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Portfolio · 2026

Isabelle Carrou

Graphic & Marketing Designer

A detail-oriented designer creating thoughtful, visually engaging content across digital, marketing, and social media platforms. I care about typography, layout, motion, and visual storytelling, with a focus on making information clear and approachable.

“I enjoy finding effective ways to turn ideas into visuals that connect with an audience.”

Studying
UC Santa Cruz · Class of 2026
Based in
Menlo Park, CA
Elsewhere
LinkedIn

Selected
Work.

8 projects · internships, campaigns, illustration, 3D, games, animation

  1. 01 Creative Design Intern.
  2. 02 Senate Publicist.
  3. 03 Content Creation.
  4. 04 Roots of Waste.
  5. 05 L'Oréal Brandstorm: Overglow.
  6. 06 Character Design.
  7. 07 Games.
  8. 08 Animation.
01 / Project Dividend Management · Aug – Dec 2024

Creative Design Intern.

During my internship at Dividend Management, I collaborated with a creative team to design visuals for the company as well as its signed music artists and athletes.

Our goal as designers was not just to make things look good, but to create work that elevated each artist’s brand. We did this by drafting and exploring different styles to capture the unique vibe and message of each artist.

Some of the design projects included logos, wallpapers, presentations, and tour posters. My design of the Marisa Sardo Tour poster was featured on both Dividend’s and the artist’s Instagram accounts.

Through this internship, I learned to adapt creatively and design with intention.

Tools
  • Photoshop
  • InDesign
  • Canva
02 / Project Cowell College Senate · Oct 2024 – Jun 2025

Senate Publicist.

As Publicist for UCSC's Cowell College Senate, I ran the Senate's social media and designed everything that went out on it.

Our goal as Cowell College Senate was not only to provide funding to clubs on campus, but to increase student engagement and connect the campus community with what Cowell and UCSC have to offer.

I managed the Senate’s Instagram and TikTok, designing and publishing graphics and posters to promote events and share resources with students. Consistent, creative content planning grew engagement and event attendance, and gave the Senate a recognizable visual style.

Some of the events I promoted were a Friendsgiving Dinner, a Valentine’s Bouquet Giveaway, and an End of the Year Celebration. My goal for each poster was to be clear, welcoming, and visually on-theme for the event.

Tools
  • Canva
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
03 / Project Vivian Health · Aug 2025 – Present

Content Creation.

At Vivian Health I create visual content for social media: Reels and TikToks as well as posters and graphics for Instagram.

I work closely with marketing and creative professionals to understand their goals and help shape content that’s engaging, on brand, and designed to connect with a younger audience. Vivian uses these deliverables across their social media platforms.

Each month I balance a set of deliverables while keeping the quality, tone, and visual identity consistent, and I contribute ideas that support campaign goals.

This experience has strengthened both my design skills and my ability to communicate ideas effectively in a fast-paced, real-world setting.

Tools
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Canva
  • InShot
  • Photoshop
04 / Project Personal project · Digital illustration

Roots of Waste.

Roots of Waste combines digital illustration, research, and storytelling to spotlight local environmental issues in the Bay Area.

I designed a website to showcase three original pieces: a tree, a seal, and a California poppy. Each illustration was built in Photoshop by individually placing and layering pieces of trash to form symbolic figures that represent the natural environment, local wildlife, and the specific environmental challenges facing the Bay.

Every detail in the three graphics is made solely out of trash. With 57 million tons of plastic pollution accumulating every year, the message is simple: let us not be rooted from waste.

This project let me explore the impact of waste through research, and showed me how visuals with a purpose can tell a deeper story.

Tools
  • Photoshop
  • Wix
  • Research
05 / Project Competition · L'Oréal Brandstorm 2026

L'Oréal Brandstorm: Overglow.

As part of the L'Oréal Brandstorm 2026 competition, I worked with a small team to develop Overglow, an original fragrance concept designed to inspire personal empowerment and environmental restoration.

The challenge was to create a complete product and brand identity within a two-week timeframe, from researching fragrance ingredients and scent profiles to developing the brand’s story and visual direction.

My role focused on the creative and design side. Using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate, I designed the logo, developed promotional visuals, and created the presentation materials used in our final pitch. I also contributed to research and concept development, helping shape the overall vision of the brand and its messaging.

The final submission was a three-slide pitch deck and an edited promotional video presented to L’Oréal. The project strengthened my skills in branding, visual storytelling, graphic design, video editing, and collaborative problem-solving under tight deadlines.

