Lain Nathan Portfolio

About

I'm a designer and creative specialist who thrives when making brands look great and creating digital experiences that drive results. I specialise in art direction, digital design and producing media that makes sense across various platforms. While I have over a decade of experience in design roles, I have spent the last four years as a design lead, working across multiple brands and overseeing the creative and visual output of all marketing and communications materials.

I am a production powerhouse with expertise across the design gamut, including the creation of brand guidelines, web and UI/UX design, print, photography, videography and motion graphics. My technical repertoire includes proficiency in Figma, Webflow and the Adobe Creative Suite.

I come with eight years of in-house marketing experience and love collaborating within high-performing teams to perfect customer journeys and realise big-picture organisational goals.

Expertise

Art Direction

Visual storytelling is at the center of my professional experience. From creating new branding from scratch, to ensuring existing brand guidelines are implemented consistently and beautifully.

While I enjoy hunting down new trends and ideas (I’ve been known to photograph interesting branding in the street), I know when to balance what is ‘fashionable’ with tried and tested concepts of formative eras and design genres.

In addition to expertise in photography and videography, I’m obsessive over typography, grid system layouts and I’m a colour theory nerd. I have an eye for detail and a distinctive ability to contextualise imagery across print, practical and digital applications.

Digital Design

While I have ample print design acumen, my skills are best utilised when working in digital spaces. I specialise in cross-platform content that is tailored to the context in which it appears, while maintaining brand consistency.

I design websites, digital ads, EDMs and social content that work in tandem to build brand authority, educate users on complex products and deliver them to a point of conversion. I am also experienced in creating specialised digital brand guidelines that expand on elements that are traditionally excluded from print guidelines, such as responsive typescales, templates for web components like product cards and buttons, as well as extended colour palettes that aid with digital usability and accessibility.

UI/UX Design

In addition to creating content that is visually impressive, I prioritise a human centered design approach. User interface and user experience design speaks to the technical, evidence based part of me; I can use analytics and tools to perfect content and customer journeys, measuring how well implemented designs can affect an organisation’s bottom line or target achievements.

My digital experience extends beyond standard websites, EDMs and landing pages. I build high performing SEO pages, customer journey wireframes and responsive site-wide call to action components that perform. I have a solid understanding of how visual hierarchy and motion are used to draw the user’s attention to key information and conversion points.

I primarily design using a Figma to Webflow workflow, and I also have plenty of experience in WordPress Elementor. I have built and analysed EDMS using Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Bento, and Hubspot. I have used various web analytics tools including Google Analytics, but my current favourite is PostHog. I can provide recommendations on my preferred industry tools, but am absolutely able to jump into established programs that make sense for particular businesses.

Production

I am a seasoned professional in end-to-end content realisation. In addition to my graphic and digital design expertise, I have a videography background spanning over a decade. My technical skills also cover photography, sound recording, lighting, podcast production, storyboarding, video editing, and motion graphics. I have built filming and podcast studios for businesses, working within budgets while aligning production with marketing objectives. My extensive hands-on production experience has made me an expert at troubleshooting and technical difficulty mitigation, and given me a second-to-none ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.

I’ve developed and executed content plans that have increased brand engagement and followers. I have created content production systems that required leadership and project management skills at a high level, dividing responsibilities between team members and external stakeholders to maximise output.

projects

Dual concept branding for a high-end property development.

Property Developent Branding

I was tasked with creating a branding pitch to sell prime residential apartments off-the-plan. The property development was located in Elwood, VIC and had been given the title "The Elster".

I developed two distinct concepts to capture the essence of the project. The first concept drew inspiration from the development’s colloquial name and the vibrant character of Elwood itself: sun-bleached, bold, and designed to stand out while celebrating its luxury bayside location. The second concept took a more refined, traditional luxury approach, deeply influenced by the building’s Art Deco-inspired modern architecture. I highlighted the glamorous brass and marble finishes, the building’s elegant curves, and the sophisticated tone of the high-end renders that would showcase the project’s prestige. My approach was to create branding that was not only visually striking but also spoke to the lifestyle and architectural beauty that The Elster embodies.

Website Design & Brand Guidelines

For this project, I created brand guidelines and a simple website for a boutique real estate company specialising in property management. I also considered the company’s goal to expand into property sales. I was provided with a logo and a preferred colour, and from there, I built out a bold, cohesive brand identity. I drew inspiration from visually sticky design elements that are popular within real estate agency branding, while speaking to the modernity and lifestyle of the new company and its inner city market.

The design features a thick grotesk font and a simple, high-contrast colour palette. My goal was to create a sleek, clean, and punchy brand that felt aspirational yet practical. I wanted it to be striking enough to be instantly recognisable on signage and practical advertising. I also wanted it to be simple enough for non-design professional staff members to be able to utilise the branding effectively. I developed a website that met the immediate needs and budget of the company, as well as components and templates, ensuring the brand could be applied consistently and confidently across different mediums as the business grew.

Website and brand guidelines for a real estate company.

Reel showcasing a selection of motion graphics examples.

Motion Graphics Design

I use motion graphics and animation to draw attention, enhance user experiences, and create engaging content across platforms. I typically use an Adobe Illustrator to After Effects workflow, but often utilise multiple tools to tailor graphics for different specifications, such as Lottie for web and GIFs for email.

I have experience using animation to make advertising stand out, explain complex financial products and legal structures, and to create effective visual content when images of a product have not been provided by a client. Adding motion to graphics also allows me to highlight key areas of websites and EDMs, and guide the customer journey towards a call-to action.