I’m Emily Hughes, a Creative Director–level designer with 10+ years of experience turning complex, abstract ideas into clear, trustworthy visual systems. I’m driven by empathy and systems thinking, and I love building design languages that scale across print, digital, and product touchpoints—whether that’s leading the launch of a STEM-authenticated bitcoin board game or evolving brands for mission-driven organizations. I bring a hands-on, founder-mindset approach to end-to-end design, from concept and narrative to production, packaging, and global distribution. Alongside client and product work, I’ve taught and presented complex topics to diverse, non-technical audiences through workshops and international conferences, always with an optimistic, long-term vision for how design can help people understand and act on meaningful ideas.…

Emily Hughes

I’m Emily Hughes, a Creative Director–level designer with 10+ years of experience turning complex, abstract ideas into clear, trustworthy visual systems. I’m driven by empathy and systems thinking, and I love building design languages that scale across print, digital, and product touchpoints—whether that’s leading the launch of a STEM-authenticated bitcoin board game or evolving brands for mission-driven organizations. I bring a hands-on, founder-mindset approach to end-to-end design, from concept and narrative to production, packaging, and global distribution. Alongside client and product work, I’ve taught and presented complex topics to diverse, non-technical audiences through workshops and international conferences, always with an optimistic, long-term vision for how design can help people understand and act on meaningful ideas.…

Available to hire

I’m Emily Hughes, a Creative Director–level designer with 10+ years of experience turning complex, abstract ideas into clear, trustworthy visual systems. I’m driven by empathy and systems thinking, and I love building design languages that scale across print, digital, and product touchpoints—whether that’s leading the launch of a STEM-authenticated bitcoin board game or evolving brands for mission-driven organizations.

I bring a hands-on, founder-mindset approach to end-to-end design, from concept and narrative to production, packaging, and global distribution. Alongside client and product work, I’ve taught and presented complex topics to diverse, non-technical audiences through workshops and international conferences, always with an optimistic, long-term vision for how design can help people understand and act on meaningful ideas.

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Work Experience

Creative Lead at The Game of Satoshi
September 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026
Provided creative direction alongside product thinking and experiential design in a founder-led, highly iterative environment. Contributed beyond design to content structure, strategy, and iteration under shifting constraints. Collaborated with founders, developers, and contributors to support ongoing product evolution.
Co-Founder & Creative Director at Blockhunters - The Bitcoin Board Game
January 1, 2023 - Present
Led the visual identity, packaging design, and print production; managed crowdfunding, influencer outreach, global distribution, and strategic partnerships. Operated across brand, marketing, logistics, and growth while applying hands-on design leadership to a product-based business.
Graphic Designer (Consultant) at Center for Reproductive Rights
November 1, 2020 - November 1, 2024
Created digital and print assets for a global legal advocacy organization. Designed campaigns, toolkits, and fundraising event branding that fits within the larger brand system while delivering a clean, impactful, emotionally resonant aesthetic. Supported international campaigns using collaborative workflows, producing urgent, professional materials within an updated visual identity.
Graphic Designer at Emily Hughes Design
April 1, 2020 - Present
Delivered brand identities and design systems for mission-driven clients, working within established guidelines or evolving them into cohesive, scalable visual languages. Specialized in digital design and long-format typesetting for pitch decks, policy reports, infographics, and annual publications. Clients include K1 Mini Bitcoin ATM, Nicaroma (Coffee Shop Brand Identity), Money of the People, and board games/projects.
Freelance Designer at Freelance (2020 – Present)
January 1, 2020 - Present
Delivered contract-based design projects across industries, often managing multiple timelines and creative scopes simultaneously. Worked remotely while traveling as a digital nomad, supporting brand and marketing creative needs with hands-on craft in both digital and physical outputs.
Freelance Designer
January 1, 2020 - Present
Delivered remote contract-based design work across industries, often managing multiple timelines and scopes simultaneously. Supported brand creative for packaging, campaigns, events, and digital assets while traveling as a digital nomad.
Graphic Design Consultant (Contract) at Center for Reproductive Rights
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2024
Led visual design for global advocacy campaigns. Developed cohesive creative concepts, toolkits, and event branding with execution support from in-house and external designers, helping refine an emotionally resonant style within a refreshed brand system.
Graphic Designer at Flow Alkaline Spring Water
May 1, 2018 - April 1, 2020
Designed CPG packaging for a bottled water brand sold across Canada’s major retailers. Produced creative assets for global advertising campaigns, including work with celebrity partners and top brands. Maintained and evolved the visual identity across e-commerce, influencer kits, tradeshows, and point-of-sale signage. Executed high-volume creative under tight deadlines across physical and digital touchpoints.
In-house Graphic Designer at Flow Alkaline Spring Water
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2020
Designed creative assets for a wellness water startup across e-commerce, advertising, retail, tradeshow, packaging, and point-of-purchase environments. Supported global campaigns with celebrity partners and helped evolve the visual identity across multiple channels in a fast-paced production environment.