Tools
  • Illustrator
  • Photoshop
  • Procreate
  • Video editing
06 / Project 3D modeling & animation · 10 weeks

Character Design.

Over a 10-week period I created a fully original, animation-ready 3D character from concept to animation in Blender.

The goal of this project was to develop a complete, animation-ready character while refining my skills in character modeling and production workflow.

I started with concept sketches before modeling the body, clothing, head, and hair. Once the base of the character was established, I UV-unwrapped and textured the model in Substance Painter, experimenting with materials and surface detail to enhance realism and style.

The final stage was rigging the character with a full skeletal system so it could move and be animated. The project challenged me to manage a long-term workflow and solve technical issues across every stage of character creation.

Tools
  • Blender
  • Substance Painter
  • Concept sketching
07 / Project Interactive narrative · Twine

Games.

For a course on Queer and Trans Art and Games, I collaborated with a partner to create an interactive, narrative-driven game in Twine: a queer spin-off of the reality TV show Love Island.

We co-wrote the characters and dialogue, designed different storylines and outcomes based on player decisions, and brought the experience to life through custom visuals, embedded music, and code, using CSS and JavaScript inside Twine.

What made this project meaningful was how collaborative and hands-on it was. We ran into Twine’s scripting limitations and worked through them together by brainstorming, problem solving, and debugging as a team.

In the end, we delivered a polished, engaging experience that reflects both of our voices and centers stories that are often underrepresented in games.

Tools
  • Twine
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Writing
08 / Project Short films · Stop motion & hand-drawn

Animation.

A selection of short animations made while experimenting with different styles and storytelling approaches. Each one was a chance to play, problem solve, and learn something new.

The first is a stop motion piece made with InShot, using traced, found images with a vintage aesthetic. The challenge, and the fun, was remixing those visuals into something totally new: a slightly offbeat but playful narrative with a bit of humor woven in.

The second and third are hand-drawn animations, created frame by frame and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Each one tells a short story through expressive movement, pacing, and sound, and pushed me to think more deeply about timing and emotional rhythm in visual storytelling.

These projects sharpened my skills in animation, editing, and narrative structure. More than that, they reminded me how much I enjoy bringing ideas to life.

Tools
  • InShot
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Frame-by-frame
  1. Jul 2026 – Present Current

    Communications & Marketing Intern

    Division of Student Affairs and Success, UC Santa Cruz

    • Create and edit high-quality designs and videos for social media, promotional campaigns, and instructional content
    • Collaborate with departments and student teams across the university
    • Work on real-world projects that inform and engage students on campus
  2. Aug 2025 – Present Current

    Content Creator

    Vivian Health

    • Design and produce visual content and videos for social media, supporting brand awareness and audience growth
    • Balance monthly deliverables while maintaining consistent quality, tone, and visual identity
    • Collaborate closely with marketing and creative professionals so content aligns with brand strategy and messaging
    • Contribute creative ideas that lift engagement and support campaign goals
  3. Oct 2024 – Jun 2025

    Publicist

    Cowell College Senate, UC Santa Cruz

    • Led the social media presence for campus events through posts, reels, and promotional flyers
    • Increased student engagement and event attendance through consistent, creative content planning
    • Coordinated outreach with other student organizations to cross-promote events and expand reach
    • Developed a recognizable visual style that strengthened the organization’s online presence
  4. Aug 2024 – Dec 2024

    Creative Design Intern

    Dividend Management

    • Designed visual presentations and graphics used in pitch meetings with signed music artists and athletes
    • Translated abstract concepts into compelling visuals using storyboards and moodboards
    • Worked with interns and professionals to produce cohesive, on-brand creative assets
    • Supported the creative process from concept development through final execution

About.

I'm a designer studying Art & Design: Games + Playable Media at UC Santa Cruz. My work spans social media campaigns, branding, editorial layout, illustration, 3D character work, interactive games, and short animation. I'm comfortable managing multiple projects, staying organized, meeting deadlines, collaborating with teams, and picking up new tools and systems quickly.

I enjoy finding effective ways to turn ideas into visuals that connect with an audience.

Education

University of California, Santa Cruz

B.A. in Art & Design: Games + Playable Media

GPA3.95 GraduationExpected December 2026
Strengths
  • Typography & layout
  • Motion graphics & video editing
  • Social media content & campaigns
  • Branding & visual identity
  • Moodboards & storyboards
  • Research, synthesis & summarization
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Organization & deadline reliability
Adobe
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
Design & 3D
  • Figma
  • Canva
  • Procreate
  • Blender
  • Substance Painter
  • InShot
Web & interactive
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Twine
  • Wix