Fictitious Brands
As Art Director of Photography, I led the visual direction for each brand from concept through delivery — building the production framework that became the standard for how photo work was executed across Mailchimp.
Mailchimp's Fictitious Brands initiative built 20+ fictional brand identities used across marketing and product to show real-world Mailchimp use cases across industries.
"Each brand needed its own visual world while still feeling unmistakably Mailchimp."
Research showed that customers respond to imagery where they see themselves, not bland stock scenarios, but real lived-in environments that feel authentic to the world these brands actually exist in.
We solved for this by shooting in textured, real-world environments, casting models with an everyday quality, and balancing that grounded aesthetic with Mailchimp's vibrant voice through intentional use of bold color, modern wardrobe, and design-forward props that brought energy without tipping into staged.
I owned creative direction across every brand — shot lists, photographer selection, on-set direction, and post-production oversight. Productions ranged from $18K nimble shoots to $150K+ multi-day productions, with some directed entirely via Zoom. The system I built to manage consistency across 20+ brands became the foundation for how all photo productions at Mailchimp were run.
Closer Look: Fictitious Brands
Escultura Eyewear
Tandu
Seedling Soda Co