Drew Brucker

Goldcast

Director of Brand & Content

Runway

Creative Partner Program

MiniMax

brainchild

Currently helping brands in the following areas:
❑ Midjourney workshops & speaking engagements
❑ Content, storytelling, and design
❑ Brand + art direction

AI creative clients include: Marriott, Brooklyn Nets, Rebel Kitchen, Klar, Indiewalls, Buddy, and HUG

Brand & AI Creative Consultant

LASSO

VP, Marketing

Pavilion

Executive Member

Fullsteam™

Portfolio Marketing Director

Rubicon

Head of Brand & Creative

Senior Content Manager

RealPage, Inc.

Content Director

RAM Partners, LLC

Director of Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing Specialist

Marketer / 4 Under 40 / Midjourney Expert / Novel brand & creative direction for brands who want to leverage AI

I believe creativity is curiosity with something to prove.

I’ve spent the last decade scaling B2B SaaS brands, driving $130M in marketing-sourced revenue, and leading teams through multiple product launches, all while maintaining my sanity. Along the way, I picked up a peer-nominated American Marketing Association 4 Under 40 Award (2023).

As a first-mover with Gen AI, I broke out on my own midway through 2023 to provide novel creative and brand direction for teams that wanted to leverage AI in their visual storytelling. 

Since then, I’ve partnered with clients like Marriott, Brooklyn Nets, Rebel Kitchen, Klar, Buddy, and Indiewalls, while offering AI creative guidance and education to brands like Meta, TikTok, Ogilvy, McCann, Google, and VaynerMedia.

The journey has been incredibly rewarding. It also reminded me of something essential: the magic of working toward a shared vision with a great team. That’s what brought me to Goldcast.

Goldcast is empathetically changing how marketers connect with decision-makers by creating AI-first tools and workflows that solve actual challenges.

I co-host Midjourney Fast Hours, a podcast for creatives using Gen AI who are navigating this new frontier of visual storytelling.

My superpowers: creativity, curiosity, Gen AI, content, brand, design, innovation, growth mindset

More about me: https://bento.me/dr3w

Fractional CMO & Creative Consultant

Currently helping brands in the following areas:
❑ Marketing and GTM—strategy + execution (b2b SaaS)
❑ Midjourney workshops & speaking engagements
❑ Content, storytelling, and design
❑ Brand + art direction

This Is Design

This Is Design is a small consultancy founded in 2000 and specializes in design thinking, innovation, & digital transformation to turn experiences into something extraordinary. 

How do I do it? I combine creative problem-solving with a strong understanding of new technologies to drive innovation. My approach is inclusive and collaborative, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards common goals. 

Services include:

Experience Design Development
I craft strategies that bridge the gap between customer needs and business goals. Through collaborative partnership, I help organizations develop experience visions that are both ambitious and achievable, backed by practical roadmaps that deliver measurable impact.

Journey Mapping & Service Design
I bring clarity to complex customer journeys. Drawing from 20+ years of experience, I help organizations visualize and optimize their customer interactions, transforming pain points into opportunities that drive both customer satisfaction and business growth.

Customer Insights & Research
My passion lies in uncovering the story behind the data. I partner with teams to reveal meaningful customer insights through targeted research, helping businesses understand not just what customers do, but why they do it .

Digital Transformation & AI Integration
I guide organizations through thoughtful digital evolution. My approach ensures technology serves your customers and teams effectively, creating connected experiences that feel natural while driving efficiency and growth.

Workshops & Strategic Activation
I believe in making strategy actionable. My workshops energize teams and create clarity, turning complex challenges into focused initiatives. 

Team Enablement & Leadership Support
I partner with leaders and teams to build lasting CX capabilities. My coaching approach combines strategic guidance with practical tools, helping organizations develop the confidence and skills to deliver exceptional experiences.

Experience Design & Strategy Consultant

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

* Orchestrated innovative research methodologies within the Customer Journey Evolution initiative to unlock relevant customer insights, resulting in the identification of unique behavioral segments, key opportunities, and prioritization; achieved a 20% rise in engagement, contributing to a successful brand turnaround effort.