Education

BDes, Bachelor of Design with Honours at York University
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2017
Diploma, UX/UI Design at BrainStation
January 1, 2019 - September 1, 2026
Certificate, Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2012
BDes, Bachelor of Design with Honours at York University
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2017
Diploma, UX/UI Design at BrainStation
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2019
Certificate, Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2012
Bachelor of Design (Honours) at York University
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2017
Diploma, UX Design at BrainStation
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2019

Qualifications

Expert level Adobe InDesign, Illustrator & Photoshop
January 11, 2030 - September 1, 2026
Women in Development Scholarship (BrainStation Diploma, UX Design)
January 1, 2019 - September 1, 2026

Industry Experience

Non-Profit Organization, Gaming, Consumer Goods, Media & Entertainment, Education, Retail, Software & Internet, Professional Services
    Center for Reproductive Rights: Gala & Environmental Design
    Led the visual design for eleven annual fundraising events in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Three flagship galas raised millions in support of reproductive rights. Environmental design Designed complete event environments: wayfinding systems, signage, stage graphics, donor walls, printed programs, branded merchandise and video elements. Every touchpoint built to hold up under event lighting and at architectural scale. Concepting Each gala centred on its own theme, aligned with the organisation's brand while leaving room for elevated creative expression. Designed for a high-level donor audience where craft and restraint mattered as much as impact. Delivery Collaborated closely with event producers and internal stakeholders to deliver polished, on-brand moments across print, digital and physical space. Skills Experiential & environmental design Wayfinding & signage systems Stage graphics Large-scale display design Print & digital integration designer…
    Title: Center for Reproductive Rights: Annual Report & Long-Form Editorial
    Editorial design and typesetting for a global legal advocacy organisation's flagship publications, including the 2023 Annual Report, the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and the Policy Barriers Report. Editorial systems Designed and typeset long-form documents running to dozens of pages, holding a consistent typographic system across narrative sections, financials, donor listings and pro bono partner indexes. Data visualisation Built infographics and data visualisations to carry complex material: revenue and expense breakdowns, programme goals mapped to a five-year strategy, and statistics on maternal health and access. Skills Editorial design & typesetting Infographics & data visualisation Long-form document systems Print & digital publication…
    Nicaroma Café: Brand Identity & Visual System
    Visual identity for a Nicaraguan-Canadian café on in Toronto, built around the idea of *café y cultura*. The brief The founders wanted a brand that felt handmade and warm without flattening the Nicaraguan side of it into generic café aesthetics. My job was to hold both: artisanal warmth and cultural specificity, in one system. The identity I worked closely with the founders throughout, prioritising emotional resonance with them while still offering direction where it was needed. The result is a deep blue and cream palette with custom illustrated elements: birds, botanicals and folk-derived ornament, drawn to sit alongside the wordmark rather than compete with it. The system Rather than hand over a logo and leave, I built a full visual identity guideline covering logo usage, colour, type and graphic assets, along with practical templates the founders could use themselves. The aim was for the brand to stay coherent as it grew, without needing a designer in the room every time. Where it's gone The system continues to support the café's expansion into small-batch coffee roasting, holding across packaging, signage, merchandise and digital touchpoints. Skills Brand identity design Visual system development Custom illustration Style guide & template systems Client-centred design execution…
    Blockhunters: Board Game Packaging & Print Production
    Co-founded and led the visual direction for Blockhunters, an educational board game manufactured in China and distributed globally. Packaging and print Designed the box, board, card decks, rulebook and all printed components, delivering factory-ready artwork against supplier dielines. Managed proofing, colour approval and QC across many components and multiple languages. Co-designed the gameplay. Manufacturing Worked directly with the manufacturer's pre-press team through production, handling specs, revisions and sign-off across time zones, then coordinated global distribution. Beyond design As part of a two-person team I also ran crowdfunding, marketing, budgets and logistics, and represented the game through workshops, podcasts and outreach. Skills Print production & manufacturing oversight Packaging design Creative direction Product development Budget & logistics management…
    Flow Alkaline Spring Water: Multi-SKU Packaging & Retail
    Two years in-house at a fast-growing wellness beverage startup, designing packaging and retail assets across a growing product range. Packaging Designed retail and DTC packaging across multiple SKUs, working directly on Tetra Prisma keylines through to production. Projects included the organic strawberry + rose flavoured line and the collagen-infused range, both aimed at the beauty and wellness market. Colour and consistency Held colour and identity consistent across primary cartons, case packs, point-of-sale and large-format retail displays, so the range read as one system on shelf. Retail environments Designed floor displays, POP units and in-store signage for grocery and pharmacy retail, in both English and French for the Canadian market. Skills Package design (retail & DTC) Brand identity application Multi-SKU colour consistency POP & retail display design High-volume asset production…
    K1 Mini: Structural Packaging & Dieline System
    Custom packaging system for the K1 Mini, a wall- or pedestal-mounted Bitcoin ATM, adapting an existing brand identity into a structural format. The problem The product needed retail-ready packaging that could ship at volume without adding cost or assembly steps at the factory. The solution Rather than tooling new packaging from scratch, I designed a printed sleeve to wrap the client's existing stock boxes, cutting the cost of the whole run. To hold it closed I used a dual-purpose sticker that secures the sleeve structurally while functioning as a key visual element in the layout, removing the need for a separate closure and keeping the front panel clean. Production Delivered production-ready artwork on an industry-standard dieline, optimised for efficient print runs and consistent assembly at scale. Skills Brand adaptation for packaging Dual-purpose design solutions Dieline optimisation Production-ready artwork…