designer, illustrator, and artist creating thoughtful visual work.

madison smith

MOTHER, DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR

Hi, I’m Madison, though I also answer to Madi and, most often, Mom.
I was born in Asheville, North Carolina, to a textile designer and an audio engineer, so creativity was always part of the picture. I grew up painting with my Pop Pop on a daylily farm, customizing Myspace pages, and making carefully curated playlists long before I knew graphic design or art direction could be a career. I took my first design class in high school, and the rest is history.
After design school, I got my professional start at a local print shop, where I learned to love layout, paper, and the physical side of design. From there, I moved into small business, e-commerce, and agency work, while continuing to make illustration and art through freelance projects. That mix of hands-on making and strategic thinking still shapes how I approach my work today.
I currently work remotely from Greenville, North Carolina, where I live with my husband and daughter. Outside of work, I’m usually at a live show, reading a fantasy novel, or halfway through a craft project.

currently

→ Working remotely from Eastern NC
→ Especially aligned with retail, CPG, print, music, entertainment, & family-forward brands

  • Creative Direction & Strategy: Art Direction, Campaign Development, Concept Development, Creative Strategy, Creative Leadership
    Branding & Visual Identity: Brand Identity, Logo Design, Design Systems, Typography
    Graphic Design & Illustration: Graphic Design, Illustration, Layout Design, Presentation Design, Photo Editing
    Print & Packaging: Packaging Design, Print Design, Print Production, Accessible Document Design
    Digital & Web Design: Web Design, Landing Page Design, E-commerce Design
    Marketing & Advertising: Digital Advertising, Email Marketing Design, SMS/MMS Marketing Design, Social Media Design
    Motion & Video: Animation, Motion Graphics, Storyboarding, Video Editing
    Production & Collaboration: Creative Production, Project Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Design & Creative: Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva Pro, Figma, Procreate
    Web & Ecommerce: Etsy, Shopify, Showit, Squarespace, WordPress, Wix
    Marketing, CRM & Digital Asset Management: Brandfolder, HubSpot, Mailchimp, WeShare
    Ecommerce Advertising & Research: Etsy Ads, EverBee, eRank, Jungle Scout
    Print-on-Demand & Production: Printify, Zazzle
    Project Management & Workflow: Airtable, Basecamp, Function Point, Notion
    AI Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Ideogram, Midjourney
    Communication & Collaboration: Dropbox, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom
    Business & Productivity: Google Workspace, Google Slides, Microsoft 365

  • WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY • SEP 2022:
    Digital Marketing Certificate for Professionals

    PITT COMMUNITY COLLEGE • MAY 2019:
    Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.S.), Graphic Design

  • GDUSA Primo Water: National Ad Campaign
    Senior Designer, Sales Factory
    Creative for a nationwide campaign promoting hydration and wellness. Oversaw design across print, retail, and digital assets in collaboration with a full creative team.
    → Creative Director: Vickie Canada · Associate Creative Director: Kristina Fick · Senior Designer: Madison Smith · Designer: Mary Ellen Cranston · Copy: Keat Powell

    GDUSA Primo Water: Social Media Campaign
    Senior Designer, Sales Factory
    Directed and executed digital-first creative for Primo Water's seasonal social campaigns. Delivered scroll-stopping content and animations supporting brand awareness and sustainability messaging.
    → Creative Director: Vickie Canada · Associate Creative Director: Kristina Fick · Senior Designer: Madison Smith · Designer: Mary Ellen Cranston · Copy: Keat Powell

CV