Ismail Fikri

Brand Designer, Art Director

| LinkedIn

About

At the intersection of design, strategy, and visual storytelling, I craft identities and communication systems built to last. Versatile and detail-driven, I navigate with curiosity across branding, campaigns, content, and digital, always guided by meaning and precision. I'm now looking to invest myself long-term in a demanding and exciting venture, driven by passionate and ambitious people.

Work Experience

Brand Designer

Self-Employed | Freelance

Oct 2022 - Present

Creative and strategic partner with agencies, startups, and brands on projects involving branding, art direction, 360 campaigns, web design, and digital and print content.

  • • HYPER COMPANY (Paris, FR) 2023 - 2024 : 2-year collaboration with Paris-based creative studio and Art Director Pierre-Ange Aznar. As Designer and Art Director, we partnered as a creative duo offering design and advertising services to agencies and brands across North America and Asia. Work spans branding, campaigns, art direction, brand assets and content production, and web design.
  • • THE PEARL™ (Los Angeles, CA) Oct 2024 - Nov 2024 : Strategic positioning and branding mission for a conversational AI mental health app developed by an early-stage startup. Defined brand positioning and designed a preliminary identity to strengthen the product’s credibility, storytelling, and alignment with the founders’ ambitions. Developed the visual storytelling and design for the investor pitch deck. Designed and integrated a marketing website. Conducted UI explorations to align the app’s interface with the new positioning and branding.
  • • IDC Pharma (Paris, FR) Mar 2025 - Now : Creative and design partner for a distributor and e-commerce platform of medical and pharmaceutical products. Designing brand assets, email marketing templates (CRM integration), product packaging, and day-to-day design needs.

Designer & Art Director

HYPER COMPANY | Freelance

Dec 2022 - Dec 2024

Long-term collaboration with Art Director and founder Pierre-Ange Aznar as Designer and Art Director at the Paris based Creative Studio HYPER COMPANY. Worked on branding, art direction, campaign concepts, digital content, and Framer-based web design for clients across North America, Europe, and Asia.

  • • Plenty (USA): 2-year collaboration with the in-house marketing team of the vertical farming startup. Created brand and marketing assets — including social/web ads, social media and newsletter templates, pitch decks, event visuals, and swag — all aligned with strategic and business objectives.
  • • Wasserman (Canada): Co-developed 360° activation campaign concepts for Coors Light x Toronto Raptors and Molson x Team Canada alongside AD Pierre-Ange Aznar and copywriter Adrian Smith. From ideation and storytelling to high-fidelity mockups using generative AI, supporting client buy-in through impactful visual narratives. Led to the production of the Chill Fleece Jacket activation by Wasserman.
  • • Practice Theory (Singapore): Translated brand strategies into complete visual identities for Roam (urban/tech apparel), Coupé Cousu (shirtmaker), and CAADRIA 2024 (architecture/design conference). Scope included identity systems, art direction, digital assets, collaterals and web design.
  • Other collaborations: Publicis Canada, Meati, one.bio, Essential Baking Company, VCG.xyz.

Education

Visual Communication & Graphic Design

ECV

Physics, Engineering & Technology

Lycée Vauvenargues

Art Direction & Brand Strategy

Bellecour École

Projects

Plenty, Growing the Future of Food

Jan 2023 - Nov 2024

Plenty is rewriting the rules of agriculture with fully automated vertical farms that grow flavorful, pesticide-free produce using less water and no soil, all year round. Plenty wasn’t just changing farming, they were changing perceptions. The challenge? Making people see, understand, and crave the future of food.

CAADRIA 2024, Accelerated Design

Jan 2024 - Jan 2024

CAADRIA (Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia) 2024, is a conference hosted by the Singapore University of Technology and Design, bringing together global leaders in computational design to reflect on the role of architecture and technology in a time of constant acceleration. Shaping an identity system that challenged clarity, celebrated distortion, and asked one provocative question: What happens when we accelerate too quickly?

Coors Light x Toronto Raptors, Made to Chill

Jun 2023 - Jun 2023

Coors Light partnered with the Toronto Raptors to help fans embrace game time as a moment of escape. As part of the brand’s Made to Chill platform, in collaboration with Wasserman Canada, we develop activation concepts rooted in a key behavioral insight: Raptors fans are 270% more likely to use basketball as an emotional escape than other sports fans.

Roam, Apparel for Everywear, Everywhere.

Jan 2023 - Feb 2023

Roam is a Hong Kong–born apparel brand built for life in motion: functional, urban, and effortlessly adaptable. The challenge was to create a visual identity as versatile as the wardrobe itself, one that could flex from subway platforms to rooftop bars without ever losing its sense of purpose or place.

Languages

French (Native) , English (Fluent) , Arabic (Proficient)

Skills

Collaboration & Cross-functional Mindset

  • Team Collaboration
  • Cross-functional Teams
  • Stakeholder Management

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • After Effects

Analytical & Synthesis Skills

  • Data Analysis
  • Information Synthesis
  • Critical Thinking

Adaptability

  • Agile
  • Evolving Environments
  • Problem Solving

HTML/CSS/JS

  • Web Development Basics
  • Front-end Basics

Generative AI

  • Image Generation
  • Midjourney

Figma

  • Design
  • Design System
  • Prototypes

Brand Design & Visual Identity

  • Branding
  • Visual Identity
  • Logo Design
  • Brand Guidelines

Art Direction & Concept Development

  • Art Direction
  • Concept Development
  • Creative Strategy

Digital Content Creation

  • Social Media Content
  • Editorial Design
  • Pitch Decks
  • Digital Assets

Web & UI Design

  • UI/UX Design
  • Website Design
  • Figma
  • Framer

Motion Design

  • Animation
  • After Effects
  • Motion Graphics

Design Systems & Scalable Templates

  • Design Systems
  • Template Creation
  • Scalability

Brand Strategy & Messaging Translation

  • Brand Strategy
  • Messaging
  • Communication Strategy

Typography & Layout

  • Typography
  • Layout Design
  • Graphic Design Principles

Strategic Thinking

  • Strategic Mindset
  • Impact-driven
  • Business Acumen