* Crafted a targeted journey measurement strategy that brought together various data sources for a unified 360 look of the journey for root cause analysis; the resulting framework is now leveraged by squads to drive customer-centric decision-making and optimize customer experiences.

* Developed detailed experience maps, service blueprints and journey maps for 20+ customer interactions, resulting in extended clarity for teams and a measurable increase in customer satisfaction scores.

* Synthesized insights into strategic themes for experience design improvements, which transformed the customer interaction quality and resulted in a 50% rise in app usage, and a 35% increase in conversion rate. 

* Facilitated virtual and in-person interviews and workshops with diverse participants, (executive to customer), that generated over 10 innovative concepts aimed at enhancing both customer and associate experiences, driving product development initiatives across the organization. 

* Championed initiatives for diversity and inclusion as the leader of the A&F Women in Technology ARG; organized quarterly workshops that engaged over 100 participants, fostering an inclusive company culture and enhancing employee retention.

Key Projects:
- Customer Journey Evolution (Foundational Research)
- Returns Journey Analysis
- Digital Sales Platform (DSP) Visioning
- Shared Shopping Visioning
- Virtual Stylist 
- Loyalty Reimagined
- Digital Usability Benchmark

Senior Manager Experience Strategy | Digital Transformation | Customer Strategy | Experience Design

Under Armour

* Moderated a series of discovery workshops that assembled 30+ stakeholders to extract consumer insights across targeted categories, leading to the development of four distinct 'focused performer" archetypes/personas that aligned customer needs and jobs to global strategic direction.

* Incorporated design thinking and jobs-to-be-done frameworks that transformed product development processes, leading to a reduction in time-to-market for new features and aligning offerings more closely with customer needs.

* Created a digital resource library for ongoing training and support, which is now utilized by employees in customer experience roles, enhancing knowledge retention and facilitating shared learning across teams.

Key Projects:
- Focused Performer Redefined
   - Primary Customer Research
   - Global Persona / Archetype Development
   - Global Journey Mapping & Service Discovery
   - GTM Storyboard Concepts
- Design Thinking Workshops & Training

Design Strategist | Design Thinking | Data- Driven Journey Mapping | JTBD | Customer Strategy 

Little Buddha Design

Little Buddha Design is a small consultancy, founded in 1994, that has provided design, research, and strategic services to organizations that follow design-thinking and human-centered design principles in their product development cycles.

- Little Buddha Design blends insights from both qualitative and quantitative data to take a holistic approach to research, turning raw data into actionable strategies that meet user needs and spot emerging trends, as evidenced in the work they 

- Little Buddha Design applies design thinking to craft brand strategies that resonate, creating thoughtful, effective designs that tell a brand’s story in a meaningful way.

- Little Buddha Design ensures every touchpoint meets customer expectations by designing omnichannel strategies that integrate digital and physical experiences, delivering seamless and consistent interactions.

- Little Buddha Design pushes the boundaries of what’s possible by embracing innovation and emerging technologies, exploring AI-driven tools, and implementing cutting-edge digital solutions to keep clients ahead of the curve.

• Prior engagements including, AOL, NBC, Investor's Business Daily, Sage Mutual Funds, WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association), University of Tennessee, CallMiner

Experience Strategy Consultant | Digital Strategy | Design Thinking | CX Design | Open for Work

Chico's FAS, Inc.

* Established the omnichannel experience of Style Connect, a virtual stylist service; integrated virtual appointments and personalized recommendations across 3 brands, driving a 50% year-over-year increase in Q2 sales and attracting over 5,000 new users.

* Negotiated the desired MVP BOPIS journey, streamlining processes and enhancing the experience, which culminated in a 25% reduction in last-mile delivery times and a significant decrease in associated fees.

* Produced customer need use cases throughout the journey and translated identified needs into clear business requirements; efforts led to increased customer interaction rates of over 40%.

* Planned and led a multi-city qualitative and quantitative research initiative that enlisted over 75 participants from diverse customer segments; consolidated insights to inform strategic brand repositioning, ultimately influencing product development roadmaps for future launches.

