Creative Director & Designer





GWEN O’BRIEN
gwen@gwenobrien.com


Creative director and designer building brands, publications, and digital experiences end to end. My work spans brand identity, editorial, web, and campaigns — originating a clear vision and weaving it across every page, screen, and object. I lead creative from concept through production, and the teams that bring it to life.

CONTACT
CV





Education
Kendall College of Art & Design
Bachelor of Fine Arts
1991 – 1997
Visual Communications
Interior Design

Artistic Merit Scholarship
Distinguished Alumni Award
President, Alumni Association
Commencement Speaker




CareerMarketing Communications Specialist
Intertek
2026 – PRESENT

Founder & Designer
Haus of GG
2017 – PRESENT

Founder
Design X Collective
2021 – PRESENT

Head of Brand & Marketing
CENT
San Francisco, California
2022 – 2024

Co-Founder
Clarity Data Insight
Tulsa, Oklahoma
2021 – 2023

Creative Director
Fairly Painless Advertising
Holland, Michigan
2015 – 2016

Co-Owner & Creative Director
Plenty Creative
Grand Rapids, Michigan
2003 – 2015

Lead Web Designer
marchFIRST
Grand Rapids, Michigan
1999 – 2001



Design 
Leadership & Service
President’s Council Chair
National Board — AIGA
2015 – 2016

President
AIGA West Michigan
2013 – 2015

Co-Founder
West Michigan Design Week
2014 – 2016



Design & Creative
Branding & Visual Identity

Graphic Design – Digital & Print

Web Design & Development

UX/UI & Information Architecture

Web3 / NFT Creative Direction

Publication & Packaging Design

Motion Graphics & Video

Experiential Design

Museum Installations

Commercial Signage

Social Media Strategy

Marketing & Campaign Strategy




Leadership
Creative Direction &
Team Leadership

Project Management &
Workflow Design

Mentorship &
Community Building

Strategic Concept Development & Creative Problem Solving

Client Relations &
Experiential Consulting                



AwardsSappi Ideas that Matter
Sappi North America
2014

Museum Publications Design Winner
American Alliance of Museums
2014

U360 Award Winner
Haworth Collection Portfolio Book
Sappi
2014








Last Updated  08.2026