term cultural relevance.
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I joined initially to support a catalogue design, but quickly became a strategic creative partner to the founder — operating as a shadow co-founder and Creative Director. My responsibility expanded to product direction, brand systems, visual storytelling, and decision-making across how the brand would evolve, present itself, and scale.
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Strong artisan partnerships and a curated product selection, but no unifying luxury framework
The brand lacked a clear aesthetic thread, refined positioning, and internal creative direction for new product lines
Needed a hands-on creative leader to translate craft into elevated design language and guide long-term brand vision
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Defined in-house product design direction, refining artisan work into cohesive seasonal palettes and luxury standards
Designed original soft goods and contributed directly to product development alongside global artisans
Established brand guidelines, editorial tone, and visual systems to elevate perception and consistency
Directed website redesign, campaign concepts, and newsletter templates to support storytelling and conversion
Acted as a strategic thought partner to the founder, helping shape priorities, product plans, and creative decisions under constrained resources
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Launched a new luxury product line rooted in African design ethos and refined craftsmanship
Shifted brand perception from marketplace to design house, enabling higher price points and stronger cultural positioning
Provided the founder with a clear creative foundation, allowing her to lead sales and product development with confidence
Established visual and strategic systems that continue to support the brand’s longevity, even as resources fluctuate
Signature products developed during this engagement continue to anchor the brand’s visual and commercial identity
shape your legacy. Let’s co-create a brand that speaks with soul & builds with intention.
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A tool designed to help cultural capital entrepreneurs build a cohesive, emotionally resonant brand through intentional refinement of five essential dimensions: Clarity, Communication, Positioning, Impact, and Legacy.
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Working with me is not a traditional design engagement—it’s a creative ceremony.
I work closely with visionary founders who are building movements, not just businesses.
Our work together is collaborative, intuitive, intentional, and rooted in legacy.
We begin with clarity, we design from story, and we refine until the energy is true.
Whether through aesthetics, language, or ritual—my goal is always resonance. -
I work with creative, visionary, and culturally rooted founders who are:
— Building businesses that will live beyond them
— Leading with soul, beauty, and intentionality
— Ready to refine their message and magnetic presence
— Reclaiming space, power, and rest in how they lead
— Tired of fragmented branding that doesn’t reflect their brillianceIf that sounds like you—we’ll work beautifully together.