Key Projects:
- Digital Size and Fit 
- Digital Stylist & Clienteling (Omnichannel)
- Digital Gifting Pilot (Omnichannel)
- Buy Online Pickup In-Store (3 months to MVP - Omnichannel)
- Personal Stylist Pilot (In-store) 
- Navigation & Wayfinding (Digital)
- Digital Store Reimagined Visioning
- Brand Perception & Customer Loyalty (Qualitative and Quantitative Research)
- Sat on 6 Transformation Task Force Teams

Special Recognition:
• Received the "Power of &" Award for leading the best cross-functional team for StyleConnect (virtual clienteling app initiative). This groundbreaking app allowed associates to connect with customers virtually and drive digital sales during the pandemic.

CX Strategist | Experience Design | Digital Strategy | Omnichannel Design | Experience Strategist

Lee Health

* Directed the comprehensive redesign and rebranding of digital properties, implementing a new design system and Bootstrap framework, resulting in 147% increase in mobile engagement and $1M+ cost savings.

* Cultivated a three-person content team, implementing strict compliance checks and best practices that resulted in a 20% increase in content output efficiency and met all established KPIs for patient experience improvements.

* Spearheaded a comprehensive SEO strategy that elevated website search rankings from page 5 to page 1 for 15 targeted keywords, resulting in a 50% increase in organic traffic over six months.

* Led comprehensive user research initiatives, creating detailed patient journey maps that aligned digital strategies with patient care goals; enhanced user satisfaction scores by 30% across clinical touchpoints and IT interfaces.

Key Projects:
- Website Content Publishing and Maintenance (Transition to Marketing-Led Ownership)
- EPIC EMR Integration 
- Children's Hospital Microsite Launch
- Centers of Excellence Microsites Launch (Heart, Stroke, Cancer, Orthopedics)
- Lee Health Rebranding and Transition to Flex Design (Complete Website Overhaul)

Core Responsibilities:
- Website Content Strategy
- Digital Strategy
- SEO/SEM Strategy
- Social Media Strategy
- Front-end Development

UX Strategist | Design Manager | Digital Marketing | Content Strategy | UX Strategy | UX Design

MIVA

As the Director of UX at MIVA, I spearheaded the user experience vision and strategy for the company's SaaS product offering.

Relevant Contributions:
• Played a hands-on "player-coach" role - conducting user research, prototyping concepts, and validating designs through usability testing.
• Drove a user-centric culture through cross-functional collaboration and continuous incorporation of user insights into product decisions.
• Championed a design thinking approach to deeply understand user needs, behaviors, and goals across the product experience.
• Partnered closely with product management, engineering, and leadership to align on a cohesive UX strategy and roadmap.

Impact:
• Delivered intuitive and user-friendly product experiences that resulted in high adoption rates and customer retention.
• Fostered a customer-obsessed mindset across the organization, ensuring user needs were the driving force behind product innovation.
• Established MIVA as a leader in user-centric SaaS solutions through an unwavering focus on exceptional UX.

Through strategic UX leadership, hands-on execution, and promoting a user-centric culture, I played an instrumental role in shaping MIVA's SaaS products to provide best-in-class user experiences that delighted customers and drove business success.

Director of User Experience | UX Leadership | User Research | Experience Design | Digital Marketing

Senior UX Designer | User Research | User Experience Design | Digital Marketing | Brand Design

As the Art Director at AOL in Dulles, VA, I played a pioneering role in shaping the company's early digital products and platforms.

Relevant Contributions:
• Directed a team of designers responsible for the visual direction and user experience across AOL's core products and services.
• Led the design of AOL's core products and services, including Member Publishing & Social Tools, AOL.com (web front door), AOL Broadband (AOLPLUS), AOL Weather, AOL News, AOL Politics (Government), AOL Pictures (photo sharing), AOL Families & Message Boards.
• Mentored junior designers, providing guidance, feedback, and opportunities for professional growth within AOL's innovative design culture.
• Served as a Senior Design Ambassador during the Netscape acquisition, ensuring seamless change management and integration of design processes.

