Role
Org
Deliverables
Timeline
Marketing Manager / Visual Designer
SF New Deal / Vacant to Vibrant
Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok
September 2024 - June 2025
Vacant to Vibrant’s mission is to turn neglected city spaces into thriving community assets. On social media, my goal was to translate that transformation into compelling, shareable stories that capture attention, build trust, and inspire involvement.
Context & Challenge
V2V’s social presence lacked cohesion and narrative clarity. While the organization’s impact was powerful, the visual and verbal identity felt disjointed and informational rather than emotional.Key issues:
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Inconsistent design language across platforms
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Text-heavy, low-engagement content
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No clear storytelling arc or call to action
- Limited use of visuals showing real people and transformation
Goal
To craft a cohesive social storytelling system that communicates transformation, using short-form, high-impact content.
The social media refresh needed to:
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Strengthen brand voice and visual identity
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Humanize the mission through community stories
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Increase engagement and shareability
- Drive awareness for upcoming initiatives and the new website launch
Creative Approach
1. Defining the Story Pillars
I built the content strategy around three storytelling pillars:
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Transformation Stories: Before-and-after visuals, project spotlights, and resident testimonials
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Community Voices: Quotes, portraits, and behind-the-scenes moments
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Urban Insights: Educational posts about placemaking, design, and sustainability
These pillars ensured a mix of emotion, education, and action.
2. Visual System & Art Direction
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Developed a modular post design system using V2V’s new color palette and typography.
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Created consistent framing for “before/after” images and quote cards.
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Introduced motion storytelling through short video loops and subtle animations.
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Designed highlight icons and story templates to make community stories instantly recognizable.
3. Content Creation
- Produced a library of 60+ social assets including photo stories, motion graphics, and reels.
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Scripted and edited mini video narratives using residents’ voices and ambient sound from project sites.
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Designed carousel posts that unpacked project journeys step-by-step, visually walking users through the transformation process.
- Collaborated with community photographers to maintain authenticity and local storytelling tone.
Impact
The refreshed social media presence became an extension of the brand’s story, not just a channel for updates.
Post-launch metrics:
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+80% overall engagement growth
- +60% increase in followers in 3 months
- Consistent community interaction and UGC submissions
- Stronger alignment between social content and brand mission
Key Contributions
- Visual storytelling system design
- Photo direction & content curation
- Short-form video editing & motion design
- Narrative scripting and caption strategy
- Social performance analysis and optimization
Outcome
Vacant to Vibrant’s social platforms now serve as living, breathing storyboards for community transformation, each post connecting people to the mission visually and emotionally.
Reflection
This project reinforced my belief that storytelling through visuals builds movements, not just metrics.
By aligning design, emotion, and narrative rhythm, we turned simple posts into micro-stories of transformation and gave the community a voice in their city’s rebirth.
Vacant to Vibrant’s social platforms now serve as living, breathing storyboards for community transformation, each post connecting people to the mission visually and emotionally.
Reflection
This project reinforced my belief that storytelling through visuals builds movements, not just metrics.
By aligning design, emotion, and narrative rhythm, we turned simple posts into micro-stories of transformation and gave the community a voice in their city’s rebirth.