KATHLEEN BUENVIAJE CREATIVE DIRECTION / ART DIRECTION

Good instincts.
Great people.
Better work.

Yelloooooow! Kathleen here, the human behind the screen. I shape creative direction, build bad ass teams, and guide people on their path to confidence to create something great.

A leader first. A maker, always.
Currently at Mint & Ultra Mobile.
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01 / SELECTED WORK & EXPERIENCEA FEW THINGS I'VE HELPED SHAPE
THE BRANDS. THE TEAM. THE BIGGER PICTURE.
Mint MobileUltra Mobile

Two brands.
One people-first approach.

LEADERSHIP & BRAND DIRECTION / 2021–PRESENT
MINT & ULTRA MOBILE

Build the team.
Elevate the work.

Creative direction is more than the final frame. It’s the clarity, confidence, and care that help a team get there.

At Mint and Ultra, I’ve built & grown a diverse, remote only design team who've evolved two brand identities. I've taught designers how to connect strategy and problem solving to every creative decision they make.

2 → 9Designers on the team I built
plus five full-time freelancers.
Explore Mint & Ultra ↗
TWO BRANDS. ONE SHARED CREATIVE TEAM.
MINT MOBILE / VISUAL IDENTITY & BRAND GUIDELINES

Message first.
Fox with purpose.

I led a complete visual identity and brand guide refresh, shifting the focus to the message and giving the mascot a more intentional role.

Explore Mint ↗ULTRA MOBILE / WIRELESS WITHOUT BORDERS CAMPAIGN

A more human
kind of wireless.

A modernized logo, a more cohesive identity, and a lifestyle-led Google campaign that challenged the category’s conventions.

Explore Ultra ↗
New Balance urban lifestyle campaign, art directed by Kathleen

New Balance

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A sense of place. A point of view.

ART DIRECTION / CAMPAIGN / PRODUCTION
dish direct mail redesign featuring lifestyle photography

dish

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Give the champion a challenger.

DIRECT MAIL / ART DIRECTION / ITERATION
HP / INTEGRATED B2B CAMPAIGN

Business to business.
Still human to human.

Explore the work ↗
HP campaign digital creative
02 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE WORKMY KIND OF LEADERSHIP

High standards.
Human first.

“I’m transparent. I care. I respect.
I advocate for my team and for their work.”
— ME, AND I MEAN IT.

Support.

Make time for the human, not just the project. Dedicated one-on-ones, honest coaching, and clear career paths help people grow with intention.

Communication.

Connect the brief to the bigger picture. Bring designers into the thinking, work through concepts together, and keep cross-functional partners close.

Respect.

Build a culture where people can share ideas, give feedback, and do their best work. Protect that culture as carefully as the creative.

Make room for life.

Life is short and precious. I believe in making room for the people we love, the things that bring us joy, and time that belongs to us. As a leader, I want my team to have full lives beyond the work. That matters in its own right.

03 / THE HUMAN, TOOA LITTLE LESS LINKEDIN

Serious about
the work.
Still very much
a person.

Hi, I’m Kathleen.

I grew up through studio production. The details, the all nighters with gatorboard cuts, the “how are we actually going to make this?” That foundation still shapes the way I direct work and support a team.

My path has taken me through agency life, in-house studios, B2B, and B2C pathways. These days, I’m a creative leader in Washington State who believes leading a creative team with support, communication, and respect makes better work possible.

Outside of the brief? Cats, plants-ALL of them, the outdoors, the Lakers, the Raiders, and a fantasy football record I’m happy to discuss.

Professional chapstick hider.
So professional, I can’t find them either.

The experience stuff.

Mint / Ultra MobileSr. Manager, Creative Direction

TransmissionFreelance Sr. Art Director / ACD

Atomic DCreative Manager

dish / OneTenCreative Design Manager / Art Director

Crispin Porter + BoguskySenior Designer