Satin & Silk key mark Chealsee KalivasCreative Director · Satin & Silk Studio
Work  /  WilkinGuttenplan Campaigns
Case study 04 · Brand campaigns & art direction

Three years as the only designer, and one brand that never slipped

At a multinational CPA firm, I art directed every milestone the firm marked: a 40th anniversary, a new partner and a leadership handover. Each one ran across email, social, web and print, all on brand and all by one designer.

A Culture of Transition campaign art
EmailHubSpot
SocialLinkedIn & Instagram
WebHomepage & banners
PrintMagazines & galas
Client
WilkinGuttenplan, a multinational CPA firm
My role
Senior Graphic Designer, sole creative
Timeline
July 2022 to June 2025
Channels
Email, social, web, print, press, video
~0%

Open rate on the new-partner announcement emails, about five times the accounting average of 11%

0

Years of the firm celebrated in one campaign across every channel

0

Designer behind every piece, from key art to the press release

The challenge

Big moments, one designer, no off days

A growing firm needed a steady stream of campaigns for clients, recruits and the community. Each milestone had to feel premium and personal, land the same week across every channel, and still look like one firm.

The approach

One system, flexed for each moment

I built every campaign from the firm's greens, dark muted tones and Montserrat type, then gave each moment its own idea: a ribbon "40" for the anniversary, a portrait-led layout for a new partner, and a quiet hand-off for the leadership change.

The campaigns

A year of milestones

Scroll the timeline. Each stop is one campaign and the channels it ran on.

  1. May 2023New partnerJune M. Toth joins
  2. Sept 202340 YearsAnniversary launch
  3. Jan 1, 2024LeadershipManaging shareholder handover
  4. 2024A.S.P.I.R.E.Case study 03 →
  5. OngoingPrintMarkets and community
01
September 2023 · Anniversary campaign

40 Years of Accounting Excellence

A ribbon "40" in dark, muted tones and the firm's greens, made to feel high-end, set in Montserrat.

  • Email
  • Social
  • Homepage
  • Banner
  • Print
40 years anniversary logo post
40 Years of Accounting Excellence post
Ribbon 40 post
  • Art directed the campaign around an abstract ribbon "40" that carried every piece
  • Designed internal and external email blasts, sent on World Gratitude Day
  • Designed social posts, a homepage banner and a fully custom anniversary homepage
  • Soft-launched the incoming managing shareholder inside the campaign
Anniversary homepage
Anniversary homepage
Hover to scroll the pageTap to scroll the page
Anniversary email
40 Years print adPrint ad
Homepage bannerHomepage banner

The 40th anniversary logo and ribbon artwork were created in partnership with the firm's website agency.

02
May 2023 · Partner announcement

Welcoming June M. Toth

A Forbes Top 200 CPA and NJCPA president, introduced with a clean, portrait-led campaign.

  • Press release
  • Email
  • Social
  • Web
Welcome June M. Toth social post
Announcement email
~0%Email open rate, about 5x the accounting average
  • Designed the press release, social campaign and announcement emails
  • Built the layout around her portrait, with short copy and a clean frame
  • Made the move from her own practice to the firm feel seamless
Website hero
Website announcement hero
Announcement page
Announcement page
Hover to scroll the pageTap to scroll the page
03
January 1, 2024 · Leadership transition

A Culture of Transition

Introducing a new managing shareholder without unsettling a single client.

  • Email
  • Social
  • Web banner
A Culture of Transition social post
  • Carried the 40 Years look into the handover so the change felt planned, not sudden
  • Designed the web banner, social posts and client email, all deployed January 1
  • Kept the copy short and calm: honor the founder, welcome the successor
Website banner
Transition email
04
Ongoing · Print advertising

Print, art directed by market

Annual ads for co-op publications, trade magazines and galas, plus community goodwill.

  • Magazines
  • Galas
  • Community
Community associations ad
Community associationsSmaller HOA buildings for the New Jersey market
A Team of Experts ad
Developers & ownersClear messaging for a high-end, multi-state audience
NJCPA congratulations ad
GoodwillHonoring the NJCPA
Mayor John Labrosse congratulations ad
GoodwillCelebrating a community service award

Also at the firm: presentations and executive communications for C-suite leadership and industry events, service-page UX and A/B testing, and video and podcast production.

Tools

What I worked in

A one-person studio inside a CPA firm.

Design

PhotoshopIllustratorInDesign

Email & web

HubSpotWordPress

Video & audio

Adobe Premiere ProAdobe AuditionAfter Effects
Looking back
As the only designer, every campaign started and ended with me, so I learned to take an idea from first sketch to final launch on my own. It's where my thinking grew past design: I learned how marketing works, and how good design moves it forward.

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