(Ellie Volckhausen)
I craft outcomes, not just solutions.
Who I am
Creative leader and designer who builds brands, teams, and missions that matter.
What I do best
Define problems, solve problems. Uplift users, clients, and collaborators. Drive success.
Why it matters
Good design is efficient and imparts joy. It listens, adapts, and drives meaningful change.
Work: case studies
Brand Campaign
A multi-year campaign—developed in close partnership with design, copy, video, and agency teams—transformed O’Reilly’s image from book publisher to go-to digital platform for tech learning, driving measurable gains in awareness and engagement.
AI-POWERED INNOVATION
Labs
Seeing a need for direction amid rising AI interest, I founded the AI Design Lab to lead creative innovation and shape responsible AI practices.
CASE STUDY
UX / Sustainability
The Pollinator Toolkit—developed by a lean, impact-focused team—uses thoughtful UX to guide users from curiosity to action, making native planting easy and scalable.
CASE STUDY
Series Design
The animal books taught the developers who built the internet—and generations who are now shaping the future of AI. After years designing animal books in their original style, the redesign became more than a project—it was a personal mission to honor their legacy, preserve their magic, and reimagine them for the future.
CASE STUDY
Systems Design
As mobile edtech took shape, we developed a PK–5 platform of 100 apps aligned to Common Core—paired with the ElectroGuide, which let teachers map content directly to the standards they were required to cover.
Social Marketing
CASE STUDY
As economic uncertainty slowed the pipeline, my team finally got the green light to do what we’d been championing all along: lead with the pain. We reframed messaging around real challenges—burnout, stalled innovation, and skills gaps—and brought it to life with bold, high-impact creative powered by a mix of generative AI and handcrafted design. The result? A monstrous 800% spike in engagement.
Active Projects
In Progress (2025– )
Brand strategy, visual identity, art direction, illustration systems
I crafted a cohesive brand system for an innovative mental health startup, intentionally rejecting stock photography in favor of an authentic, illustration-led visual language. The outcome is a human-centered identity—defined through art direction, original illustration, and a comprehensive brand book—now applied across the website.
In Progress (2025– )
Brand & product UX, information architecture, platform design, AI/engineering collaboration
Ongoing brand and UX design work for an innovative startup focused on affordability and everyday economic pressure. In collaboration with an AI and full-stack engineering partner, I’m designing a searchable, anonymized interview platform—shaping identity, information architecture, and UX for audio, transcripts, and vectorized data that surface insight through sustained, trust-based engagement.