Impact:
• Shaped the iconic user experience and visual identity of AOL's pioneering online services, revolutionizing internet access and usage for millions worldwide.
• Built a strong design team through mentorship, fostering creativity and preparing the next generation of digital designers.
• Facilitated a smooth transition during a major acquisition, maintaining design excellence and continuity throughout the integration process.

Through visionary creative direction and a deep understanding of emerging digital trends, I played an instrumental role in defining AOL's iconic brand and product experiences during the formative years of the internet revolution.

Art Director | Design Leadership | Interaction Design | Brand Design | Creative Design Manager 

As a Senior Designer at AOL in Dulles, VA, I played a pioneering role in shaping the company's early digital products and innovative initiatives.

Relevant Contributions:
• One of the first designers hired within AOL's Greenhouses - the company's Innovation Hub, driving cutting-edge digital experiences.
• Designed the groundbreaking dual-published women's content network, one of the first of its kind on the web, which was later acquired by Oprah Winfrey.
• Contributed design expertise to other emerging digital offerings during a period of rapid growth and innovation for the company.

Impact:
• Established AOL as an early leader in innovative digital content and experiences tailored for women through the visionary dual-published network.
• Played an instrumental role in defining the visual identity and user experience of AOL's pioneering internet services during the formative years of the world wide web.
• Helped shape AOL's reputation as a hub for cutting-edge technology and design through work on emerging digital products and the Greenhouse innovation initiatives.

As one of AOL's earliest design pioneers, I made significant contributions to the company's iconic brand and revolutionary online services, leaving a lasting impact on the digital landscape during the internet's nascent years.

Senior Designer | Interaction Design | Visual Design | Brand Design | Innovation Lab

Bethesda Softworks

Package Design,  Collateral Design, and Marketing Design for Daggerfall and Terminator video games

Package Designer | Graphic Design | Brand Design | Retail Packaging | Daggerfall & Terminator

About Me:

I’m Laura Melbourne, a design strategist with over 20 years of experience crafting customer experiences that drive business growth. I blend design thinking with strategic management, turning insights into user-centered solutions that deliver real results. My approach combines creativity with strategy, ensuring every solution not only solves the problem but also drives measurable business impact.

What I Do:

As a design leader, I focus on reshaping how brands and customers connect through strategic design. At Abercrombie & Fitch, I co-led the "Know and Wow Customers Everywhere" initiative, leading to a 35% boost in brand perception, 20% higher engagement, and 33% growth in digital sales. At Under Armour, I ran design thinking workshops that created consumer-led strategies for innovation, driving a 15% revenue increase. At Chico’s FAS, I launched "Style Connect," growing digital sales by 50% and adding 5,000 new users.

How I Work:

I combine innovative design with strategic leadership to create impactful customer experiences. My process emphasizes collaboration, empathy, and crafting solutions that align with business goals and customer needs. Whether I’m developing strategy or leading cross-functional teams, I’m focused on delivering meaningful, lasting results.

My Super Powers:

- Creating Human-Centered Solutions that meet business goals and user needs.
- Designing End-to-End Experiences that turn disconnected interactions into unified customer journeys.
- Using Design Thinking to creatively solve complex challenges.
- Building Customer Journeys that drive engagement and satisfaction across every touchpoint.
- Translating Research into Actionable Insights that inspire strategic decisions and innovation.
- Leading Cross-Functional Teams to align on a shared vision.
- Adapting Quickly to shifting market conditions, customer expectations, and new technologies.
- Driving Innovation by integrating emerging technologies like AI to enhance customer experiences.

What Drives Me:

I’m passionate about how AI and new technologies can reshape customer experiences. I believe in empathy-led design to create meaningful connections between businesses and customers. I’m also committed to mentoring design talent and fostering collaborative, innovative environments where teams thrive.

Let’s Connect:

If you're looking for a design strategist who can turn complex challenges into innovative solutions and lead teams through growth and change, let’s connect! 


Contact:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauramelbourne
Email: LMelbourne@me.com

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